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Hot month for boundary scan--Is dot-4 back?
October 20, 2005

Boundary scan has been a hot topic over the past month, with Corelis, XJTAG, Asset InterTech, JTAG Technologies, and Goepel electronic all making significant announcements regarding the IEEE 1149 standard. Of particular interest are prospects for the dot-4 analog implementation.

The latest innovations adapt in-circuit testers to deliver minimal-pin-count boundary-scan signals to devices under test, and conversely, expand boundary-scan signals for deployment over 300 or more I/O lines. Other announcements centered on fault coverage, cost control, and ease of use. And finally, the dot-4 analog implementation got a boost with the introduction of a graphical software tool for an analog boundary-scan evaluation board.

ICT support came in the form of Goepel's announcement that it has adapted its ScanFlex architecture to enable the Digitaltest MTS 180, MTS 300, and MTS 888 series of in-circuit testers to deliver boundary-scan tests to IEEE 1149.1-compliant devices. The converse approach comes from Corelis, whose new ScanIO-300LV digital module expands a boundary-scan chain's signals over 300 lines (or 150 differential LVDS pairs) to support boundary-scan-generated tests of noncompliant components.

With respect to cost and fault coverage, Asset InterTech announced its DFT Analyzer, which according to the company reduces manufacturing and test costs by validating the boundary-scan design-for-test features in a circuit-board design before any prototypes are assembled. In addition, DFT Analyzer determines the extent of a design’s boundary-scan test coverage and recommends changes that would increase coverage. For its part, XJTAG issued an announcement touting a 20% reduction in development time and seamless integration with products including LabView as key factors leading to Thales UK's selection of XJTAG's boundary-scan development system.

The dot-4 analog announcement came from JTAG Technologies, whose new STA476 graphical software tool supports use of the new SCANSTA476 analog voltage monitor from National Semiconductor. The tool works with an evaluation board from National containing the SCANSTA476 to perform and report DC measurements on eight analog/mixed-signal input channels.

JTAG's announcement ends, at least temporarily, a drought in dot-4 news. References to it in our online archives extend back to 1997 and 2000, with the only report of a dot-4 deployment occurring in February 2002. In a recent interview, Glenn Woppman, Asset InterTech president and CEO, suggested that the momentum had shifted from dot-4 to the dot-6 extension for AC-coupled nets.

If you have experience with or opinions on analog boundary scan, we'd like to hear from you. Use the comment link or send me e-mail at rnelson@tmworld.com.

Posted by Rick Nelson on October 20, 2005 | Comments (0)