USAF Versatile Depot Automatic Test Station (VDATS)
One of the greatest inefficiencies in modern electronics is when problems reported in the field are not reproducible at repair depots. These “bad actor” circuit card assemblies (CCAs) waste millions of dollars a year for organizations such as the U.S. Air Force. Ridgetop has developed the NightHawk: Expert Troubleshooting & Repair System (ETRS™) to address this and related issues. NightHawk: ETRS extracts test information from CCAs in order to improve the detection and identification of faulty circuitry.
ETRS delivers improved speed and accuracy of fault isolation via advanced anomaly
detection methods and fault tree analysis (FTA), leveraging Lean Depot Management System (LDMS) data as well as other historical repair information.
Besides the substantial savings realized by reducing NFF (“no fault found”), CND (“could not duplicate”), RTOK (“Retest OK”), and similar codes, ETRS software extends the life and power of existing ATE systems without costly hardware upgrades. ETRS employs advanced algorithms that address “off-nominal” performance of modules due to
aging and wear-out mechanisms.
What NightHawk: ETRS Does
ETRS improves the fault and test coverage of existing Test Program Sets (TPS). Based on historical maintenance data pertaining to individual CCAs, the design of the CCA, and advanced anomaly detection algorithms, ETRS generates a prioritized troubleshooting procedure. This enhanced soft fault detection procedure is used to improve the existing TPS, and the new TPS is then placed into the repository for future application.
The improved TPS is loaded into the VDATS or other ATE system to provide enhanced troubleshooting and repair guidance for each CCA type. This guidance includes visualization aids to help the operator probe the CCA and interpret the test results.
Inputs
- “Bad actor” CCA list
- Parts usage/maintenance history
- Existing Test Program Sets (TPS)
- Circuit schematic
- Design-for-test data (if available)
- Wiring/board layout/diagram
- Parts list
Click here to contact us directly, or follow the links below for more information.
Outputs
- Troubleshooting sequence
- Improved TPS
- Code ready for inclusion in TPS library
Product Brief
Related Products
- ProChek™ Semiconductor Process Reliability Characterization System
- CPT1000™ Avionics Troubleshooting Tool
- Precision Instruments
Selected Articles
- Why Finding Fault Is A Good Thing (Article in U.S. Air Force Launch Stories)
Ridgetop is certified as category 1A under the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA) as part of the Trusted Supplier Program. Ridgetop has history of designing analog and mixed signal ICs for demanding applications in space satellites that are subjected to extreme temperatures and radiation. Our designs have utilized bulk CMOS, CMOS-SOI, and SiGe at process geometries down to 28 nm channel lengths. Radiation hardness is also a concern, and Ridgetop has addressed those requirements as well. A recent Ridgetop design was delivered to ON Semiconductor for the U.S. Air Force STELLAR Star Tracker.
Under contract to NASA, Ridgetop designed an effective 3-axis wireless rotational sensor. The RotoSense™ sensor has been tested on fast-spinning pinion gears on helicopter gear boxes, and also rolling stock for railroad safety improvements.