Saelig Introduces The ABI BoardMaster Component Compliance Test Solution

This versatile, easy-use all-in-one board tester suits all electronics technologies and can quickly form the basis of a comprehensive compliance verification tool for establishing component and PCB module performance equivalence.

Saelig Company, Inc. has introduced the ABI BoardMaster Universal PCB Test Solution as a means for insuring component and module performance equivalency in this age of shortages and long lead times. ABI BoardMaster is a unique, versatile, self-contained, and easy-to-use electronics test system, housed in a convenient 19” rack case. It is an all-in-one unit featuring a comprehensive set of built-in test instruments, complete with a built-in Windows 10 PC and special software, for testing almost any kind of IC, PCB, or assembly. Various valuable investigation methods are provided, such as V/I testing, digital/analog IC checks, and voltage supply variation, to speed up comprehensive compliance testing tasks.

When components or modules become unavailable, component engineers need to assess whether a replacement part will perform as identically as the original. This is especially important in medical or military equipment that has been through a lengthy and costly approval processes. Compliance engineers need to sign off on the correct performance of a possible replacement product. Conventional component compliance/equivalency testing often relies on an engineer’s assessment of a spec sheet, perhaps with the additional use of standard equipment like oscilloscopes, DMMs, or even just putting the component in a product to see if it works ‘correctly’. These methods are hard to automate and are subjective between different operators. A critical issue is the ability to make accurate and bias-free measurements. The results of equivalency testing should be repeatable with different operators, even at different locations. Assessing a manufactured electronic circuit board, module, or replacement component needs to consider not only the quality of the product, but also subtle performance qualities.

The ABI BoardMaster is a unique benchtop test system that meets these needs. It uses a mix-and-match selection of CD-drive-sized System8 test instrument modules that can create a self-contained, customized PCB test station with test clip, custom connector, or a custom bed-of-nails from a recommended supplier for connection with the DUT. The BoardMaster provides complete testing and difference-finding with programmable signal stimuli and electronic measurements for almost any kind of PCB. It can be configured to suit specific immediate needs and later expanded as new requirements evolve. An especially significant test that BoardMaster offers is the 3D V-I test. Analog Signature Analysis - also known as V-I testing - is an elegant but very powerful fault diagnosis technique for detailed analysis of components and printed circuit boards. Comparative Analog Signature Analysis matches the “signatures” of a good component with those of a replacement; signature differences can indicate a potential problem. 3D V-I testing performs these tests at various frequencies, to allow discovery of even subtle operational differences. A precision current-limited sine wave signal is applied to appropriate points or components on the device under test using touch-probes, and the resulting current flow, voltage drop, and signal phase shift (i.e. characteristic impedance) is displayed by plotting voltage against current on a monitor. The resultant trace on the display is called an “Analog Signature.”

The choice of System8 test modules includes: Advanced Matrix Scanner, Board Fault Locator, Multiple Instrument Station, Triple Output Variable Power Supply, Analog IC Tester, Multiplexed Matrix Switch, and an automation footswitch. Future software updates are provided at no charge and there are no additional maintenance fees. ABI's powerful yet easy-to-use software TestFlow Manager can produce customized sequential test methods, which include: general performance testing, digital/analog IC test, V/I test, live board comparison, component analysis, power-on/off testing, QA reports, calculation and logging, digital and analog functional tests , automated test sequences, etc.

Made in Europe by ABI Electronics Ltd., a leading embedded test equipment manufacturer, the ABI BoardMaster Universal Test Solution is available now from ABI’s technical distributor Saelig Company, Inc.