Videoton, Europe’s fourth largest contract manufacturer, operates from a low-cost region and is well positioned to service markets for high-quality, technically advanced assemblies. Introducing XJTAG boundary scan to the production test regime has successfully streamlined the testing and programming of complex assemblies, helping to maximise both efficiency and quality assurance.
Videoton Group is a vertically integrated industrial group with competencies spanning activities such as the supply of complete products, modules and parts, including electronic manufacturing services (EMS) encompassing all aspects of production from design for manufacturability through to box build and shipping of finished product to the end customer. Headquartered in Hungary, Videoton Group was founded in 1938 and currently ranks as the fourth largest contract electronics manufacturer (CEM) in Europe.
Operating in a comparatively low-cost area of Europe, Videoton can satisfy projects that demand extremely competitive pricing, while at the same time being well located to service markets for high-technology, high-quality products. To make the most of these diverse opportunities, the company has invested in boundary scan testing. Boundary scan is able to boost productivity and efficiency by accelerating test cycle times and programming devices such as Flash memories and configuration ROMs, while also increasing test coverage by checking connections where conventional test probes cannot reach.
XJTAG is the boundary scan system of choice for Videoton’s engineers. “XJTAG offers superior value, with outstanding features at a very competitive price,” comments Péter Csík, NPI Manager at Videoton. Working as an integral part of the company’s bespoke production-test software, the system is used for 100% screening of advanced telecom router boards before the boards move on to functional testing. This is helping increase productivity, by preventing boards with identifiable defects entering the lengthy end-of-line functional-test routine.
XJTAG is also proving to be a powerful tool for programming devices on boards that pass the boundary scan screening tests. In-system programming using XJTAG streamlines the final configuration of each board before functional testing.
“XJTAG has enabled us to achieve our primary goal, which was to maximise end-of-line test capacity,” suggests Péter Csík. “In addition, its programming capabilities are proving extremely valuable.”
Initially the engineering team at Videoton had limited experience of using boundary scan, but were keen to get productive quickly. “The technical support we received from XJTAG helped us get our first production tests up and running quickly. The turnaround for advice on writing test applications was very fast,” says Péter Csík.
XJTAG programs are written in the high-level language XJEase. Since the tests are device-centric, board-design changes can be accommodated with little or no modification. Users can also save custom tests written for particular parts, and retrieve them in the future to speed-up test development for other projects. XJTAG comes with a large library of pre-written tests for standard devices.
“Introducing XJTAG on our production lines has enabled us to improve test and programming efficiency significantly,” concludes Péter Csík. “This has helped us strengthen our position as a leading provider of advanced, high-quality, competitively priced EMS services.”
