Depot ATE Architecture and Instrumentation Considerations

To make effective use of the resources available at large test and diagnostic centers, to reduce costs, and to provide timely and adequate service, automatic test equipment (ATE) must be so designed that it can solve many of the unique problems facing these centers. These problems include: support of many priorgeneration, semiautomatic, and ATE´s of varying design; high-throughput requirements and support of a wide variety of units under test (UUT); and need for more automation because of difficulties in obtaining and keeping trained personnel. This paper identifies the limitations in the system architecture of the present uniprocessor, single-station, serially tasked ATE; it then describes several proposed alternatives. These are versatile designs and instrumentation with such features as: large-scale file-handling capability; ability to emulate prior-generation ATE and to support complex compilers and runtime packages; and fast, multiple-station capability with automatic UUT identification and audio-response output for increased operator efficiency.