Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1441485
34 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2022 the dedicated panels developed to secure the probe terminals in the fixture will likely require modification or replacement. Flying Probe Testing Flying probe test systems can measure extremely dense designs without using dedi- cated fixtures. e cost of the testing is much less than fixed-probe testing but there are detractors. e flying probe test system for bare boards (Figure 2) utilizes four to eight probes and can be configured to test PCB connections from one side or two sides. ese flying probes travel across the board's surface contacting spe- cific end-of-net lands using instructions from a soware program that is developed using the board's initial design data file. e flying probe method, although furnish- ing slower cycle times when compared to fixed probe testing, eliminates the cost of fixture development, provides faster setup time, and is easily modified to meet physical change of the circuit board design. Advantages of Flying Probe Test: • Eliminates fixture preparation costs and time • Fast test program development; easy integration of design changes • Process flexibility; circuit access, even in the absence of test points • Controlled probe contact, programmable for any type of board • Different test solutions integrated within a single test system • Intrinsic positioning and measurement precision Flying probe contactors, however, can- not provide the full parametric test that the fixed-probe fixture testers can provide. is will be an issue when testing hi-rel military, aerospace, and life support medical products. ese products typically require simultaneous testing of the PCB for opens and more impor- tantly, shorts. For more complex circuit board designs a dedicated fixture or multiple fixtures will be required. Data Transfer for Bare Board Test When preparing the bare board test pro- gram and fixturing specified for the product, the testing service will require a sample of the Figure 2: Flying probe test system. (Source: Seica Automation)