The Prototype Arrives...Start the Clock

The prototype is the first time all the new elements of your design come together - new schematic, new PCB design, new components and a newly ported OS. So many new variables. The software team is waiting for good hardware to start software development and test. How do you quickly verify the design so you have the confidence to release the boards to software and ultimately manufacturing?

Lack of Design Verification Tools

The hardware design engineer is ultimately responsible for delivering a quality design. But what tool(s) do you use when the prototype arrives? There several common approaches: 1) JTAG and some memory tests, 2) homegrown test program or 3) a Linux or Linux derivative. None provide an optimal solution given today’s embedded design complexity. For instance, can you really do an effective memory test using a new Linux port? Running new software on new hardware is risky and creates a finger pointing situation between the HW and SW teams. Without excellent test coverage and a robust environment are you really confident in your design or is your testing just "good enough"?

Design Verification Platform

A new and proven approach is based on a design verification platform comprised of a special purpose Verification and Test OS (VTOS). This lightweight OS is a bootable image or loadable by JTAG. Services are provided but limited to the needs of the verification process (e.g. file transfer, tracing, scripting, C Functions, etc ). Also included is a functional test library for peripherals on your board (e.g. touchscreen, audio, HDMI, sensors, DRAM, FLASH, etc). This platform provides you with the tools to quickly and confidently verify your design.

Design Verification Process

An effective design verification process will cover design correctness, performance and reliability. Design correctness is the verification of logic and implementation – the schematic is logically correct and the PCB layout meets all requirements. The PCB layout can create verification failures on a logically correct schematic. Reliability testing increases confidence that a design can support high volume manufacturing with minimum field failures. This is accomplished by extending test times and varying power and clock speeds to verify adequate margins exist.

Interactive Test and Fault Isolation

Design problems are inevitable. A verification tool should provide a robust test and debug environment to determine whether a problem is a design or fabrication problem. The user should be able to peek and poke at the hardware, load and execute code, trace test results, etc. Tests should be easily modified to isolate problems and determine cause.

Display System Test Video

Benefits

• Confidently hand-off your design to software development
• Eliminate testing new software on new hardware
• Quickly verify design correctness, performance and reliability
• Expand peripheral test coverage
• Quickly isolate design problems
• Deploy a standard product that is documented, supported and enhanced
• Improve product quality lowering manufacturing costs