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October 23, 2023 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Nolan Johnson speaks with The Test Connection Inc.’s Bert Horner about the pragmatic realities of life as a contract test company. To no one’s surprise, data is at the center of the business. As the conversation proceeds, however, Bert shares insight on how the data’s use is shifting inside his test services and with his OEM customers.
Nolan Johnson: From your point of view as a test services provider, which new equipment developments are most valuable to you right now?
Bert Horner: It would be the software tools for processing board level data for test development. Making that more user friendly allows test engineers who are not software developers to process information in a friendlier format.
Tools which allow limited access testing while still allowing a successful test on an assembly are another advancement we are seeing in the automated test. We relied on basic boundary scan because that was all we had. With high-speed digital, we can allow access. The big guys have all jumped on board with it, and now you're seeing some camaraderie or sharing of tools: A Corelis or XJTAG will work with a Teradyne or Keysight and an in-system programmer will work with a Seica or Takaya. We have more tools in the tool chest to work with.
Johnson: So, it’s very important to have the ability to interconnect devices through data protocols like CFX, JTAG, etc.?
Horner: Speaking as a test service, yes, the collaboration of the different test equipment manufacturers to help identify our challenges is key to see how their tools can help our jobs not only get easier but get better coverage.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the October 2023 issue of SMT007 Magazine, click here.
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