Fresh out of school
I started in tech back in the 80’s working for a company whose products included Satellite Communications, Data Encryption and Terminal Multiplexers to name a few… It was before PCs became commonplace as they are today. Most of our interoffice communications was done using terminals connected to a DEC VAX mainframe.
It was a great place to start out! I learned a lot that helped propel my journey thru the tech industry. While there, I got a working knowledge of such concepts as encoding data to achieve signal gain and using the encoded data to correct errors caused by signal loss during transmission. Other concepts I later found useful was how to use Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) to multiplex multiple data streams onto a single T1 data signal to allow multiple terminals to access a mainframe computer system.
I also got my first experience developing hardware and software for In-Circuit Test there.
Several of the founders of this company would later go on to create a new company that is a leading innovator in Spread Spectrum technology (CDMA) used in modern day cell phones and I was lucky enough to work there for a brief period of my career.
Below is a list of some of the early systems I designed fixtures and programs for.
Here are some of the older systems I used to work on:
Zehntel 850
The Zehntel 850 was a high-performance in-circuit analog/digital PC board test system used for quality control in manufacturing. It features a modular design for flexible, high-speed testing with advanced capabilities like frequency measurement, signal processing, and customizable probe types. It is used for testing various circuit board designs. It was later replaced by the Teradyne Z1800 Series.
Some things unique to the tester was that it had an embedded version of BSD Unix controlling the system main OS. Much like macOS uses BSD Unix today.
The hard drive for the system back then was only 35 Megabytes!
Teradyne Z1860
The Teradyne Z1860 was the successor to the Zehntel 850. It had an interface that allowed for the use of older Zehntel 850 fixtures and it was an advanced, high-volume automated test equipment (ATE) system used for final in-circuit testing of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and other electronic components. It is known for its modular design, high channel count (up to 2048 test points), and flexibility in handling various testing applications.
GenRad GR228X
The GenRad 228x is a series of legacy, high-performance in-circuit test (ICT) systems used for testing electronic circuitry and components on printed circuit boards. These systems provide comprehensive testing capabilities for analog, digital, and hybrid assemblies and are still widely utilized in manufacturing environments.
The
Keysight (HP) Series 3 and Series 5
Keysight Medalist i3070 Series 5 is an in-circuit test (ICT) system for printed circuit board assemblies (PCBA) production, designed for enhanced test throughput and coverage. It incorporates new hardware and software features, such as the ASRU N revision card and advanced software, to improve analog and digital testing speeds.
The Keysight (HP) 3070 is what I’ve spent the last 30 years of my career developing fixtures and programs for. It’s gone thru many changes during that time. It was originally a Unix based platform that was eventually migrated to MS Windows. It’s capabilities have been improved over the years to include faster digital capabilities as well as many other improvements.