The US Navy's Navair (Naval Air Systems Command) is projecting a cost avoidance of $800 000 per month for several years following the recent purchase of 10 PinPoint II Functional Testers from DiagnoSYS. Tentative plans are to purchase 15 more units per year over the next four years, according to Navair project management.
The testers are making it cost-effective to diagnose and repair circuit card assemblies (CCAs) from weapons replaceable assemblies (WRAs), where failures typically occur in components for which test programs or schematics are generally not available. Navair is using the PinPoint II's reverse engineering capabilities as one of the major factors to move the program forward.
"We are able to build schematics and more easily write test programs, and that capability increases the accuracy of our troubleshooting while avoiding the costly time developing a standard test program set (TPS) for a card," the project manager said. "Developing a standard TPS manually is not intuitive, and it was done by technicians who had both the time and ability to figure it out. With PinPoint II, test and repair is process-driven, so there is now a way to test certain legacy CCAs."
"Technicians are using the PinPoint to improve the accuracy verification of functional tests," he adds. "The PinPoint II auto-learn mode allows the technician to clip onto a component to determine how the device is used in the circuit. This technique speeds test development time and allows for specific functional testing of the component as it was intended to be used by the circuit designer. Once a program for a CCA is already built, a technician can learn how to use and begin troubleshooting CCAs in the same day."
Before PinPoint II, he says some 90% of the CCAs were unable to be tested. Now, technicians can troubleshoot CCAs down to the component level in less time than it took to ship them out for repairs. Technicians are taking advantage of the reverse engineering capabilities to work with consumable CCAs. This capability is critical for forward-deployed units because data and documentation are not readily available to functionally analyse components. It aids technicians in troubleshooting and signal tracing and provides effective fault isolation.
According to NAVAIR, it may be able to expand PinPoint II's use into weapons systems and suitcase testers, which usually have such low failure rates that schematics and test information were never bought. The armed forces are investigating technologies that put repair data right on the frontline wherever possible, to increase repair capabilities and speed. In the case of the cards, PinPoint II may help NAVAIR rethink the whole concept of 'throw aways' because it may be more cost-effective to repair forward-deployed parts and get them back in service faster.
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