A dual device load board with dual switched printed baluns

This paper describes the steps taken to convert a low-volume test solution into an efficient, low-cost, high-volume Automated Test Equipment (ATE) solution. At the beginning of the project, two different devices, sharing the same footprint, designed for broadband wireless access using the IEEE 802.16 d/e protocols at different bands, were production tested using a hand-loaded low-volume test solution. To increase production throughput and reduce cost, a high-volume ATE solution was proposed and implemented for both devices. In order to utilize the same load board and improve performance for each device, dual printed circuit board (PCB) baluns were designed, simulated, built, and characterized. The baluns were switched under software control depending on the type of device tested. Because the ATE load board was much more complex than the manual test board, we devised a simple method for de-embedding path loss when only one port was accessible. The solution greatly simplified production testing and increased test coverage and throughput.