Zuken and UK-based Quadra Solutions have launched starturn, a part list management add-on tool for CADSTAR.
starturn offers four core areas of functionality to enhance post-design documentation within the desktop PCB design environment. This includes advanced export functionality for BOMs, enhanced drill drawing exports and report generation, assembly drawing creation and a new "where used" search capability. This tool allows designers to compile design-derived manufacturing and purchasing reports in minutes rather than hours.
BOMs can be exported into various file formats, including html, Microsoft Excel and XML, and for a fully tailored output, users can specify which design fields should be included.
Drill drawing functionality is more extensive in this tool. It will generate drill tables within the PCB design, eliminating the need to cut and paste from drill reports. Mark-up of drill holes can also be carried out various ways within the design.
Has improved assembly drawing generation. Circuit references, for example, can be sited in multiple places within the design, through the association of attributes. Searching for parts within the parts library is also more expansive, with functionality that allows a user to select any part and search within any file directory. This is useful when managing parts obsolescence.
XJIO expansion board improves test coverage and fault diagnosis on complex printed circuits, checks power rail levels and can eliminate custom test jigs.
The board improves the test coverage for a Unit Under Test (UUT) by verifying the signals through to the external connections. In the event of a board failure, fault diagnosis times can be reduced by as much as half, as the board eradicates the need for loopbacks and cable swapping.
Has 208 digital and 16 analogue (8xADCs and 8xDACs) I/Os, provides customers developing JTAG and non-JTAG boards with a reusable alternative to traditional test fixtures.
“The XJIO board was developed predominantly for testing circuits with large amounts of digital I/O such as on network cards - particularly if the board has more outputs than inputs or vice-versa,” said Dominic Plunkett, CTO. “It features over 200 digital I/Os and this density can be expanded to many thousands by daisy-chaining the XJIO boards together using the reconfigurable external JTAG connector.”
Can be powered from USB, for quick and portable test setup. If more than 80mA of current is required, there is a connector for a standard 12V power supply. All connectors are standard IDC. Switches and LEDs enable additional test control.
Tyco Electronics’ Global Application Tooling Division (GATD) designed a customized RFID inlay assembly system for Graphic Solutions International (GSI). The equipment will assemble semiconductor chips, surface-mount devices and printed batteries onto a continuous web of printed antennas, adding RFID capability to tags and labels.
Working closely with GSI to meet their specifications, Tyco provided a reel-to-reel system that allows GSI to mount flip-chips, SMDs and printed batteries onto printed antennas and conductive traces. The system is capable of the high-speed mounting of electronic components on a 6,000'+ roll of 20" wide material. After conductive printing, the roll is fed into the machine where components are added along with one or two printed batteries. Upon completion, the roll can be slit into individual streams and rolled, or supplied in production web width rolls for delivery. A typical circuit is inlaid with batteries, an RFID chip, and a printed antenna. The speed of this machine allows for production levels up to 26 million inlays per year.
The line can accommodate printed substrates from 0.002" (50 mm) to 0.005" (125 mm) thick, mount on continuous rolls with a repeat pitch of 0.8" (20 mm) and position chips to micron accuracy.
Tyco Electronics, tycoelectronics.com Graphic Solutions International LLC, graphicsolutionsinc.com