On Deck with Circuit Check: Recent Episodes
Circuit Check
Welcome to On Deck with Circuit Check. For over 40 years Circuit Check has been a leading-edge provider of custom-engineered test solutions for the electronics industry, identifying and innovating new technologies and processes to with the ever-changing test requirements. Join us as we share our expertise and thought-leadership across a wide range of industries.
The manufacturing testing environment experienced significant changes with accelerated digitization. With digital transformation now impacting how they test and the devices under testing, how will manufacturers venture into this new realm to realize optimization and efficiency? On Deck with Circuit Check host Daniel Litwin spoke with two experts in the space, Shawn Reiler, Senior Vice President of Sales at Circuit Check, and Ian Fountain, Director of Technical Marketing at National Instruments. joined the show.
So, what does digital transformation in testing mean? Reiler explained, “It’s about gaining as much information as possible for the entire process, then deciding how to use that data to influence future design.”
Fountain offered an anecdote about digitally transforming the industry. “I frame in how if there’s too much paper, the process isn’t digitally transformed enough. It’s about leveraging technology from the consumer space and seeing it brought to bear on the manufacturing floor.”
“Unless you own the manufacturing facility, you may not have rights to that data. So, going into a partnership to digitally transform together,” Fountain said.
What’s also clear about data generation and analysis is that it doesn’t end after the product leaves the factory. Everything is connected. “Connectivity is part of most products and will become more prevalent with 5G. This changes the testing strategy. Testing continues after the product leaves to inform design going forward,” Fountain added.
This approach to gathering and analyzing data in the field is something manufacturers must consider as the testing ecosystem evolves. “There are multiple capabilities and an infinite number of data streams. Feeding that back into the test itself offers complete functionality,” Reiler noted.
The manufacturing testing environment experienced significant changes with accelerated digitization. With digital transformation now impacting how they test and the devices under testing, how will manufacturers venture into this new realm to realize optimization and efficiency? On Deck with Circuit Check host Daniel Litwin spoke with two experts in the space, Shawn Reiler, Senior Vice President of Sales at Circuit Check, and Ian Fountain, Director of Technical Marketing at National Instruments. joined the show.
So, what does digital transformation in testing mean? Reiler explained, “It’s about gaining as much information as possible for the entire process, then deciding how to use that data to influence future design.”
Fountain offered an anecdote about digitally transforming the industry. “I frame in how if there’s too much paper, the process isn’t digitally transformed enough. It’s about leveraging technology from the consumer space and seeing it brought to bear on the manufacturing floor.”
“Unless you own the manufacturing facility, you may not have rights to that data. So, going into a partnership to digitally transform together,” Fountain said.
What’s also clear about data generation and analysis is that it doesn’t end after the product leaves the factory. Everything is connected. “Connectivity is part of most products and will become more prevalent with 5G. This changes the testing strategy. Testing continues after the product leaves to inform design going forward,” Fountain added.
This approach to gathering and analyzing data in the field is something manufacturers must consider as the testing ecosystem evolves. “There are multiple capabilities and an infinite number of data streams. Feeding that back into the test itself offers complete functionality,” Reiler noted.
DUTs, or devices under test, were the topic on the discussion board for On Deck with Circuit Check. One-to-one device testing can be a laborious time-escalating process, but there are some methods and strategies for testing multiple devices to improve output time. Sean Casey, test systems engineering manager with Circuit Check, and Ted Ronnenburg, senior sales manager with MAC Panel Company, joined host Daniel Litwin for a deep dive on DUTs and when to use a universal test platform.
“For us, a core platform is usually the building block or foundation to create a dedicated or universal tester,” Casey said. “The core platform can consist of things like: a rack that’s standardized with a PDU and a monitor stand and all the ancillary things that go into creating test platforms, minus the mass interconnect and test equipment.” Casey added that having a core platform was a massive advantage for Circuit Check.
