An instrument-independent test software framework allows both hardware and software reuse

Abstract

We are now reaping the benefits of an Object-Oriented software implementation of an ABBET (IEEE-1226) Signal-Oriented Test Framework. In our factory, we have created test software that is devoid of any knowledge of the instruments in our test set. Because of this, we can now choose whether we want a voltage measurement to be made by IEEE-488 Digital Multimeter (DMM) or VXI Oscilloscope instruments or even a hand-held DMM just prior to run-time. When an instrument fails or becomes obsolete, we can execute our test software on different testers or with different instrument types without impacting the test software. We can change the instruments in our Multiple Missile Factory standard test set without affecting the several configurations of test software that are controlled by separate organizations. One test suite, developed using the framework on a test set comprised of IEEE-488 instruments, was effortlessly moved to the VXI-based standard test set. In addition to the hardware independence, the framework supports a highly abstract test language that has allowed us to create generalized test methods that have greatly eased our effort to reuse test algorithms among our programs.