Technical presentations at the meeting included:

• The results of a PinPoint II evaluation for testing ECL components
• Functional Edge Card Testing
• Tips for extending the reach of the PinPoint II
• An evaluation of TPS Re-hosting from unsupportable out-of-date testers to the PinPoint.

Attendees represented 22 PinPoint II user sites from the commercial aviation, military and NGO fields.

Applications Engineer Barry Johnson opened the meeting with introductions of key DiagnoSYS personnel from the UK and US offices, followed by Tim Webb, DiagnoSYS Systems President, who reviewed the current PinPoint program plans. The morning was rounded out with technical presentations from Alleyn Hunt, DiagnoSYS Engineering Manager and an end-user, Pete Kotera, of ESI who discussed ECL Testing.

The afternoon session featured a presentation and discussion on translating programs from the lsegacy Schlumberger 6XX series testers to the PinPoint II. This was followed by papers on ECT and InCct testing.

After recovering from an action packed first day and the evening social, Patrick Richard from JTAG Technologies presented an introduction to boundary scan. Bill Barber, Senior Applications Engineer from the Test Services Group in Kissimmee followed with Hints & Tips on using the PinPoint II, and a session on TPS Re-hosting finished the formal presentations.

The entire DiagnoSYS team took questions as the meeting concluded. We’re all looking forward to next years users group meeting and hope that you plan on attending!

Contact us for information about the PinPoint Users Group

Now, small to medium board producers can meet all of those needs with the ScanPoint DT, the latest member of the DiagnoSYS AOI product line. The new desktop system provides the same high quality and operation as the inline ScanPoint 50, and you can even use it in the metrology group to check the more expensive AOI gear at high-volume board shops.

Contact us or our local rep for information about this exciting new addition to the ScanPoint AOI Series.

Manufacturing and process engineers use CircuitCAM to convert CAD design information into visual assembly documentation, total process routing, and optimized machine outputs. CircuitCAM programs virtually all SMT placement machines, manual insertion, printing, dispensing, reflow, and inspection and test machines. CheckPoint provides bill-of-materials import and cleaning, AVL/AML control, multiple part database management, and revision control capabilities.

Adding CircuitCAM and Checkpoint capability to the ScanPoint AOI, DiagnoSYS offers another tool to help you reduce programming errors and increase program development speed.

Together, DiagnoSYS and AEGIS provide paperless documentation, product and materials tracking, monitoring, quality collection, repair automation, and traceability solutions direct from the ScanPoint system.

Interested in adding AEGIS capabilities to your AOI? Contact us for more details.

FITL GR909 IDLC UDLC GR57 GR303 TR08 V5

Reports give three levels of details for each requirement – (1) overall compliance, (2) summary results for each channel and (3) detailed measurements. All reports conform to industry standard formats that are easy to review and ideal for regression testing. And, they’re RBOC approved!

The GR909 FITL service offers a 'Hands Off' service with your FITL system tested in our dedicated lab and a 'Hands On' test with the expertise of the DiagnoSYS team. The latter is complete with an instant consultation by our test engineers or a program of 'regression testing' – with the test suite schedule to run in conjunction with new software loads or on a fixed schedule over the course of a year. Regression testing can be a benchmark to measure your compliance efforts and service improvements.

Contact our test services group for more details on our test services or to schedule your compliance test.

Standard training classes for the PinPoint II Functional In-Circuit Test System are offered monthly throughout the year. Classes are held at our main office in Kissimmee, FL. Here's the schedule for the next few months:

• October 18-22
• November 15-19
• December 6-10

Class size is limited. Contact us today to request a spot in the class.

One of the key ingredients to a successful test strategy is ensuring operators are properly trained. Keeping current on tester operations is an investment in your staff. When turnover occurs, new operators require the same dedication to education as when the tester was first introduced to your facility. DiagnoSYS helps you maintain that commitment with regularly scheduled training.

The XJTAG Development System can test JTAG as well as non-JTAG devices, including ball grid array (BGA) and chip scale devices, SDRAMs, Ethernet controllers, video interfaces, flash memories, FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), microprocessors and many other devices. XJTAG also enables In-System Programming of FPGAs, CPLDs (Complex Programmable Logic Devices) and flash memories.

DiagnoSYS has also signed a distribution agreement to resell the complete XJTAG Development System worldwide, providing a fully integrated environment from early design to field support and repair. The combined system will enable circuit designers to shorten the development cycle and prototyping process by facilitating early test development, early design validation of CAD net lists, fast generation of highly functional tests and test re-use across circuits using the same devices. XJTAG test scripts are also reusable and portable across different boards due to the novel device-centric approach adopted by designers.

Click here to read the full news release

This issue's spotlight is on PAC South, Inc. of Texas, a manufacturers' representative group headquartered in Dallas, with offices in Austin and El Paso. PAC South represents DiagnoSYS Systems products in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mexico. The relationship between DiagnoSYS and PAC South started in June of 2003.

Surviving in the manufacturers' rep business since 1973 is an accomplishment on its own. With all of the turmoil and shakeout in the electronics industry in the late 1990’s, it's easy to see why PAC South not only survived the downturn, but is a thriving company today.

While the PAC South was originally started by Chuck Culbertson and Curtis Sexton, the current owners and principles in the firm are veterans with the electronics manufacturing industry. Jack Harris and Randy Nelson both have extensive backgrounds in the distribution side of our industry.

I recently caught up with Jack at a rare moment in the office and Randy during windshield time to find out a little bit about the company and the men behind the current day success. (FYI-Windshield time is normally when a rep takes care of returning calls, asking principles for quotes or talking to editors like me.)

Jack and Randy have a similar background, although in different places. Jack started in the electronics industry in 1979 as a buyer with a large distributor. Randy was part of the IDEAL Industries distributor sales group. As part of his job as a buyer, Jack worked with Randy as his contact in distributor sales inside his supplier. And that stated the whole relationship.

Over the next few years, Jack started to specialize in handling electronic manufacturing tools, into more technical sales and finally into management, His duties included working with this guy named Chuck at a rep group named PAC South. One thing lead to another and Chuck was offering Jack a position as a rep. Not everyone is suited to be a rep, but Jack thought that this was his calling. After all it’s much more challenging that distribution sales and offered more opportunity for the future.

Randy was originally brought into PAC South due to his relationship with Jack. He moved to PAC South in February 1991 bringing with him many years of experience in distributor sales from the other side of the fence.

The most challenging part of being in the rep business really is keeping up with changes in the equipment, then finding the time to pass that information along to their customers. But the rewards outweigh the challenges. As Jack put it, the reward is "Helping people. Nothing better than the feeling I get when I help someone solve a serious problem. Helping people and bring a solution to them."

Randy summed it up a little differently, but with the same sentiment. "We see ourselves as helping customers be more productive and profitable. The highlight for me is when we bring a customer together with the right solution from one of our principles."

Jack and Randy took an ownership stake in PAC South in July 1998 and continue to mange the operation today.

You can be certain that the helping and caring attitude will continue into the future. Jack and Randy are accustomed to long term relationships. Randy just celebrated his 22nd wedding anniversary in July and has a 19 year old son and 17 year old daughter. Jack and his wife celebrate 25 years in November, with 2 grown sons (20 and 22).

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