Dedicated test platforms only utilize the instrumentation needed for specific testing. This type of platform reduces the costs associated with mass interconnects involved with universal platforms. The downside? If a facility only has one dedicated tester and it goes down, the production line can go down, too.
There are many reasons for using one testing platform method over another, but flexibility is one of the most important factors when considering a universal tester. “If you’re deploying worldwide and you need to support this platform worldwide, and you’re going to have three testers in Asia, three in Mexico, and so forth, it’s much easier to support that type of thing with a universal tester,” Casey said.
The ultimate decision maker comes down to the testing requirements of the product. “When we work with Circuit Check, we try to determine what the requirements are from the system level, the IO, to suggest and provide the right interface solution to accommodate what’s going to be needed and supported in the best way,” Ronnenburg said.
DUTs, or devices under test, were the topic on the discussion board for On Deck with Circuit Check. One-to-one device testing can be a laborious time-escalating process, but there are some methods and strategies for testing multiple devices to improve output time. Sean Casey, test systems engineering manager with Circuit Check, and Ted Ronnenburg, senior sales manager with MAC Panel Company, joined host Daniel Litwin for a deep dive on DUTs and when to use a universal test platform.
“For us, a core platform is usually the building block or foundation to create a dedicated or universal tester,” Casey said. “The core platform can consist of things like: a rack that’s standardized with a PDU and a monitor stand and all the ancillary things that go into creating test platforms, minus the mass interconnect and test equipment.” Casey added that having a core platform was a massive advantage for Circuit Check.
Dedicated test platforms only utilize the instrumentation needed for specific testing. This type of platform reduces the costs associated with mass interconnects involved with universal platforms. The downside? If a facility only has one dedicated tester and it goes down, the production line can go down, too.
There are many reasons for using one testing platform method over another, but flexibility is one of the most important factors when considering a universal tester. “If you’re deploying worldwide and you need to support this platform worldwide, and you’re going to have three testers in Asia, three in Mexico, and so forth, it’s much easier to support that type of thing with a universal tester,” Casey said.
The ultimate decision maker comes down to the testing requirements of the product. “When we work with Circuit Check, we try to determine what the requirements are from the system level, the IO, to suggest and provide the right interface solution to accommodate what’s going to be needed and supported in the best way,” Ronnenburg said.
Critical in-circuit test fixtures, or ICT fixtures, are no strangers to On Deck with Circuit Check. This show isn’t their first mention, but, for this episode, ICT fixtures got a more in-depth look for a better understanding of the technical considerations that shape an ICT fixture.
What are the technical specifics required for ICT? How do end-users define those specifics for their industry needs? And how does that impact the quality of scope of an ICT project?
All these questions, and more, were posed to three industry thought leaders who helped Daniel Litwin take a deep look under the hood of ICT.
Neil Adams, Senior Manager of ICT and Account Management for Circuit Check, and Hoe Prihoda, Account Manager for Circuit Check, joined a first-timer in Dave Tucker, President of Test Technology Associates, a company with a nearly 40-year record of best-in-class engineering services. Tucker lent his expertise and insights to the conversation too.
A rule of thumb in the manufacturing of printed circuit boards is work does not continue if the boards are not testable. So, as Adams pointed out, it is vitally important that the test fixture and program are in place as manufacturing begins.
When manufacturers are planning a product requiring circuit boards, there are several standard specifications Circuit Check requires to build an ICT, but that is just a starting point, according to Prihoda.
“We like to ask our customers to make sure they provide us a statement of work if there are requirements regarding connector access, specific LED-testing requirements, device programming, or if they have concerns regarding vector-less tests,” Prihoda said.
These considerations help develop a more accurate quote for the project and ensure the most efficient and cost-effective method is used to carry out those requirements.
Critical in-circuit test fixtures, or ICT fixtures, are no strangers to On Deck with Circuit Check. This show isn’t their first mention, but, for this episode, ICT fixtures got a more in-depth look for a better understanding of the technical considerations that shape an ICT fixture.
