New SCANFLEX I/O Module Enables Universal Combination Of Boundary Scan And At-Speed Test

Jena - At the user group meeting Boundary Scan Days 2009 GOEPEL electronic, worldwide leading vendor of JTAG/Boundary Scan solutions compliant with IEEE1149.x, announced the launch of the SFX-5364, another digital I/O module of the awarded Boundary Scan hardware platform SCANFLEX with multivalent functionality.

The SFX-5364 comes with 64 freely programmable I/O channels and is configurable for structural Boundary Scan operations as well as for protocol based at-speed tests up to 100MHz due to the integrated VarioCore technique.

"The new I/O module allows us to fulfil the operators‘ desire for more dynamic functionality especially for structural at-speed tests as an expansion of the standard Boundary Scan operations," says Thomas Wenzel, Managing Director of the Boundary Scan division of the GOEPEL electronic. "Due to the interface compatibility to our static I/O modules a convenient upgradeability is guaranteed, so that users can apply the advantages of the extended test coverage within a short period of time."

The SFX-5364 provides 64 parallel channels on the basis of CION interfaces, whereas each channel is configurable as In/Out/Bidir/Tri-state and is equipped with improved power efficiency and special safety features such as UNSTRESS. Groups of 32 I/O each can be adjusted regarding their voltage from 1.8V to 4.5V in 0.1V steps.

The module is actuated independent from the TAP by the SCANFLEX internal parallel bus, and provides in its basic version a memory per pin architecture, which allows driving and measuring at the same time with an additional hardware supported variance comparison. For enlarging the number of channels several modules can be easily cascaded.

Through VarioCore it is possible to reconfigure the SFX-5364 on IP basis with a nearly unlimited functionality. The reconfiguration happens dynamically in much less than one second using the inhouse developed JTAG/Boundary Scan program package SYSTEM CASCON. The number and sequence of the reconfigurations in one test run is unlimited. Additional support is guaranteed by a frequency range that can be freely programmed up to 100MHz as well as by a freely useable BNC interface.

While the module acts statically in the Boundary Scan mode and supports all procedures like Interconnection Test or Cluster Test, the functional mode allows procedures like dynamic pattern generation/recording, protocol generator, or counter/timer functions, to name just a few. Due to the combination of static and dynamic test operations the test coverage for unscannable parts of the circuit can be increased tremendously.

The SFX-5364 is supported by the leading JTAG/Boundary Scan software SYSTEM CASCON from version 4.4.2 including ATPG, debugging, and pin defects diagnostics. Furthermore, it is compatible with all SCANFLEX controllers and SCANFLEX TAP transceivers.

SOURCE: GOEPEL electronic