Testing & Diagnosis
Central to the repair process is the diagnosis of faulty circuit boards. Using advanced testing equipment, our technicians combine experience and a thorough understanding of electronic theory to pinpoint faulty components.
We service a wide range of products that require different diagnosis techniques and test equipment.
Hi-speed BGA equipped multi-layer
Faults in multi-layer boards with BGA devices present a significant challenge to diagnose, however we are well-equipped to find problems, using boundary scan and other diagnostic tools where direct test and measurement might not be possible. JTAG Technologies are an industry leader in this area and we use their tools to diagnose whenever possible. Our own in-house complex designs are JTAG equipped, and this has proved to be invaluable during the manufacturing process.
Radio frequency
Our radio technicians always have a range of RF instruments close at hand: spectrum analysers, power meters, frequency counters, signal generators, noise figure meters, modulation generators and analysers, and a network (S-parameter) analyser. We can measure up to 26.5GHz and all our instruments used for final test are calibrated.
Digital transport
Our test capability for digital transport encompasses a range of parametric measurements, including error rate and jitter. It also involves measurement of optical and electrical interfaces, including PDH, SDH, ATM, and IP transport technologies.
Our attention to detail also includes inspection and cleaning of optical interfaces using specialist tools.
Mixed analogue/digital
Digital storage oscilloscopes (DSO) and bench multimeters are the core test instruments for technicians repairing mixed analogue/digital equipment. In addition to our extensive suite of multimeters and DSOs, we are proud of our top-end instruments that we can deploy when necessary, in this case a 4 channel 6GHz DSO and a 8.5 digit bench meter.
Custom test equipment
Our customers value the effort we go to in developing custom diagnostic and test equipment for their product. We often build in automation that, in addition to performing the test faster, ensures repeatable and accurate results. The range of custom testers includes:
- Full operation and control of 1.5GHz Radio cards on the repair bench, including digital RF input signal, Bit Error Rate (BER), Power Supply and programming interface.
- Full load/overload testing for a family of Power Supplies utilising programmable multi-channel electronic power supplies and custom card fixtures, all controlled using National Instruments (NI) Labview.
- A memory card tester that writes and reads back data to 100 discrete memory devices. The fixture includes a head containing 281 test pins with digital i/o lines and control again from NI LabView.
- Parametric 48 line DSL filter tester using both standard test instruments and custom designed hardware.