In-circuit testing
Incircuit test (ICT) is the term used to describe testing printed circuit boards using a bed of nail type test adapter and specialist test equipment. There are many different test platforms for performing incircuit test (Agilent 3070, Genrad, Teradyne, TRI to name a few).
How it works
To test a printed circuit board (PCB) it is placed into the bed of nails tester and the top clamp is closed to hold the pcb in place. When start is clicked on the test program vacuum is applied to the test fixture which sucks down the pcb onto the test pins. Each test pin is wired to the test machine through interface pins and fixture wiring. The test sequence is as follows
- Shorts Testing (Test for solder shorts and opens)
- Analog Tests (Test all analog components for placement and correct value)
- Testjet (Agilent 3070) or Opens Express (Genrad / Teradyne) (Test for correct soldering on an IC)
- Powered Analog (Test for correct operation of analog components such as regulators and opamps)
- Powered Digital (Test the operation of digital components and Boundary scan devices)
- Flash and other device programming
Related Technologies
The following are related technologies and are also used in electronic production to test for the correct operation of Electronics Printed Circuit boards
- X-Ray testing
- AOI (Automatic Optical Inspection)
- Functional Testing
References