• Seica SpA, Italy

Testing Solution, Pilot4D V8 HF

Seica SpA, Italy had a world premiere of the Pilot4D V8 HF, a unique solution combining flying probe technology and high frequency testing at the annual NI Week conference in August. The push towards miniaturisation in the electronics industry has left designers little or no room for test points, and the expansion of high frequency (HF) technologies has resulted in a growing need for test equipment, which has the capability to verify these types of generally very small circuits. Up until now, flying probe test has provided a means to access boards even in the absence of dedicated test points but the additional need to measure HF signals poses a new challenge. Test engineers know that HF testing is not easy, even in the best of scenarios, which do not include flying probers. Seica has been able to meet the challenge: using the very precise probing capabilities of the Pilot V8 system to contact even the smallest points (down to 008004 components), dedicated HF instrumentation has been integrated to provide the capability to verify HF signals up to 1.6 Ghz. The solution includes a number of hardware and software innovations to create the electrical conditions necessary to perform these high performance measurements, which include clock frequency, rise and fall times, setup and hold time of critical signals. The Pilot4D V8 HF includes the option of an integrated LabVIEW/TestStand software interface. The system also includes standard ICT test capability, enabling the Seica Pilot4D V8 HF to offer a unique combination of ICT, functional and HF performances.