What are the technical specifics required for ICT? How do end-users define those specifics for their industry needs? And how does that impact the quality of scope of an ICT project?
All these questions, and more, were posed to three industry thought leaders who helped Daniel Litwin take a deep look under the hood of ICT.
Neil Adams, Senior Manager of ICT and Account Management for Circuit Check, and Hoe Prihoda, Account Manager for Circuit Check, joined a first-timer in Dave Tucker, President of Test Technology Associates, a company with a nearly 40-year record of best-in-class engineering services. Tucker lent his expertise and insights to the conversation too.
A rule of thumb in the manufacturing of printed circuit boards is work does not continue if the boards are not testable. So, as Adams pointed out, it is vitally important that the test fixture and program are in place as manufacturing begins.
When manufacturers are planning a product requiring circuit boards, there are several standard specifications Circuit Check requires to build an ICT, but that is just a starting point, according to Prihoda.
“We like to ask our customers to make sure they provide us a statement of work if there are requirements regarding connector access, specific LED-testing requirements, device programming, or if they have concerns regarding vector-less tests,” Prihoda said.
These considerations help develop a more accurate quote for the project and ensure the most efficient and cost-effective method is used to carry out those requirements.
In-circuit testing, which provides electronic manufacturers a reliable, high-fault coverage verification method for the assembly process, has been around for a long time – but recent innovations have opened exciting new paths forward in ICT solutions.
The testing ecosystem for hardware, such as printed circuit boards, can be a complex one, and many different processes have roles to play.
The testing process is critical in manufacturing, but not all are created equal. Taking a deep dive into test system engineering (TSE), On Deck with Circuit Check spoke to Paul Attwell.
Attwell is a Customer Application Specialist at Circuit Check and has over two decades of experience in the field.
Manufacturers use a variety of test systems, and Attwell’s expertise lies in the electronics field.
“Tests can occur at multiple points or only once. They are integrated into the line and generate useful information. Many see them as a non-value-added part of the process and a cause of bottlenecks, despite the fact that not having a good one has consequences,” he said.
Those consequences can be detrimental, as Attwell explained. “They could be imagined the wrong way and not test what they should. There could be insufficient data around specifications. It can lead to bad quality or reputational harm and could be dangerous.”
The relationships between TSE developers and manufacturers need to be transparent so that communication and information flow easily. “We want to know how the customer wants to use the test system, environment requirements, safety standards, and test requirement specifications.”
Data and information upfront help the design of the test so that it delivers on expectations. The TSE should be an integral part of the process, not an afterthought.
The relationship, and therefore the communication and information, require a foundation of trust. Additionally, new technology is emerging to modernize TSEs so that customers can maximize their budgets without compromising quality or accuracy. Issues will arise, but Attwell said Circuit Check has “worked with many customers to avoid costly problems with the right solutions.”
As devices have become smaller and smaller, the current VTEP testing technology typically used to test circuit boards has become insufficient to handle the needs of test fixture integrators and their end users.
To remedy this issue, Circuit Check partner Keysight has developed a new technology, NanoVTEP, which offers integrators more robust analysis with a smaller footprint. As Circuit Check makes the transition to NanoVTEP technology, we hope to answer some of your most pressing questions about the change in this podcast.
Joining host Daniel Litwin to offer their insights on the matter are Neil Adams, Senior Manager for ICT at Circuit Check, and Jun Balangue, business development manager for Keysight.
Balangue revealed that Keysight was one of the first companies that jumped into vectorless testing. Since the 1990s, the company has remained at the forefront of in-circuit test fixtures – alongside Circuit Check as a key implementer of that technology.
However, in recent years, both Balangue and Adams noted that devices were shrinking – and rendering VTEP technology useless in the process.
We could either continue to innovate our existing VTEP or come up with a new technology,” Balangue said.
With the debut of Keysight’s new NanoVTEP technology, “we can get away from our remote sensing and use NanoVTEP the way it’s designed to be used versus us trying to implement VTEP technology slightly differently from the way it’s designed,” Adams explained.
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