Accendo Reliability

Your Reliability Engineering Professional Development Site

  • Home
  • About
    • Contributors
  • Reliability.fm
    • Speaking Of Reliability
    • Rooted in Reliability: The Plant Performance Podcast
    • Quality during Design
    • Critical Talks
    • Dare to Know
    • Maintenance Disrupted
    • Metal Conversations
    • The Leadership Connection
    • Practical Reliability Podcast
    • Reliability Matters
    • Reliability it Matters
    • Maintenance Mavericks Podcast
    • Women in Maintenance
    • Accendo Reliability Webinar Series
    • Asset Reliability @ Work
  • Articles
    • CRE Preparation Notes
    • on Leadership & Career
      • Advanced Engineering Culture
      • Engineering Leadership
      • Managing in the 2000s
      • Product Development and Process Improvement
    • on Maintenance Reliability
      • Aasan Asset Management
      • CMMS and Reliability
      • Conscious Asset
      • EAM & CMMS
      • Everyday RCM
      • History of Maintenance Management
      • Life Cycle Asset Management
      • Maintenance and Reliability
      • Maintenance Management
      • Plant Maintenance
      • Process Plant Reliability Engineering
      • ReliabilityXperience
      • RCM Blitz®
      • Rob’s Reliability Project
      • The Intelligent Transformer Blog
    • on Product Reliability
      • Accelerated Reliability
      • Achieving the Benefits of Reliability
      • Apex Ridge
      • Metals Engineering and Product Reliability
      • Musings on Reliability and Maintenance Topics
      • Product Validation
      • Reliability Engineering Insights
      • Reliability in Emerging Technology
    • on Risk & Safety
      • CERM® Risk Insights
      • Equipment Risk and Reliability in Downhole Applications
      • Operational Risk Process Safety
    • on Systems Thinking
      • Communicating with FINESSE
      • The RCA
    • on Tools & Techniques
      • Big Data & Analytics
      • Experimental Design for NPD
      • Innovative Thinking in Reliability and Durability
      • Inside and Beyond HALT
      • Inside FMEA
      • Integral Concepts
      • Learning from Failures
      • Progress in Field Reliability?
      • Reliability Engineering Using Python
      • Reliability Reflections
      • Testing 1 2 3
      • The Manufacturing Academy
  • eBooks
    • Reliability Engineering Management DRAFT
  • Resources
    • Accendo Authors
    • FMEA Resources
    • Feed Forward Publications
    • Openings
    • Books
    • Webinars
    • Journals
    • Higher Education
    • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • 14 Ways to Acquire Reliability Engineering Knowledge
    • Reliability Analysis Methods online course
    • Measurement System Assessment
    • SPC-Process Capability Course
    • Design of Experiments
    • Foundations of RCM online course
    • Quality during Design Journey
    • Reliability Engineering Statistics
    • An Introduction to Reliability Engineering
    • An Introduction to Quality Engineering
    • Process Capability Analysis course
    • Root Cause Analysis and the 8D Corrective Action Process course
    • Return on Investment online course
    • CRE Preparation Online Course
    • Quondam Courses
  • Webinars
    • Upcoming Live Events
  • Calendar
    • Call for Papers Listing
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Webinar Calendar
  • Login
    • Member Home

by Fred Schenkelberg 2 Comments

4 Electronics Nondestructive Evaluations

4 Electronics Nondestructive Evaluations

It is possible to use the circuit design or the circuit itself to evaluate electronics. This ranges from checking if the system is wired correctly (the right parts are present and attached properly) to a complex evaluation including the proper functioning of firmware and attached software.

Beyond visual inspection, we need a way to evaluate the microscopic structures with today’s electronic components.

The ability to provide inputs and measure outputs provides one view and in most cases is nondestructive.

Simulation

Simulating a circuit starts with circuit analysis (I learned the basics of this in college as an electrical engineering student) which can be accomplished by hand. Today tools are able to simulate complex circuits over many variations of inputs, component variations, and environmental conditions.

