Stable, repeatable, and adaptable digital testing in a varying interconnect environment

Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) must deliver repeatable, stable results through a variety of interconnections and into any type of Unit Under Test (UUT). Different UUTs have different signaling needs. Some UUTs transmit and receive single-ended as well as differential signals; some transmit and receive signals from multiple logic families including custom ones; and some transmit and receive high-speed as well as low-speed signals. Furthermore, modern-day test instruments are tasked to operate in legacy system environments where the interconnections between the ATE and the UUT are not designed to support fast rise and fall times. In many cases, it is important for the test instrument to monitor the interconnections and the UUT for short circuit and over-voltage fault conditions. This paper describes ways that digital test instruments can adapt to varying environments and protect against out-of-tolerance fault conditions