It’s in our makeup as engineers that we want to test our newly received boards as soon as possible. We just can’t wait to connect them to a power supply and then use our test bench equipment (e.g., generators, oscilloscopes, switches or LEDs, and so on) for simulation.
Circuit Cellar columnist Robert Lacoste’s clean, orderly workspace in Chaville, France.
But due to our haste, the result is usually a PCB under test lying on a crowded workbench in the middle of a mesh of test cables, alligator clamps, prototyping boards, and other probes. Experience shows that the probability of a short circuit or mismatched connection is high during this phase of engineering excitement.
Rather than requiring a mesh of test wires, it is often wise to develop a small test PCB that will drastically simplify the test phase. Here the ancillary board provided a clean way to connect a Microchip Technology ICD3 debugger, a JTAG emulator, a debug analyzer, and a power supply input.
Take your time: prepare a real test bench to which you can connect your board. It could be as simple as a clean desk with properly labeled wires, but you might also need to anticipate the design of a test PCB in order to simplify the cabling.—Robert Lacoste, “Mixed-Signal Designs,” CC25:25th Anniversary Issue, 2013.
Circuit Cellar's editorial team comprises professional engineers, technical editors, and digital media specialists. You can reach the Editorial Department at editorial@circuitcellar.com, @circuitcellar, and facebook.com/circuitcellar
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