Responding to industry demand, ASSET’s Remote Instrumentation Controller (RIC-1400) now supports connectivity with its Pod II hardware controller, enabling multi-TAP boundary scan testing on Intel® designs.
The RIC-1400 is the next generation of ASSET’s Ethernet controllers, replacing the RIC-1000 controller. It features a Gbit interface, expanded internal memory, and higher TCK frequency operation. It also has a built-in SPI interface for direct SPI programming at fast flash programming speeds. The RIC-1400 provides an extremely flexible interface for communication between the ScanWorks® platform and a unit under test (UUT).
By enhancing the RIC-1400 with the ability to connect with the Pod II, customers can perform boundary-scan tests on a UUT equipped with an Intel eXtended Debug Port (XDP) connection, without the need for an external breakout board. Intel platforms with XDP connections are in use across a wide variety of industries, such as servers, storage systems and personal computers. Once the Pod II is connected to the Intel platform, it has full control of the subset of XDP signals specified by Intel to support JTAG access through ScanWorks.
The Pod II connects to the TAP/Debug Port interface of the RIC-1400 and, in turn, provides access to the XDP debug port interface signals. The XDP connector on the UUT may provide access to as many as two JTAG chains, including typically distinct chains for the Central Processing Unit (CPU) chain and the Platform Controller Hub (PCH) chain on Intel platforms.
“Creating the ability to run boundary-scan tests through the XDP connection is critical for Intel designs,” said Michael Johnson, ScanWorks Boundary Scan Test product manager. “This new controller combination creates flexibility in our hardware offerings that will save our customers time and money.”
Host connectivity to this new hardware controller combination remains the same as using a single RIC-1400 controller. Through an Ethernet connection, the RIC-1400 with Pod II controller can be setup with an IP address to make it available on a corporate Intranet, Internet, or via a direct (peer-to-peer) network. The RIC-1400 also has a USB interface so that it can be connected to a ScanWorks station as a USB controller.
Pricing and Availability
The RIC-1400 with Pod II hardware controller is available for use with ScanWorks beginning with the ScanWorks 4.10.0 version This version is available now from ASSET InterTech and its distributors. For pricing on a specific configuration of ScanWorks, consult an ASSET sales representative listed at https://www.asset-intertech.com/company/contact. For additional product information, call 888-694-6250 or e-mail ai-info@asset-intertech.com.
