Quick Instruments

Test framework for FPGA board quality control

Quick Instruments (QI) is a test & measurement framework that loads itself into on-board FPGA for test, validation or programming purposes. The role of instruments is to verify PCBA hardware infrastructure: on-board interconnections and communication with peripheral components. In this way, every PCBA board can be checked for defects and stability issues. All instruments are pre-compiled for a target board and are being executed from test platform using predefined templates.

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QI Toolbox

Transition from crafting to automation

Although every FPGA-based product has its own application, all PCBAs have a similar HW structure. They contain many typical components, like oscillators, SPI flashes, DDR memories, Ethernet PHYs, high-speed links, etc. The test of these ICs and communication buses can be standardized and fully automated. For each category of peripheral components, there is a particular test or measurement embedded instrument. You may think of embedded instruments as traditional instruments: signal generators, oscilloscopes, etc., but imagine them placed inside the board under test, inside the FPGA.

Browse Instruments

Component	Instrument
Oscillator	Frequency Counter
DDR Memory	Memory Tester
SPI Flash	Flash Programmer
SERDES links	Bit Error Rate Tester
Ethernet PHY	Ethernet Tester
...	...

QI test firmware and application firmware synergy

QI test firmware is used only temporarily during production / prototype / troubleshooting stage. It will populate the board when it is fresh (when it is just produced). QI test firmware runs on bare metal and will do just the testing and the diagnosis. It is not going to stay on a board when the board leaves an EMS factory. It will erase itself, so the user firmware (application firmware) will stay and will be shipped to the end customer.
Normally, the QI test firmware loads the user’s application firmware into the board as a last step on a production line.

QI Test Firmware and User Firmware on a production line

Testing external interfaces

Some target devices are on a board under test and are directly addressable by instrumentation. But some others are just interfaces to the external world. Simple I/O connectors, Ethernet links and high-speed interfaces, like LVDS, SMA, SFP or PCIe are some common examples. A matching board or as simple techniques as looping back some buses or adding some external testers (or matching boards) is the way to get complete coverage.

Turn any FPGA-based board into a functional tester

Contrariwise, a simple board or adapter board can be tested with the help of Quick Instruments. Since QI can be compiled for running on any FPGA-based board, it is straightforward to convert such a board into an external functional tester. Some use cases / UUT examples:

Components on a board under test with external connections via I/O or testpoints
Backplanes, adapters (PCB lines are tested), cables
Extension board with digital interfaces to DAC/ADCs, PHYs and optical channels
External flash programming via I/O lines
Generating static or a clock signal on one side and catching on another

Key Features

Learn more on the Why QI? page

Every test engineer and product manager knows how much time is often required to localize the problem. Sometimes it takes hours, sometimes days or even months to find the root cause. It is even worse if the product is already coated and packaged when you detect the failure.

Using Quick Instruments, you can test the board component by component and gigabit links - line by line. In case of a failure, you know exactly which communication bus or line does not work properly. This considerably shortens the searching area and streamlines the repair. The important aspect is that this information is available before the board has left EMS production facilities and product owner does not receive defective PCBAs.

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