Boundary scan testers add analogue capabilities

Goepel Electronic has released the first products for extended JTAG/boundary scan solutions based on the revolutionary new hardware platform Scanflex.

Goepel Electronic has released the first products for extended JTAG/boundary scan solutions based on the revolutionary new hardware platform Scanflex.

Scanflex adds new capabilities for analogue and mixed-signal test not found in competing products and Goepel reckons it excels when it comes to speed, flexibility and modularity of a boundary scan test system.

Initially, three PCI based Scanflex boundary scan controllers (SFX controller) of various performance classes will be available, together with six different Scanflex TAP-transceiver (SFX transceiver) and a Scanflex I/O module (SFX module) for parallel, digital I/O.

The Scanflex product family will be constantly expanded to include USB, PXI, VXI and FireWire controllers as well as TAP 8 and TAP 16 gang transceivers.

"With Scanflex we were able to combine complete modularity with extreme flexibility and extraordinary performance in an open architecture system", says Bettina Becker, Marketing and International Sales Manager at Goepel Electronic.

"With System Cascon and Scanflex we can offer our customers a completely integrated yet open software and hardware solution for extended boundary scan applications at a previously unknown level of sophistication".

A Scanflex system is controlled by an SFX boundary scan controller.

The first SFX controllers are the PCI based SFX/PCI1149, available in three performance classes: A, B, and C.

The main difference between these controllers is their maximum TCK frequency of 20, 50 or 80MHz, respectively, and in the degree to which they have implemented the Space II chipset for high performance scan operations.

In contrast to other contemporary solutions, the Fastscale technology integrated in the SFX controllers allows the upgrade of the controller "on the fly" through software while it is inside the host PC.

All Scanflex controllers include the Adycs II feature to compensate for signal propagation delay, as well as Hyscan for dynamic data synchronisation of serial and parallel vectors.

The portfolio of Scanflex TAP transceivers includes desktop solutions for two, four, six and eight TAP configurations, as well as compact versions with two and four TAP for more rugged environments.

All SFX TAP transceivers include additional resources such as 32 dynamic parallel digital I/Os, two analogue I/O channels, three static digital I/Os and trigger lines.

Furthermore, the SFX TAP transceivers feature removable TAP interface cards (TICs).

This provides for even more flexibility, especially in regard to TAP interface technologies.

The first available TIC - a single ended interface with line drivers supporting TAP cable up to 1.5m long - provides programmability for input threshold, output voltage, input and output impedance, TCK frequency, delay compensation, a relay controlled power signal and read-back capability of TAP output signals, allowing for an optimal adaptation to nearly any UUT or any integration environment.

The first Scanflex I/O module, the SFX5296, provides 96 parallel I/O channels.

Each channel is individually configurable as input, output, bidirectional or tristate.

Furthermore, the I/O channels feature Unstress protection as well as voltage programmability for groups of 32 I/O.

The SFX controller, I/O modules, TAP transceiver and TIC can be combined with each other in any configuration, with distances between controller and TAP transceiver of up to 5m.

Scanflex is supported in the industry leading JTAG/boundary scan software environment System Cascon, version 4.2.1 and up.

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