IEEE Autotestcon 2015 is set to convene November 2-5 in National Harbor, MD, and four tutorials on Monday will bring attendees up to speed. The tutorials are arranged in two sessions: session 1 covers “Automatic Testing from A to Z” from 8 a.m. to noon and “ATE and TPS Management” from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Session 2 begins with “Diagnostics and Design for Built-in Test” from 8 a.m. to noon. It concludes with a tutorial titled “VXI, PXI, IVI, LXI, and AXIe Standards Improve ATE Systems Design” from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Craig Stoldt, BAE Systems, will be the instructor for “Automatic Testing from A to Z” in session 1. The tutorial will cover ATE interfaces and their limitations, the impact of new instrument technologies, and the basics of switching systems and pin electronics. Stoldt will also emphasize software, which now makes up more than half of almost all military systems—with software testing therefore becoming an integral part of the ATS environment. The tutorial will conclude with a look at DoD acquisition strategies.
Stoldt will also serve as the moderator for the “ATE and TPS Management” session 1 afternoon tutorial. He will be joined by three other speakers to address four topics:
- Tony Conard, US Navy, will cover TPS acquisition, exploring the processes and challenges facing the government acquisition manager, focusing on RFP development, acquisition oversight, testing, and fielding. One focus will be on the NAVAIR Generic OTPS RFP (NGOR)—a component of the NAVAIR acquisition process that provides a standard tailorable RFP for the procurement of Operational Test Program Sets (OTPSs).
- Stoldt will address TPS development management. He will explore the various challenges of a TPS development program, focusing on measurable objectives.
- Tom Maiello, US Army, will offer a presentation on TPS acceptance, providing in-depth insight into actual issues faced during the TPS acceptance testing process.
- Mark J. Cain, US Air Force, will cover depot TPS and ATE management, describing the roles and responsibilities of these interdependent commodities. He will discuss the distinct paths available for replacement or acquisition of depot ATE and TPSs, with an exploration of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) process.
Dr. John W. Sheppard, Montana State University, and Louis Y. Ungar, A.T.E. Solutions Inc., will serve as instructors for the morning tutorial of session 2. They will cover the implementation of built-in [self] test (BI[S]T), or embedded test. They will cover topics ranging from diagnosis and prognosis to health-management information integration, with the latter topic including a focus on formal models called ontologies.
Bob Helsel, who manages the VXIbus Consortium, PXI Systems Alliance, IVI Foundation, LXI Consortium, and AXIe Consortium, will serve as the instructor for the session 2 afternoon session. He will note that the VXIbus architecture was introduced 28 years ago and will be around for many years to come, providing an incentive for Autotestcon attendees to keep up with the standard.
Helsel will also cover the newer PXI, LXI, and AXIe architectures as well as the Interchangeable Virtual Instrument (IVI) software standard. IVI, he will note, simplifies interchangeability, provides better performance, and reduces the cost of program development and maintenance.
