Next generation ATE software

AAI Corporation has been making Automated Test Equipment (ATE) for over three decades. Over that time we have deployed a number of different generations of ATE software. Recently we decided to invest in developing the next generation of software for our test systems. At a high-level, we wanted the software to employ best-in-class Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) elements where possible. Furthermore, we wanted the software to go beyond the traditional view of an isolated test system. To this end, the software model we developed implements the IEEE 1671 “Dot” standards. These IEEE standards provide a mechanism to format and present the different elements of the test system to its different users throughout the organization. This paper overviews the development of our latest generation ATE software and highlights its major components.