Pre-emptive management of instrument obsolescence

Obsolescence of instrumentation in both military and industrial test systems has been identified as a significant problem for a wide range of automatic test systems (ATS) users. A process for pre-empting and managing this problem is required to ensure the minimum amount of disruption to the operation of an ATS and to protect the investment already made in the test system. This paper discuss the issue of instrument obsolescence and consider the use of a method to help predict, and manage early- on, the problem of instrument obsolescence for ATS users.