SANTA CLARA, CA -- Agilent Technologies today announced the licensing of its Medalist Bead Probe technology, a methodology for placing solder beads ("bead probes") directly onto printed circuit board signal traces.

The advancement addresses the need for more test accessibility on PCBs at in-circuit test, especially for dense or high-speed PCB designs, Agilent said.

As PCBs get increasingly smaller, the ability to provide test points for in-circuit test becomes more difficult. In addition, designs with high-speed buses also limit where test targets can be placed on board layouts. Workarounds for these test challenges can be time-consuming and costly.

Manufacturers that own Agilent ICT systems can obtain right-to-use licenses at no charge directly from Agilent. A copy of "Bead Probe Handbook: Successfully Implementing Agilent Medalist Bead Probes in Practice" is included with each license. The how-to guide details procedures for implementing bead probes and is written for designers, process engineers and test engineers.

Agilent will license the bead probe technology to other test equipment vendors. Manufacturers that use other ICT equipment may obtain right-to-use licenses from Agilent.