RI Cassini ATE Systems test parts via a Test Executive that combines a test plan with live calibration data to verify the Device Under Test (DUT) meets the designers specifications. The operator is tasked with docking the RI System with a Handler or Prober, loading the devices, starting, pausing and stopping the tester, and unloading the sorted parts from the pass and fail bins. This highly automated process is fast, accurate, and reliable without requiring the operator to know any specifics about the device.
RI System Controller TIM
Cassini systems use an x86 based system controller with touch screen and/or mouse and keyboard interface. If a Guru Server is available, the system controller can be easily swapped in the field and the entire operating environment automatically restored from the Guru Server. The system controller connects to the instruments via the Test Instrument Module (TIM) interface's Roos Instruments Fiber Link (RIFL) bus. TIMs can be swapped while "HOT", meaning the main breaker and power distribution blocks can stay in the ON position while connecting or disconnecting TIMs. Because the system controller uses a standard hard drive, the system software (Guru) and eCS operating system should be properly shut down to guarantee that there is no data loss.
System Controller - Graphical User Interface
The RI system software uses an embedded operating system called eComStation that uses a familiar graphical user interface. Once the system starts, the Task Bar provides easy access to popular operating system tasks such as moving data files, accessing network drives, monitoring the system's processor activity, and opening a command prompt.
Test plans are run from the "Guru" task bar that automatically appears on the right side of the screen. The RI Cassini ATE systems use a unique database style file system called "Guru" to manage all the software and data files in the system. The "System" button appears green when it has a live connection to a Guru Server.
Login To Guru
To begin and access the System Controller software, first log-on to Guru to access the system software.
On the upper right hand corner of the system screen, Click the Logon button to log-on to RI Guru.
Enter user name and password, then click the Log on button.
RI provides default user names of "Operator" with default password "password". Your operating environment may have unique user name and password combination for each operator, or a single shared user name and password.
Once you've logged on successfully, you can launch the Cassini software from the Short Cuts button.
Guru Log-off
Once you've logged on to Guru successfully, the Logon button changes to System button. Click on the System button to bring up the System guru menu.
From the System window, click the Logoff button to Logoff. To change access to Guru, first must Logoff, then Logon again.
Choosing Short Cuts
If a user is logged on with operator privilege, only the Short Cuts and User Apps buttons will be enabled.
The Short Cuts button enables the flexibility of tailoring the Guru applications to a given product release, i.e. launch a specific base release of the operating system software and load a specific set of patches. It allows any Guru application to run with an older, verified or approved version. Click the Short Cuts button to retrieve a list of available short cuts from Guru.
The User Apps button enables a collection of Short Cuts to be combined to allow for 3 click testing. The User Apps launch a specific Test Executive with a locked version of the testplan and a specific collection of patches. Click the User Apps button to retrieve a list of available User Apps from Guru.
To launch a Short Cut or User App, click the application name. On the right of the Select Application window, the list of the available short cuts can be scrolled by one at a time with the Up or Down buttons, or the Pg up, Pg down buttons to quickly scroll thru the list. In this example, there is only one short cut available. Clicking the Cancel button will close the Select Application window.
The purpose of these application buttons on the Guru bar is so that one can bring the application to the front (make it to be the active window) in case it is hidden behind any other applications or if it was minimized.
When you have more than seven Guru applications and short cuts running, the Next button on the bottom of the Guru bar will be enabled.
Clicking the Next button will display the buttons on the next page and the Previous button will be enabled. Clicking the Previous button will go back to the previous page of buttons.
Opening Test Executives (With Short Cuts)
This option may be bypassed from the User Apps button. The RI Test Executive is the primary interface that Operators use to control the tester. To invoke the RI Test Executive, first, Log-on with Operator privilege or higher, then start the "Cassini" application from the Short Cut button of the Guru Bar. Released test plans can be easily opened with a Short Cut for a specific device that can be setup to use the version of RI System software that was checked out and approved, running with a specific set of patches.
From the RI "Cassini" style Application, click on the System button from the main Cassini window.
Select the "Test Execs" button from the panel and choose the exec from the dialog box that is displayed next.
Use the buttons "More" and "Less" to scroll the list and choose the test executive to run.
The Test Executive performs a number of steps automatically when it is first opened. It creates any ancillary views (e.g. "details" worksheet or "pass/fail") and compiles the testplan against the current system hardware. If there are any problems, a warning box appears with instructions to the operator.
If all is well, the "Start" button turns green and the operator enters lot information: Lot, Sublot, Schedule, and Comment.
When the "Start" button is pressed, the system waits for a "start test" signal from the handler, and begins testing as soon as the signal is received. The part is tested and limit checked, and the resulting hard bin is signaled back to the handler. After indexing to the next part, the cycle repeats.
The system displays current information such as the total tested parts, the total failed parts, the number of consecutive failures, and a computation of the yield of the most recent 50 parts.
If the operator needs to interrupt testing at any time, the "Pause" button may be pressed. It will cause the tester to stop testing but it does not close the data log or "finish" the lot. The tester may be paused indefinitely, but the part handler may complain after a period of inactivity. Testing is continued by pressing "Resume".
A Pass or Fail window displays the Bin number the part will be sorted into and 'green' or 'red' background depending on if the part passed or failed the test plan.
A Test Data window displays the detailed results of specific measurements the test plan performed on the Device Under Test (DUT).