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Testpoints and Flying-probe testing method
Operafan , 01-03-2020, 01:37 AM
Hello and a happy new year for 2020!
I am a fresh new member of this formidable forum and would appreciate any hint regarding the following (simple?) concern:
I just managed to finalize my first PCB project and would like to provide the fabrication files to a manufacturer that offers prototyping services. Only the bare PCB should be manufactured and tested, no component installation.
The PCB and the data look fine, no design rules errors but I am in doubt about the meaning and necessity of so-called "testpoints"; this concretely in conjunction with a the test method the manufacturer offers, the "Flying-probe method".
Does this method implicitely require that I add testpoints to the PCB ? Currently there are no testpoint configured.
Many thanks in advance for your feedback!
Oliver
I am a fresh new member of this formidable forum and would appreciate any hint regarding the following (simple?) concern:
I just managed to finalize my first PCB project and would like to provide the fabrication files to a manufacturer that offers prototyping services. Only the bare PCB should be manufactured and tested, no component installation.
The PCB and the data look fine, no design rules errors but I am in doubt about the meaning and necessity of so-called "testpoints"; this concretely in conjunction with a the test method the manufacturer offers, the "Flying-probe method".
Does this method implicitely require that I add testpoints to the PCB ? Currently there are no testpoint configured.
Many thanks in advance for your feedback!
Oliver
Lakshmi , 01-03-2020, 03:02 AM
robertferanec , 01-03-2020, 03:17 AM
You do not need to add any special testpoints for PCB testing. They will use pads.
I believe, there are more methods how they test PCBs.
- The simplest method will kind of probe each pad with each pad to measure connection and short circuits based on gerbers (I think there are some optimizations to make the process faster). This method is perfectly fine. In some special cases e.g. if for some reason there is problem in gerbers, this method would not find this specific problem
- Other method is for example to use ODB++ data with netlist and then test machine is basically testing netlist - so based on netlist it knows what should and should not be connected together .. and again it goes through all the pads and measuring them. This method would find the problem even if it was in gerbers.
PS: I have been using the simple method all the time and no problems.
I believe, there are more methods how they test PCBs.
- The simplest method will kind of probe each pad with each pad to measure connection and short circuits based on gerbers (I think there are some optimizations to make the process faster). This method is perfectly fine. In some special cases e.g. if for some reason there is problem in gerbers, this method would not find this specific problem
- Other method is for example to use ODB++ data with netlist and then test machine is basically testing netlist - so based on netlist it knows what should and should not be connected together .. and again it goes through all the pads and measuring them. This method would find the problem even if it was in gerbers.
PS: I have been using the simple method all the time and no problems.
Operafan , 01-03-2020, 03:28 AM
Robert & Lakshmi,
many thanks! very helpful, it is highly appreciated.
Perhaps, just for completeness&future, what is *really the purpose* of an explicit testpoint configuration ?
many thanks! very helpful, it is highly appreciated.
Perhaps, just for completeness&future, what is *really the purpose* of an explicit testpoint configuration ?
Lakshmi , 01-03-2020, 05:53 AM
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