Boundary-Scan Gateway IC Facilitates Multiboard Testing

Dec. 4, 2003

The PTC (parallel test and configuration) IC, a gateway device for IEEE 1149.1 testing and configuration of multiboard systems, has finally arrived. Designed for "blade" pc boards, which plug into a multislot or multicabled backplane, this Intellitech device provides the necessary infrastructure for multiboard FPGA configuration and system pc-board to pc-board interconnect testing.

The PTC IC scales to the system it's used in. It's also a necessity when testing pc-board to pc-board gigabit serializer/deserializer and low-voltage differential-signalling connections, as well as for diagnosing pin-connection problems. It can be used on blades for proprietary telecom backplanes or on standard pc-board backplanes.

"Previous addressable multidrop 1149.1 architectures lacked scalability," says Mike Ricchetti, Intellitech's CTO. "If the test for one pc board in the system took 45 seconds, then 10 similar pc boards needed 450 seconds because each had to be tested one at a time. With Intellitech's patent-pending technology, the test time for those 10 boards would be 45 seconds."

The chip supports FPGA programming up to 152 Mbytes/s. By using a 20-MHz test clock and the PTC architecture, four pc boards can be configured from a single programming resource simultaneously for an aggregate data rate of 80 Mbytes/s. With eight similar pc boards in the system, the FPGA configuration speed over the serial PTC bus is 160 Mbytes/s.

The PTC IC is available from stock in VQ100, TQ144, and 256-pin BGA packages, starting at $11 each in 10,000-unit lots. A $4500 reference design with four CompactPCI boards, a CompactPCI backplane, a power supply, and schematics and FPGA design files is also available.

Intellitech Corp.www.intellitech.com

See associated figure

About the Author

Roger Allan

Roger Allan is an electronics journalism veteran, and served as Electronic Design's Executive Editor for 15 of those years. He has covered just about every technology beat from semiconductors, components, packaging and power devices, to communications, test and measurement, automotive electronics, robotics, medical electronics, military electronics, robotics, and industrial electronics. His specialties include MEMS and nanoelectronics technologies. He is a contributor to the McGraw Hill Annual Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. He is also a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a BSEE from New York University's School of Engineering and Science. Roger has worked for major electronics magazines besides Electronic Design, including the IEEE Spectrum, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Products, and the British New Scientist. He also has working experience in the electronics industry as a design engineer in filters, power supplies and control systems.

After his retirement from Electronic Design Magazine, He has been extensively contributing articles for Penton’s Electronic Design, Power Electronics Technology, Energy Efficiency and Technology (EE&T) and Microwaves RF Magazine, covering all of the aforementioned electronics segments as well as energy efficiency, harvesting and related technologies. He has also contributed articles to other electronics technology magazines worldwide.

He is a “jack of all trades and a master in leading-edge technologies” like MEMS, nanolectronics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, military electronics, biometrics, implantable medical devices, and energy harvesting and related technologies.