Automatic Interconnection Test of Non-Boundary-Scan Capable Microcontrollers

GÖPEL electronic integrates a new feature called "Emulation Based Interconnection Test (EmuBIT)" into the test and programming software SYSTEM CASCON. This enables the use of modules of the microcontroller, which turns the device into a test instrument. By integrating the actually non-boundary-scan capable microprocessor in interconnection tests, the test coverage on the board can be increased considerably.

EmuBIT emulates a boundary-scan structure in the microcontroller so that many pins - especially the GPIOs ports (General Purpose In Out ports) - can be used in the same way as with boundary-scan cells. This allows the microcontroller to be automatically integrated in connection tests together with other boundary-scan devices.

Previously, it has been difficult to automatically test the pins of non-boundary-scan capable microprocessors in the manufacturing process. This required the development of specially adapted software, which was very time-consuming and resource-intensive. With the new EmuBIT technology, this additional effort is no longer necessary as the tests are now generated and executed fully automatically in the SYSTEM CASCON platform software. No knowledge of the internal structures of the microprocessor/controller is necessary anymore, which also helps electronics manufacturers (EMS service providers) to offer tests in the manufacturing process and to implement them easily.

By using standardized test patterns for the connection test, errors can be pin-exactly localized. With earlier functional test methods, it was not always possible to access the board data, which is, however, indispensable for optimal error evaluation. With EmuBIT technology, those errors can now be displayed accurately in both the schematic and the board layout.