Connect - ASSET InterTech

Simple, easy-to-use support mechanisms when and where users need them – that’s been the goal of ASSET’s ScanWorks boundary scan system since its inception. Naturally enough, embedded Web-based support has become the centerpiece in ASSET’s support strategy.

Instead of forcing users to leave what they are doing in ScanWorks to go to a certain site on the Web to access text-based support files, ASSET delivers support where and when it is most useful – when the user has a question, needs guidance or is uncertain about the next step in a process. In addition, the learning styles of all users are accommodated by offering support information in a variety of media, including video and text. Of course, beyond ScanWorks’ Web-based support resources, ASSET’s staff of support engineers is always only a phone call away.

Assistance from the outset

A user’s first exposure to ScanWorks comes in the shape of a Web-based support function, the ScanWorks Assistant, which guides new and occasional users through the steps required to develop and apply boundary-scan tests or programming operations. The concept behind ScanWorks Assistant is to train new users on ScanWorks while they are doing useful work.

From the Assistant’s interface screen, a new ScanWorks user has the option of reading text that explains what actions must be taken or of accessing an online training video from ScanWorks’ Web-based Training Video Library. Once a user becomes more familiar with the process of developing and launching ScanWorks operations, he can go directly to the ScanWorks main user interface without consulting the Assistant.

Support – A mouse click away

To facilitate an effective and productive flow back and forth between ScanWorks and Web-based support, several support access points have been embedded within ScanWorks’ main interface screen. This instantaneous access to answers and guidance accelerates the learning process, making the user more productive in a shorter period of time.

Online Web-based support is under both the Help and the Tools pull-down menus on ScanWorks’ main screen.

On the Help pull-down menu, users have several support options. The Documentation item takes users to a comprehensive selection of text-based technical reference material that can be accessed by a table of contents or by an indexing function. In addition, this material can be searched by keywords or topics. The Help selection takes the viewer to information concerning the new features and capabilities in the most current release of ScanWorks. The Workflow button provides an overview of how to use ScanWorks.

Another selection on the Help menu reads ASSET on the Internet. Clicking on this item takes the user to ASSET’s public Web site, www.asset-intertech.com, where the Support home page and general information about using ScanWorks and boundary scan can be found. Clicking on Support on ASSET’s home page takes the user to the support home page where he can log into the ScanWorks Support Wizard. As an alternative to reaching the Support page, ScanWorks’ Help menu has a selection that reads “Contact Support.” Clicking on this entry takes the viewer directly to ASSET’s support page on the web site.

The final support item on the Help menu is Maintenance Benefits. Selecting this item gives the user access to a number of Web-based support facilities.

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The Maintenance Benefits page features extensive resources, including Application Notes that have been posted by support personnel and customers. An abstract briefly describes the subject of each application note. Comments from users are also available on many of the notes. Another selection called Standards Tips provides information on the IEEE 1149.1 boundary-scan standard. The FTP Access item on the Maintenance Benefits page offers a facility for transferring large ScanWorks projects or files to ASSET support personnel for their assistance. The ScanWorks Updates button links to information on all of ScanWorks’ upgrades and service packs. In addition, when the user accesses this page, he is automatically informed of the version number of his current ScanWorks system, the last service pack that was installed on his system and the new service packs and upgrades that are now available.

Also accessible from the Maintenance Benefits page are a User Group Message Board that encourages user interaction and an Obsolete Document Archive where documentation for functionality that has been made obsolete is retained. The Training Video item on the Maintenance Benefits page takes ScanWorks users to one of several Web-based support libraries.

Going to the Library

ScanWorks features two Web-based support libraries that perform critical functions. The first, the Video Library, simplifies the learning of ScanWorks by providing relatively short training videos on various aspects of the system.

Training videos have been developed to complement ScanWorks’ text-based reference materials and accommodate users who have a more visual learning style. Some topics listed on this page have several videos associated with them. Each video launches automatically in a pop-up window, giving the viewer valuable information that may have an immediate effect on the completion of a ScanWorks project. Some of the training videos also are accessible through the ScanWorks Assistant at appropriate points in the test development and application process.

Tooling Up

The second Web library, the Models Library, is available on ScanWorks’ Tools pull-down menu. Users are taken to the model library by clicking on Models on the Web in the Manage Models dialog box. Device models are a critical time-saving feature offered by ASSET’s support department to users. The time it takes to develop a boundary scan operation can be reduced significantly if the user is able to simply drop a device model into the scan path description that forms the basis for developing boundary scan tests or programming operations. The alternative would be for the user to manually characterize many of the devices on the circuit board and this can be very time consuming.

Users and ASSET support personnel submit models to the library, making them available for the benefit of others in the ScanWorks community. Several different types of models are stored in the library, including BSDL files, Cluster Models of non-boundary scan devices, Flash Models and Memory Models. The library page also offers an explanation of its naming conventions so that users understand how they should name the models they submit to the library.

BSDL files contain the boundary scan description language (BSDL) that describes a device’s boundary scan capabilities. In order to generate tests or programming operations, BSDL files are required for every boundary scan device on a boundary scan path. Cluster models describe non-boundary scan devices. ScanWorks uses these models to extend test coverage on a circuit board by generating tests for these non-boundary scan devices. Flash models describe flash memory devices which can be loaded with data by ScanWorks via boundary scan access after a flash device has been soldered to a printed circuit board. Similarly, Memory Models describe memory devices so ScanWorks can test the connections between these devices and other components that access them.