Boundary Scan What is Boundary Scan?
| What is Boundary Scan? |
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Boundary-scan, as defined by the IEEE Std. 1149.1 standard, is an integrated method for testing interconnects on printed circuit boards that is implemented at the IC level. The inability to test highly complex and dense printed circuit boards using traditional in-circuit testers and bed of nail fixtures was already evident in the mid eighties. Due to physical space constraints and loss of physical access to fine pitch components and BGA devices, fixturing cost increased dramatically while fixture reliability decreased at the same time.
In the 1980s, the Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) developed a specification for boundary-scan testing that was standardized in 1990 as the IEEE Std. 1149.1-1990. In 1993 a new revision to the IEEE Std. 1149.1 standard was introduced (titled 1149.1a) and it contained many clarifications, corrections, and enhancements. In 1994, a supplement that contains a description of the boundary-scan Description Language (BSDL) was added to the standard. Since that time, this standard has been adopted by major electronics companies all over the world. Applications are found in high volume, high-end consumer products, telecommunication products, defense systems, computers, peripherals, and avionics. Now, due to its economic advantages, smaller companies that cannot afford expensive in-circuit testers are using boundary-scan. A large number of links to BDSL libraries is available at the Corelis' website. For more detailed information on Boundary Scan, please refer to the Boundary Scan Tutorial located on the Corelis website. If you wish to discuss your test and programming requirements, please, feel free to contact us. |
| Last Updated on Wednesday, 19 May 2010 10:17 |
