ASSET’s Dispatcher for ScanWorks applies tests simultaneously to unlimited PCBs

RICHARDSON, USA: The new Dispatcher for ASSET InterTech’s ScanWorks platform for embedded instrumentation manages the application of tests and diagnostics on an unlimited number of circuit boards in parallel.

The circuit boards being tested can be local to the ScanWorks platform or on the other side of the globe. ASSET is the leading supplier of open tools for embedded instrumentation for design validation, test and debug.

“Dispatcher for the ScanWorks platform is particularly cost-effective in high-volume manufacturing or where multiple boards are being tested in an environmental chamber,” said Dave Bonnett, technical marketing manager. “Testing many boards in parallel reduces the number of testers and makes operators more productive.”

Dispatcher works with ScanWorks’ Remote Instrumentation Controller Model 1000 (RIC-1000), a self-contained intelligent controller that connects a unit under test (UUT) to ScanWorks over an Ethernet or Internet connection and applies tests or diagnostics to the UUT. For Dispatcher to manage the test and diagnostic process on multiple UUTs, each UUT must be connected to an RIC-1000.

Dispatcher also simplifies the tracking of test results from multiple circuit boards. Test results are formatted as XML files to ease data retrieval and processing. In addition, Dispatcher comes with an application programming interface (API) that simplifies the customization of the user interface or Dispatcher’s integration into test environments such as National Instruments’ LabVIEW or TestStand.

Pricing for a Dispatcher license for a single UUT starts at $4,995. Dispatcher will be generally available during the third quarter of 2009. Initially, Dispatcher supports boundary scan test and in-system programming. Support for other embedded instrumentation test technologies will be available soon.