Standards-Based Test Automation Kit Shortens Setup/Coding Time

Nov. 10, 2003

As companies trim their engineering staffs, engineers are burdened with connecting, verifying, and checking test setups. Such tasks, which can often take weeks, are "low-value" jobs and often relegated to non-engineering staff. As a result,...

Roger Allan

Recognizing this, Agilent Technologies came up with a standards-based test kit that shortens the time low-value tasks take to just one hour. The kit consists of a USB/GPIB converter, Test Express software, a Test Module with a wiring harness, 200 example programs, and two hours of consultation with Agilent systems experts.

"We've just eliminated weeks of low-value automation test setup time," says Dave Karlin, R&D planning manager. "They can now create new test systems much faster, optimize the speed of execution, and adapt the system to new modules rapidly."

The kit works with a variety of graphical languages, including VEE, LabView, Excel, VB6, C#, and VB.Net. It hooks to a wide range of Agilent test equipment and can be connected to other vendors' instruments via GPIB cables.

With the USB/GPIB converter (Agilent part #82357A), there's no need to disassemble the I/O connection. The Test Express software loads drivers, identifies and configures systems, and runs tests for the above languages.

Agilent also will make available the test kit with an economy configuration test setup of Agilent instruments for under $10,000 as well as a high-capacity rack-mount configuration for under $20,000. The kit costs $1995.

Agilent Technologieswww.agilent.com (800) 452-4844, ext. 7839

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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.