Flying probe

<h2 id="bare-board">Bare board</h2>
<h2 id="loaded-board-in-circuit-test">Loaded board in-circuit test</h2>
<p>In the testing of <a href="/facts/Printed_circuit_board/muSR2p43">printed circuit boards</a>, a flying probe test or fixtureless in-circuit test (FICT) system may be used for testing low to mid volume production, prototypes, and  boards that present accessibility problems. A traditional <a href="/facts/Bed_of_nails_tester/vc5Dyz2w">"bed of nails" tester</a> for testing a PCB requires a custom fixture to hold the assembled printed circuit board (PCBA) and the <a href="/facts/Pogo_pin/CA790wlQ">pogo pins</a> which make contact with the PCBA. In contrast, FICT uses two or more flying probes, which may be moved based on software instruction.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> The flying probes are electro-mechanically controlled to access components on <a href="/facts/Printed_circuit_board/muSR2p43">printed circuit assemblies</a> (PCAs). The probes are moved around the board under test using an automatically operated two-axis system, and one or more test probes contact components of the board or test points on the printed circuit board.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a>
</p><p>The main advantage of flying probe testing is the substantial cost of a bed-of-nails fixture, costing on the order of US $20,000,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> is not required. The flying probes also allow easy modification of the test fixture when the PCBA design changes. FICT may be used on both bare or assembled PCBs.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a>  However, since the tester makes measurements serially, instead of making many measurements at once, the test cycle may become much longer than for a bed-of-nails fixture.  A test cycle that takes 30 seconds on such a system may take an hour with flying probes. Test coverage may not be as comprehensive as a bed of nails tester (assuming similar net access for each), because fewer points are tested at one time.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> 
</p>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Stephen F. Scheiber (2001). Building a Successful Board-test Strategy. Newnes. pp. 303–. ISBN 978-0-7506-7280-1. <a href="978-0-7506-7280-1" target="_blank">978-0-7506-7280-1</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>R. S. Khandpur, Printed Circuit Boards:Design, Fabrication, Assembly and Testing, Tata-McGraw Hill, ISBN 0070588147, 2005, page 572 <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:3"><p>"ICT Performs Comprehensive Testing". NexLogic. NexLogic Technologies Inc. Retrieved 30 September 2019. <a href="https://www.nexlogic.com/pcb-testing/ict-testing/" target="_blank">https://www.nexlogic.com/pcb-testing/ict-testing/</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:4"><p>Keith Brindley (22 October 2013). Automatic Test Equipment. Elsevier. pp. 12–. ISBN 978-1-4831-0115-6. <a href="978-1-4831-0115-6" target="_blank">978-1-4831-0115-6</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:5"><p>Alec Cohen, Prototype to Product: A Practical Guide for Getting to Market, O'Reilly, 2015, ISBN 1449362281, pp. 83, 84
 <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Flying probe open-in-new

Flying probe