U.C.A. Test & Calibration Adapter

Not really some big deal here, but I wanted to share some new “internal” tools I developed for the Universal Chip Analyzer. I ship them quite slowly due to long PCB assembly process, but the final testing process was also quite time-consuming. I used to test all U.C.A. with every supported CPU and, if something goes wrong, I inspected every IC and connector to find the issue.

I was a bit tired so I build that “calibration & test adapter” :

With a special test program loaded inside the FPGA, I’m now able to test every pins for stuck-to-0, stuck-to-1 and shorts in seconds! I have also added precision resistors to calibrate the internal shunt amplifier & ADC. Calibration data are now stored inside the internal EEPROM (and saved locally for any UCA serial#).

I’m also testing a new kind of “header” for Adapter’s pins. Previously, I used standard 2.54mm headers. They worked fine in most case, but the pins are much thicker than standard CPU’s pins. I was able to find these connectors that almost perfectly mimic CPUs pins :

They’re not cheap, but I will probably use them for active adapters like the 8080 Adapter.

Stay tuned for much more news soon!