Challenge:
A company manufactures a data transmission cable in which the transmission lines are magnetically coupled but electrically isolated from the connectors. Multiple one-to-one transformers in each connector have been tested at incoming inspection for compliance to the radio frequency characteristics specified but it was considered impracticable to use the same methods for a final assembly test. The final test needed to verify coil polarity as well as detect short and open circuits.
Solution:
A Touch1 custom component script was designed to pulse each transformer. This pulse was coupled through the transmission line where it appeared at the output. The output pulse routed through a filter network built into the test adapter. The script then measured the voltage across the filter. A "correctly assembled" product produced over 150 mV of signal in the output. A negative voltage revealed an improperly wired transmitter or receiver coil. Voltage too high or too low revealed an open or short circuit condition.
Results:
Using the custom Touch1 script, the number of field failures was dramatically reduced by making the final assembly test quicker and more robust. As the defects went down, throughput went up.
