About Test Program Sets

Test Program Sets consist of the test software, interface devices and associated documentation.

The computer in the Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) executes the test software, which usually is written in a standard language such as ATLAS, Ada, C+ or Visual Basic. The stimulus and measurement instruments in the ATS have the ability to respond as directed by the computer. They send signals where needed and take measurements at the appropriate points. The test software then analyzes the results of the measurements and determines the probable cause of failure. It displays to the technician the component to remove and replace.

Developing the test software requires a series of tools collectively referred to as the software development environment. These include ATE and Unit Under Test (UUT) simulators, ATE and UUT description languages, and programming tools such as compilers.

ATE is typically very flexible in its ability to test different kinds of electronics. It can be configured to test both black boxes (called either Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) or Weapons Replaceable Assemblies (WRAs)) and circuit cards (called either Shop Replaceable Units (SRUs) or Shop Replaceable Assemblies (SRAs)). ATE is also used to test All Up Round weapons and weapon sections.

Since each UUT likely has different connections and input/output ports, interfacing the UUT to the ATE normally requires an interconnecting device known as an Interface Device (ID) which physically connects the UUT to the ATE and routes signals from the various I/O pins in the ATE to the appropriate I/O pins in the UUT.

An objective of the ATE designer is to maximize the capability inherent in the ATE itself so that IDs remain passive and serve to only route signals to/from the UUT. However, since it is impossible to design ATE which can cover 100% of the range of test requirements, IDs sometimes contain active components which condition signals as they travel to and from the ATE. The more capable the ATE, the less complex the IDs must be. ATE with only scant general capability leads to large, complex and expensive IDs. Some IDs contain complex equipment such as pneumatic and motion sources, optical collimators, and heating and cooling equipment.

Last Modified: 11 April 2012

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