DiagnoSYS will be officially introducing a couple of new products - the PinPoint UDA and The Post Mux Option - at this year's event. Plan on visiting us at Booth 345 located next to Lounge 1 on the main exhibit floor.

This year's PinPoint User's Group meeting was all about sharing. Over 50 users shared ways of returning mission critical PCBs back to service using the PinPoint system to test boards, circuits and chips, sometimes in ways never imagined during the design phase.

Accessory suppliers pitched the benefits of interfaces and fixtures, coating removal and replacement, and for the first time at the Users Group - including third party PX integration to the PinPoint. Oh yes, let's not forget the DiagnoSYS team - from both sides of the Atlantic - offering a look at features and services introduced since the last meeting, tips on using the PinPoint and a look into what we can expect for the future.

April's meeting found six users willing to share their experiences using the PinPoint with a crowd of over 50 colleagues. Chuck Kohfeldt (ATE, Inc.), Hal Horrocks (CCR, Co.) and the National Instruments team led by Michelle Yackel gave overviews into some auxiliary products that can make the PinPoint more productive. Presentations from the DiagnoSYS Team included Alleyn 'it's not my fault' Hutt, Terry Harvell, Rob Profeta and Tim Webb. Tom Popolo did his best as the 'MC' for both days and as the thoughtful host for Tuesday's Social Hour.

This year's meeting included a couple of awards - one for DiagnoSYS and one from DiagnoSYS. Dennis Robichaud presented Tim, Tom and the DiagnoSYS team with an AWACS award in appreciation for all the hard work and dedication to making the project an overwhelming success. According to his presentation, using the PinPoint has realized close to $12m in cost avoidance and climbing daily.

DiagnoSYS presented the first 'best presentation' award to Mike Sherzer of NAVAIR ISSC East at Cherry Point for his 'PinPoint Development' paper. Congratulations to Mike for setting the bar for next year's competition.

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One of the many questions from the Users Group meeting involved compliance with standards. During the National Instruments presentation, a question came up on RFI compliance. (This was certainly germane to the presentation since Michelle and her team from NI were demonstrating some RF modules.) The PinPoint adheres to CE RFI standards, yet specific details were lacking. Alleyn mentioned that he would get a copy of the specifications, for review to anyone who was interested.

We've posted the documents on the Users Group (www.pinpointusersgroup.com) for your viewing and download pleasure.

Within every TestVue device entry or device functional program each pin must be tagged by a pin number, DEFPIN P1, W, I, CSO; DEFPIN P2, D8, I, CSO. But what can you do if you are working with a grid array or edge connector where the pins are identified with alpha-numeric characters instead A1, B5, C32? While we cannot add alpha characters to a pin number, it is possible to define a pin with a pin alias in addition to the pin number in these situations. To define a pin alias just insert the required alias after the defined pin number.

The syntax for a Pin Alias is as follows: pin number~pin alias (where the pin alias is the alphanumeric identifier.

eg    DEFPIN P1~A1, W, I, CSO;
        DEFPIN P2~B1, D8, I, CSO

Upon a failure the pin alias is also listed in the Test Results Log (.trl).

Want to share some of your experiences? Send your tips to today!

Sometimes I feel like a broken record when I talk about training. After all most American's have developed the habit of tinkering with high tech gear before we sit down to read the manual. You have to wonder if that's the reason so many VCRs and DVD players still blink the ubiquitous 12:00 in homes across the country.

We do seem to have a change in heart when we deal with high tech gear in the workplace. But then again maybe 'it's not our fault' as Allen might say, since someone else may have installed the gear for us. Most of us take extreme care with the tools of the trade that help us succeed during the business day.

One of our most important tools is the PinPoint.

DiagnoSYS understands the continual need to hone ones skills needed to reduce the turn-around time for mission critical, or not, testing.

Keeping your staff current on the PinPoint II increases the effectiveness of the entire operation. If you generate test programs, test boards or are responsible for maintaining the PinPoint II, you should consider an annual training visit to Kissimmee.

Here is the schedule for the Standard Training Class' for the second half of 2007:

• July 9-13 (completed)
• August 13-17
• September 24-28 (note the change in dates)
• October 15-19
• November 5-9
• December 10-14

An advanced class will be held on September 10-13.

Once you learn how to effectively use a PinPoint, you might also want to learn how to calibrate and maintain the hardware to ensure uninterrupted operation. What PinPoint II hardware needs to be calibrated, how do I calibrate it? If I have a driver error, how do I troubleshoot it? How do I safely disassemble the system? These questions and more can be answered when you attend the PinPoint II Maintenance Training class. A session will be scheduled for 2 days and will be a hands-on class, featuring use of calibration routines, removal and replacement procedures, and system configuration control. A class is tentatively scheduled for October/November 2007. Check the 'Training' page on our web site for the dates.

Complete the form located on our web site at http://www.diagnosys-usa.com/schedule.html to request a specific class or download a Training Class Registration Form (http://www.diagnosys-usa.com/Training Class Registration Form 8-3-05.pdf)

Reaching out to touch someone by telephone has been the standard way of communicating for years. We all learned how to dial our friends from a tender young age if we wanted to play after school. The calls took on a different reality as we entered puberty and reached dating age. And how many of us remember the classic prank call to the local drugstore when we asked if they had Prince Albert in a can.

Our early telephone experiences did little to prepare us for today's automatic call delivery systems and all their frustrations. By the time we finally reach a real person (if we ever do), our frustration level is usually over the top. So what does this have to do with our Spotlight in this issue? Read on . . .

What happens when you call DiagnoSYS? A real person actually answers the phone. The first voice you hear is usually that of Donna Turner (if not it's probably Jodi Lewis). And she always has a cheery voice to greet you no matter what time of day you call.

After five years at DiagnoSYS, Donna handles most of the customer service issues that arise in the day-to-day operations in the Kissimmee office. Yet that's only part of her workload. Some of the tasks Donna handles are unseen to the general public, but are a very important part of keeping the DiagnoSYS workforce happy. While her official title is Service Coordinator, Donna spends time handling HR and payroll for the team, as well.

Most of us think of Donna as the key to the smooth operation we call DiagnoSYS due to the way we interact with her when calling the office with any number of questions. She always seems to know the right person to handle our call. But few people really know her background.

It seems as if Donna's entire life (before DiagnoSYS) was geared towards working in some type of customer contact area whether it was in a bank, an amusement park or the school system. "Life is too short - I want to experience as many different things as I can", is more than a phrase to her; it's a summary of her life experiences. It seems that her background in working with people all these years has really paid off.

One of the reasons Donna likes working at DiagnoSYS is the people (imagine that), including her co-workers, clients and the students, who come for training at the Kissimmee facility. Another factor is the friendly, casual atmosphere of the office. While the people and the atmosphere are great, she also enjoys the occasional Friday employee lunches provided by DiagnoSYS.

On the inevitable personal note, (no one escapes this part of the Spotlight), Donna is married to Pete, and has a daughter who works with a local tour operator. Both Donna and her husband are degreed mechanical engineers. Pete currently works in their local community, pretending to be in retirement. In her spare time Donna is a NASCAR fan who has attended Daytona for over 6 years, volunteering this past year to help with the pre-race show that TV viewers miss annually. A NASCAR road trip this year ended up at Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte. At home she enjoys cooking and reading authors Dean Koontz, John Saul, Patricia Cornwall and F. Paul Wilson.

I know that I speak for most of us on the outside when I say thanks to Donna for everything she does to make our lives easier.