The wraps come off next-generation PCT

Larry Osborn Product Manager, Processor-Controlled Test

Given the acceptance in the industry of processor-controlled test (PCT) on the ScanWorks platform, ASSET has been aggressively developing the next generation of PCT capabilities as well as a technical roadmap for expanded functionality in the future.

The newest release of PCT software (Release 5.3), which will be available by the end of June, supports tests on circuit boards featuring a host of new Intel® processors and, at the same time, migrates PCT to ScanWorks’ Remote Instrumentation Controller 1000 (RIC-1000).

The ability of ScanWorks PCT to utilize the RIC-1000 brings with it all of the benefits of portable and remote testing. When the RIC-1000 was first announced in September 2008, it was the industry’s first controller capable of applying boundary-scan tests directly over the Internet. The RIC-1000 is a self-contained controller that connects locally to a circuit board being tested or some other unit under test (UUT) and remotely over Ethernet to ScanWorks. The RIC-1000 is an intelligent controller that implements a client/server architecture in relation to the remote ScanWorks platform.

Each RIC-1000 can be assigned an Internet Protocol (IP) address, which means that a test engineer in one location can apply PCT and boundary-scan tests over the Internet and via a RIC-1000 to test a UUT on the other side of the globe.

“PCT support for the RIC-1000 adds to the flexibility and versatility of PCT tremendously,” said Larry Osborn, technical product manager for PCT technology. “For example, a test engineer at a PC running the ScanWorks platform in the United States could apply PCT and boundary-scan tests over the Internet on a circuit board being manufactured in a factory in Asia. With the global nature of electronics manufacturing these days, this kind of flexibility is crucial if system vendors want to get their new products to market in a timely fashion.”

By enabling remote test, the RIC-1000 eliminates the need for a PC running ScanWorks PCT that is local to the UUT. In fact, the same PCT and boundary-scan tests can be accessed from one ScanWorks platform and applied to any number of UUTs that are located anywhere in the world as long as they are connected to a RIC-1000.

In addition to the benefits of remote test, ScanWorks PCT with the RIC-1000 will no longer require a Debug Port Adapter (DPA). Instead, the new pod which functions in concert with the new release of ScanWorks PCT will have software control over the signals that had been previously controlled by a DPA.

New Intel® Processor Support

The Intel processors that are now supported by ScanWorks PCT on the RIC-1000 are: Intel® Xeon™, Pentium® M (Centrino™), Celeron® M ,(Centrino™), Core™ Duo, Core™ Solo, Dual-Core Xeon®, Core™2 Duo, Xeon® (65nm), Xeon® (45nm), Atom™, EP80579 Integrated Processor family as well as Intel’s next-generation microarchitecture in the Core™ i3, Core™ i5 and Core™ i7.

“We’re being very aggressive about supporting new processors with PCT,” Osborn said. “And although this release expands our support for quite a few new Intel processors, it also includes enhancements to our support for ARM7 and ARM9 processor cores. With this release we’ve brought ScanWorks PCT for ARM7/9 cores up to a comparable level with Intel’s most advanced processors, such as the Atom™. Our strategy was to bring our PCT tools for ARM and Intel processors to the same level so that users would have the same tools no matter which processor they chose. We’ll continue to expand our support for ARM in the future.”

ATG Out of the Gate

According to Osborn, this release of ScanWorks PCT initiates a new policy with regards to automatic test generation (ATG). Whereas in the past, ATG would lag behind ScanWorks PCT support for processors, now ATG will be an integral part of ScanWorks PCT when support for new processors is announced.

“Having ATG available when we have support for a certain processor will be a tremendous advantage to engineers. They will be very close to having completed tests on ‘day one’,” said Osborn.