Software release accelerates boundary scan setups

It also helps to stop production line operators being distracted by too much information when they run tests.

When it comes to getting a setup running at full speed, signal integrity issues can cause last-minute delays.

XJTAG 3.12 helps engineers in this situation because an automatic analysis of data errors has been added to the inbuilt signal integrity test.

Using its extensive experience analysing such data on behalf of clients to develop algorithms for this task, XJTAG has created software that identifies specific characteristics in the errors and uses them to suggest the most likely cause.

When creating tests, this software release brings more convenience to the device categorisation process.

It introduces a new category designed for ICs that can’t be disabled but have connections to JTAG devices.

Rather than needing to create a test device file with many disable values to stop the interconnecting nets being driven during the interconnect test, those devices can now be placed into a new “Excluded” category. This simplifies the process and saves time.

Engineers will also benefit from the additional efficiency afforded by three new powerful code searches that search across all the files in the project, not just the open one. Right-click on a variable, function, bus, or configuration variable, and a new option allows you to jump to the place in the project where that item was defined.

Another option finds all the references to the item, and because it considers the item’s scope, it reliably finds the correct references in the code, even when the name has been used in multiple places.

The third search is a basic text search, but one that looks through all the project’s code files and returns results grouped by file type.

These new searches simplify the tasks of developing and debugging tests.

XJTAG 3.12 also helps factory operators stay focussed by providing greater control over what data is displayed during tests.

“Engineers have always loved the way they can set software permissions for different roles on the factory floor,” explains Simon Payne. “For example, they could ensure only a repair technician has rights to temporarily adjust which tests run. They wanted us to take this further, so permissions in XJTAG 3.12 now have a lot of flexibility. For instance, you can now restrict which users see links to the layout and schematic viewers in the test results, meaning someone with basic operator rights in XJRunner or XJInvestigator won’t be distracted by being offered information they don’t need.”

Additional flexibility has also been added to XJPack files (the compressed, tamper-protected files used to transfer test projects from test developers to the production teams). Privileges can now be set in those files, allowing the test developer to control which settings end-users will be able to temporarily override.