Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1508761
52 SMT007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2023 Feature Interview by Nolan Johnson I-CONNECT007 Nolan Johnson speaks with e Test Con- nection 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, how- ever, Bert shares insight on how the data's use is shiing inside his test services and with his OEM customers. From your point of view as a test services provider, which new equipment developments are most valuable to you right now? It would be the soware tools for processing board level data for test development. Making that more user friendly allows test engineers who are not soware 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 see- ing in the automated test. We relied on basic boundary scan because that was all we had. With high-speed digital, we can allow access. e 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. Smarter Design Means Smarter Test and Results