XJTAG used the occasion of Embedded World 2016 in Nuremberg, Germany to launch the XJTAG DFT Assistant for Altium Designer. The free software extension significantly increases the DFT (Design for Test) capabilities of the unified schematic capture and PCB design system.
Modern printed circuit boards (PCBs) are increasingly densely populated and access to pins under many packages, such as ball grid array (BGA) or land grid array (LGA), is virtually impossible. This is a major challenge for any test equipment that relies on physical contact to a node or pin. As boundary scan was designed to be the practical solution to this challenge, it has become vitally important to get the boundary scan chain right at the design stage. XJTAG DFT Assistant for Altium Designer helps validate correct boundary scan chain connectivity, through full integration with Altium Designer.
“The XJTAG DFT Assistant for Altium Designer provides engineers with a free, easy to use extension to check if boundary scan chains are correctly connected and terminated at the schematic capture stage, long before the PCB is produced. By detecting and correcting these faults earlier, companies do save both time and money,” commented Simon Payne, CEO of XJTAG. “While the first prototype is being manufactured, XJTAG DFT Assistant allows you to export a preliminary XJTAG project from Altium Designer to the XJTAG development software, where additional tests can be developed. These can then be used to test real hardware as soon as it’s available. This provides a vital new capability to electronic engineers everywhere.”
The DFT Assistant comprises two key elements: the XJTAG Chain Checker and the XJTAG Access Viewer.
XJTAG Chain Checker identifies common errors in a JTAG scan chain, such as incorrectly connected Test Access Ports (TAPs). A single connection error would inhibit an entire scan chain from working; XJTAG Chain Checker identifies connection errors and reports them to the developer during the design process. Incorrectly terminated TAPs are also identified.
XJTAG Access Viewer overlays the extent of boundary scan access onto the schematic diagram, allowing users to instantly see which components are accessible using boundary scan, and where test coverage could be further extended.
XJTAG DFT Assistant for Altium Designer is a free extension downloadable from the Extensions panel.
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