Today’s electronic circuit-board technology is posing a big challenge to in-circuit test techniques because of the disappearance of access. As a result, a shift from bed-of-nail to flying-probe equipment is ongoing. While the main drives for this shift are consumer products for the exploding Internet of Things market, manufacturers of high-performance professional products are also following this trend. Extreme examples are costly, high-quality, and high-reliability products such as boards hosted on satellites. Here the flying probe is challenged to overcome physical access limitations, enhance the accuracy and repeatability of probing, prevent any mechanical or electrical degradation, and ensure thoroughness of test. This article addresses the solutions to these requirements based on a successful customer’s experiences.
