Lost bus: Solving the obsolete PC bus standards problem in ATE

Abstract

Every 6 to 11 years a new PC peripheral interface standard is developed. As the new interface gains in popularity, the old interfaces that are replaced become obsolete. This poses a challenge for ATE and UUT equipment that rely on the PC peripheral interfaces for testing. The solution for the obsolescence problem in PXI (and similar) systems is to move the interfaces away from the PC and into an instrument. A peripheral instrument would need to include several standard PC interfaces such as Ethernet, USB, SATA, UART, and I2C. By moving the interfaces to an instrument, when the PC and the associated interfaces become obsolete, the instrument can continue to be produced allowing the continued testing of the legacy UUTs. Furthermore, the instrument can maintain software compatibility through multiple OS releases preventing costly rehosts of TPS (Test Program Set).