Alcatel, a global supplier of communications equipment, has been a user of ScanWorks with 1532 concurrent programming.
With the integration of Lattice Semiconductor’s ispVM System, a programming engine that supports the IEEE 1532 Standard for In-System Configuration, ScanWorks has a proven solution with a track record in the industry. Benchmark tests by ASSET have shown that configuring multiple devices concurrently can reduce programming times by 30 percent or more. The same ScanWorks system that applies boundary scan tests to an assembled circuit board can also program multiple on-board logic devices concurrently.
Dave Bonnett, ASSET’s technical marketing manager, served as vice chairman of the IEEE 1532 working group.
“The IEEE 1532 working group tried to address the in-system configuration needs of the boundary-scan community as well as vendors of tools for programmable logic devices (PLD) and suppliers of in-circuit test (ICT) systems,” Bonnett said. “Being based on an industry standard allows the 1532 methodology to be deployed across a variety of test technologies. For example, designers can use 1532 on ScanWorks stations during development, manufacturing and test engineers can also tap into 1532 on ScanWorks manufacturing stations and, in addition, technicians can utilize 1532 during high volume manufacturing on a ScanWorks for the Agilent Medalist ICT system like the i5000 or 3070.”
The IEEE 1532 standard uses the JTAG infrastructure on a circuit board to access on-board PLDs and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) to load programming or configuration data into them. If multiple IEEE 1532 programmable devices are present, they all can be configured simultaneously, drastically reducing the time it would take to program each device one after another. With Lattice’s ispVM System programming engine, ASSET’s ScanWorks is able to program any PLD or FPGA that conforms to the IEEE 1532 standard regardless of the device supplier.
“Our arrangement with Lattice demonstrates the strategic directions we have undertaken
for ASSET as a company and ScanWorks as a boundary scan technology,” said Alan Sguigna, vice president of sales and marketing for ASSET InterTech. “First, bringing best-in-class solutions to our users is our foremost objective and sometimes that means forming strategic relationships and integrating technologies from other companies, like Lattice, Agilent or International Test Technologies. In other cases, the best-in-class technology we deliver is developed by ASSET, such as Intel® IBIST or 1149.6 high-speed bus testing. All that matters to our users is that we deliver best-in-class solutions and that’s what we’re doing. Second, integrating the ispVM System engine into ScanWorks shows that being focused on boundary scan has paid off handsomely because we are able to easily integrate best-in-class capabilities into the ScanWorks environment. Without a solid JTAG infrastructure, it wouldn’t be so easy and our users would have to wait considerably longer for us to respond to their needs.”
The ispVM System engine has been seamlessly integrated into ScanWorks so that the in-system configuration capabilities of IEEE 1532 have the same look and feel as all other ScanWorks operations. ispVM System draws on the same boundary-scan path descriptions that other ScanWorks operations do and it is able to target configuration data to PLDs at any level in the system’s hierarchy. To execute an IEEE 1532 programming operation, the user sets the options defined in the standard and these are saved as a ScanWorks action. This action then can be applied to a circuit board containing IEEE 1532 programmable devices at the same time as other ScanWorks test and programming actions are applied during the manufacturing process.
“We are very pleased that ASSET has chosen to integrate the ispVM System engine into the ScanWorks environment,” said Steve Stark, director of marketing for Lattice. “The ispVM System has established a leadership position in the marketplace, and now we are providing key functionality for a leading boundary-scan system. We look forward to working closely with ASSET to ensure the continued success of ScanWorks and the ispVM System.” |
