Using PAWS® CIIL emulation modules to rehost Test Program Sets written in the Abbreviated Test Language for All Systems (ATLAS)

The abbreviated test language for all systems (ATLAS, IEEE Std 716) is a higher order language for testing that has been used extensively by the US and foreign militaries and aircraft manufacturers for approximately 40 years. These users have one thing in common: the devices that they test have a much longer service life than the systems on which they are tested. Programs written in ATLAS are easier to migrate from one automatic test system (ATS) to another because they specify the requirements of the unit-under-test (UUT) in a signal oriented fashion rather than the programming syntax of the test equipment. A compiler matches the ATS capabilities to the UUT requirements, which allows developers to create test programs that are independent of the test equipment that will be used. This paper presents a successful, cost-effective method for rehosting ATLAS TPSs from one ATS to another. To minimize changes to the TPSs, the software and hardware interfaces between the old and new ATS must be the same. TYX Professional ATLAS Workstation (PAWSreg) software is used because it greatly facilitates the rehost process. The PAWS software provides an instrument interface called control interface intermediate language (CIIL) emulation module (CEM). A CEM is an interface between the PAWS run-time software and commercial instrument drivers. PAWS software includes a CEM wizard and a rich set of functions and tools that speed the rehost process. Code included in a CEM can emulate the old ATS, which can eliminate changes to TPSs and reduce rehost costs.