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Jamie Loyd, electronics technician, probes a circuit card while running a diagnostic program. (U. S. Air Force photo/Sue Sapp)
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Software app helps simplify testing
Posted 2/6/2013 Updated 2/6/2013
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by Kendahl Johnson
Robins Public Affairs
2/6/2013 - ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Testing aircraft equipment can often present challenges, so one worker at Robins created an application to help simplify the process.
Moses Zamora, an engineer in the 581st Software Maintenance Squadron, saw some of the issues that technicians face while testing equipment and decided to come up with a program which could help alleviate some of those problems.
What he came up with has been dubbed "Shop Aid," the fruits of about three months of programming in his spare time.
The application is integrated with diagnostic software programs that run on the Versatile Depot
Automatic Test Stations, or VDATS, and aids in the troubleshooting of analog airborne equipment. The application allows technicians to view circuit diagrams of the hardware and watch the circuits in real time as they are being tested.
It color codes the diagram so technicians can quickly determine where problems are coming from.
"Traditionally, we don't see any diagnostic results until the program is complete," said Tammy Horton-Walton, a technician. "If the suggested repairs don't solve the problem, we receive no indication of what the program was trying to do. Now, we know exactly which parts of the circuit the programs are trying to troubleshoot."
Juan Salazar, software configuration manager, said the application not only helps technicians troubleshoot electronic systems, but also helps software engineers by reducing the amount of time it takes them to develop complex test program sets.
"The application provides a way to capture lessons learned for future reference," Salazar said. "Technicians can add and save information into the application regarding their trial and error tests in troubleshooting problems. That provides valuable information for other technicians to learn from and benefits the program developer on future upgrades or revisions."
Shop Aid has been so successful and so well received, engineers in 581st SMXS/ Flight A have been developing the test programs to make use of the application.
Zamora is happy with the results so far, but he is continuing to develop the Shop Aid and improve its features, based on feedback from technicians and other engineers.
"It's constantly evolving and getting better," he said. |
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