Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1508761
54 SMT007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2023 So, it's very important to have the ability to interconnect devices through data proto- cols like CFX, JTAG, etc.? Speaking as a test service, yes, the collaboration of the dif- ferent test equipment manu- facturers to help identify our challenges is key to see how their tools can help our jobs not only get easier but get bet- ter coverage. Let's talk about that interoperability. What does a day in the life of a test service look like? How does that integration give you bet- ter results and efficiencies, or a competitive advantage? I characterize it in three or four different ways. As a test service, you're "the expert," and they lean on you to serpentine through the test pro- cess to give them the best bang for the buck. You're utilizing the tools for better testing, and that helps us as a test service. Instead of trying to over-engineer some- thing, if the tool is built into the test solution, and the customer and you both have that tool, you can reduce the number of pins. ird-party companies, like ASTER Tech- nologies, have tools to help test applications change how we test product, so you can now fit it on a smaller machine because now you will utilize tools, like boundary scan, and you can remove some of the pins from traditional ICT. You're able to make things fit into a smaller tes- ter, if you will, with the combination of the dif- ferent testers. Finally, there's speed of test. You can cou- ple those different test strategies. For exam- ple, Seica has a tool called FNode that can do a characteristic type of testing instead of doing point-to-point testing all over the place, which takes time. at adds value to us, because now if the board is passing, we can use a quicker test. It's when you have a failed board and you do the traditional shorts and opens on the fly- ing prober that give you a quicker turnaround. Produc- tion is happy we can turn product quicker. It's a win- win for both the customer and us. That seems like that would be very efficient: Triage, then a detailed diagnosis. Right. As you get more expe- rienced with these tools, you start looking at trends and seeing where cer- tain failure characteristics happen. Now your test engineer and test operator become more familiar with a product. At any given moment, we have a five-year window with a tool. Brand A is better at this process today, but three or four years down, maybe there's another vendor with a tool that's just a little bit quicker, more thorough, and a better fit for your tool chest. Every three to five years we evaluate the technology. We saw it with the flying probe vendors. At one time they were all horizontal; now they're vertical. Some of the vendors, like Digitalt- est, are partnering with companies like Feasa Enterprises, a supplier of LED testing tools for color and intensity, and SMH Technolo- gies, which makes a programming pod to get even more functionality. SMH is working with many of the test vendors and embedding the programmer into the machine, which saves us cost on the application. e in-circuit tes- ters, like Keysight and Teradyne, have a simi- lar track with creating new soware test tools to allow your existing (but current) hardware to stay relevant for testing the newer technolo- gies that have been introduced. There's an obligation—and discipline required—on the part of the OEM design teams to set you up to succeed at that as well. What can your customers do to make their experience better when using a test service? Bert Horner