The first gap involved a ScanWorks
script that automated project, design and action creation.
ScanWorks was deployed into an existing manufacturing
test flow and used to bring together much of the data,
such as boundary scan description language (BSDL) files
that define components on a scan path, Serial Vector
Format (SVF) files and other types of data that are
needed by ScanWorks to create tests and in-system configuration
operations. These materials were then handed over to
a test engineer who manually assembled the information
in such a way that it could be used by ScanWorks to
create JTAG tests.
Also exacerbating the difficulties
were the many different configurations that could be
loaded into the programmable logic on many of the manufacturer's
printed circuit boards. A single board design, for example,
might have any of several different configurations and
each configuration would have a test specific to it.
The system had to ensure the right configuration was
loaded into the programmable devices on a certain board
and that the right tests were applied to the configured
board.
ScanWorks scripting filled many of
the manual gaps in the manufacturer's process by automatically
linking the front-end data gathering process with the
backend test execution process. In the middle, a ScanWorks
script automatically assembled the data that were needed
to generate test vectors and then assembled this data
into the correct configuration that was needed by ScanWorks'
automatic test generation facilities. In addition, the
ScanWorks script would automatically check for new versions
of the firmware loaded into each hardware design's programmable
logic to ensure that the correct tests were applied
to the appropriate configuration. The manufacturer's
test engineer who wrote this script claimed that it
would save the firm's test department several hours
of manual labor every time it was used.
In another example of the time ScanWorks
scripting can save, this same electronics manufacturer
was encountering difficulties with the way its systems
were handling the JTAG device identification codes for
a programmable logic component. The vendor of a certain
programmable logic device (PLD) had altered the way
the device was programmed. As a result, the device's
JTAG identification code was changed, but, unfortunately,
the bill-of-materials part number for the device was
not. As a result, scan path verification tests failed
when the device with the new JTAG ID code and old part
number was encountered. Later versions of ScanWorks
compensate for this type of difficulty by allowing multiple
ID codes for a single device part number, but, at the
time, the manufacturer could not afford to stop production
to upgrade its ScanWorks systems. Instead, a simple
script solved the difficulty.
The script replaced the Device Identification
Code in the PLD's BSDL file with "don’t care"
values (X). This might be a time-consuming task if done
manually, but, in addition, it would also require that
all test projects involving PLDs from this supplier
would have to be re-built. If done manually, this would
take a significant amount of time for the firm's manufacturing
test department. Fortunately, a simple ScanWorks script
was quickly written to automatically replace the device
ID code and re-build all test projects accordingly.
The overall effect on the firm's test department was
to improve its productivity by automating what could
have been a very time consuming task.
The same electronics manufacturer realized
that ScanWorks scripting could help it improve the test
productivity on its manufacturing line by streamlining
the user interface on its test stations. To accomplish
the set of tests that some assemblies required, technicians
on the manufacturing line often would have to move back
and forth among several user interfaces whenever a different
test system was required. A simple ScanWorks script
solved this difficulty. From within the manufacturing
test station's primary user interface, a technician
could simply click on a button and a ScanWorks script
would execute a ScanWorks test without leaving the test
station's primary user interface.
As the manufacturer of electronics
systems found, ScanWorks scripting can improve the productivity
of test and programming processes by automating manual
tasks and saving significant time for personnel.
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