Simulation models first check on function and may include timing, effects of aging or drift, and the effects of generated electromagnetic fields (sneak circuit analysis).

For complex integrated circuits (IC) there are dedicated hardware systems to simulated the operation of an IC design.

BIST and BIT

Built in Self Test and the Built-in Test generally place the device in a test mode and run a set of commands that exercise all (most) of the circuits and operations of the device. For example, the BIT may command a lamp to illuminate and sense the voltage drop as an indication the lamp is present.

BIST and BIT require programming, space and design allowances to operate. The benefit is the ability to verify correct operation on an ongoing basis.

These tests can also be run by technicians as part of a troubleshooting or diagnostic evaluation of a system.

In Process and ICT Tests

In-Circuit Test (ICT) and In Process Testing tests energies circuits on a circuit board and measures responses at select points. Generally done with a system of probes that measure circuit values using a complex set of inputs and measurements. Often done during printed circuit board & assembly construction to verify electrical connection occurs where expected and not otherwise.

A basic test determines opens and shorts. More complex ICTs may determine individual parameter values of select components. The testing may require the addition of test points on the surface of the circuit layout to accommodate testing.

EMI/EMC Tests

Electromagnetic Interference and Electromagnetic Compatibility testing evaluate a design’s ability to operate as expected in the presence of some level of external effects. When electrical current occurs an electromagnetic field is generated by the trace or wire (a simplistic explanation) and has the potential to create current flow or voltage variation in other nearby devices. High-frequency circuits are particularly active in the creation of these fields and may require shielding to prevent transmission of potentially harmful effects.

Since it occurs, each design should be able to operate in the presence of some level of electromagnetic radiation. EMI and EMC testing provide a way to determine if the device meets (often regulatory set) requirements for the expected use environment.

The testing generally consists of exposing the device to specific strengths and type of electromagnetic radiation and measure its ability to operate.

Summary

This is a very brief summary and entire books, professional societies and business operate based on providing knowledge and equipment to perform each of the listed types of testing.

These four approaches are part of our common reliability engineering toolkit and provide information on the design, assembly, and operation of devices.


Related:

8 Nondestructive Evaluation Techniques (article)

Reliability Block Diagrams Overview and Value (article)

Root cause knowledge and models (article)

 

Filed Under: Articles, CRE Preparation Notes, Maintainability and Availability Tagged With: Non-destructive evaluation

« Reliability Risk Reduction Tools
How to Assess Your Reliability Program »

Comments

  1. Tim says

    August 4, 2014 at 1:05 AM

    Please keep in mind the EMI/EMC Tests can be destructive.
    The two most common tests where hardware is damaged are surge immunity and electrostatic discharge.

    Reply
    • Fred Schenkelberg says

      August 4, 2014 at 7:33 AM

      Agree. If the design is not able to withstand some threshold, we find out by the damage it causes. And, if you increase the stress eventually it will cause damage.

      Cheers,

      Fred

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CRE Preparation Notes

Article by Fred Schenkelberg

Join Accendo

Join our members-only community for full access to exclusive eBooks, webinars, training, and more.

It’s free and only takes a minute.

Get Full Site Access

Not ready to join?
Stay current on new articles, podcasts, webinars, courses and more added to the Accendo Reliability website each week.
No membership required to subscribe.

  • CRE Preparation Notes
  • CRE Prep
  • Reliability Management
  • Probability and Statistics for Reliability
  • Reliability in Design and Development
  • Reliability Modeling and Predictions
  • Reliability Testing
  • Maintainability and Availability
  • Data Collection and Use

© 2023 FMS Reliability · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service · Cookies Policy

This site uses cookies to give you a better experience, analyze site traffic, and gain insight to products or offers that may interest you. By continuing, you consent to the use of cookies. Learn how we use cookies, how they work, and how to set your browser preferences by reading our Cookies Policy.