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Summary of Contents for Polar Instruments GRS500
- Page 1 Polar Instruments Ltd. GRS500 User Guide Polar Instruments Ltd. Garenne Park Rue de la Cache St. Sampson’s Guernsey Channel Islands GY2 4AF Fax: +44 (0)1481 252476 http://www.polarinstruments.com e-mail: mail@polarinstruments.com MAN186–0103...
- Page 3 Please register using the form below. Polar Instruments Ltd. Garenne Park St. Sampson Guernsey Channel Islands GY2 4AF United Kingdom Fax: +44 (0)1481 252476 Email: mail@polarinstruments.com GRS500 software version Name Company Job Title Address Post/ZIP Code Country Telephone E-mail...
- Page 5 Copyright 2003 (c) by Polar Instruments Ltd. All rights reserved. This software and accompanying documentation is the property of Polar Instruments Ltd and is licensed to the end user by Polar Instruments Ltd or its authorized agents. The use, copying, and distribution of this software is restricted by the terms of the license agreement.
- Page 7 EC Council Directive 73/23/EEC on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits. A declaration of conformity with the requirements of these Directives has been signed by: POLAR INSTRUMENTS (UK) LTD 11 College Place London Road...
- Page 8 CAUTION — HANDLING CAUTION: Four person handling required Exercise caution when carrying or moving the GRS500. The GRS500 is extremely heavy (85 kg) — the GRS500 should not be moved or carried by fewer than four persons. WARNING The LIVE and NEUTRAL lines on this unit are BOTH fused.
- Page 9 See the rear panel for line voltage settings. To change the line voltage settings refer the instrument to a skilled electronics technician. Instructions for changing the line voltage settings are contained in the Service Manual published by Polar Instruments. Safety ? iii GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 10 Has been subjected to excessive transport stresses Has been exposed to rain or water or been subject to liquid spills CAUTION Electrical Isolation Always disconnect the board under test from the local mains supply (including ground) before using this instrument. iv ? Safety GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 11 6oz/170g (maximum) Z-axis travel (Main) 100mm Z-axis travel (Rapid) 10mm Max. flying height 100mm Max. board size 330 x 630mm Max. board weight Max. probing area 330 x 450mm Visual programming area 300 x 450mm Specifications ? v GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 12 CAUTION To prevent damage to this product and to ensure its safe use observe the specifications given in this manual when connecting to terminals marked with this symbol. COM This terminal is internally connected to earth (ground). vi ? Specifications GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 13 GRS500 Demo board MSA238 Software Protection Key ACC318 (Pro) or ACC320 (Standard) Joystick ACC193 GRS500 Controller ACC319 (Includes keyboard, mouse, TV-in, PC-card for GRS500 (MSA232)) Flat Screen display ACC322 GRS500 Operator Manual MAN186 GRS500 Software FSW178 Test program for demo board...
- Page 14 GENERATING TEST FILES Creating Test Files from CAD data and manually progamming components LOCATING BOARD FAULTS Using the GRS500 fault location modes to locate WITH THE GRS500 board faults. REFERENCE Keyboard and display color reference tables.
- Page 15 INTRODUCTION TO THE GRS500 The GRS500 Fixtureless Tester..............15 Nodal Impedance..................... 16 CAD Netlist files....................16 GRS500 features..................... 16 GRS500 integrated programming and test environment ......17 Areas of application ..................17 PC Control....................17 GRS500 General description GRS500 Controls and connectors..............18 Front Panel....................
- Page 16 TABLE EXT. CONNECTIONS socket............20 Channel A probe output ................20 Channel B probe output................20 COM (common return) connector............. 20 Using the GRS500 probes ............... 20 Connecting the test cables..............20 Installing the GRS500 Unpacking ....................... 22 Re-installing the software ................22 Re-installing the software.................
- Page 17 Auto....................46 Cycle ....................46 CREATING THE TEST LIST Mounting the board ..................47 Homing the GRS500 ................47 Calibrating the Probe ................48 Creating the Test List (programming test points) ..........49 Creating the test list ................. 49 Creating test points from CAD data ..............49 Loading the CAD Netlist file ..............
- Page 18 Undoing test point movement............72 Removing Component Test Points ........... 72 Saving the board information to a database..........72 Moving round the GRS500 display..............73 Changing the view magnification (zooming)........74 Panning the display................74 Rotating the display ................74 Mirroring the display................
- Page 19 REFERENCE GRS500 Display Window Colors..............99 Loaded data colors................... 99 Highlighted item colors ................99 Keystroke and Mouse Functions ..............100 Pan and Zoom (Display/Info)..............100 Query items (Display/Info) ..............100 Enhance data ..................100 Test points ..................... 100 Keep Out Areas..................101...
- Page 21 The GRS500 intelligently creates a list of test points from the board CAD data (netlists). At the user’s option the system will test every node on the board, every component with two or more pins or one test per net for increased test speed.
- Page 22 The GRS500 Fault Locator is designed to run under the control of an IBM PC or compatible controller within the Windows 95/98 or Windows NT/2000 operating system. Nodal Impedance Using the Nodal Impedance technique the GRS500 tests nets and devices by applying a current-limited sinusoidal drive voltage across each net and monitoring the resultant current flow to display the nets’...
- Page 23 Board View and signature Views reflect the selected pin; if Track Cursor Position has been selected from the Prober Options the GRS500 moves the probe to the selected pin. The probe position is shown in the Camera window. The operator can perform a wide variety of operations on the loaded data, including panning, zooming, querying, measuring, moving and rotating and mirroring around the X or Y axes.
- Page 24 GRS500 General description GRS500 Controls and connectors The GRS500 Fixtureless Tester incorporates the following controls and connectors: Front Panel The Front Panel incorporates the following switches:...
- Page 25 EXTERNAL connector — this general purpose 25 pin D- connector is connected to the TABLE CONNECTOR socket on the rear panel. Rear Panel The rear panel of the GRS500 incorporates the following connectors and switches: IEC power connector Power ON/OFF switch...
- Page 26 COM sockets of the GRS500 and the measurement system. Switchable COM sockets The four COM sockets 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the GRS500 table are switched to the COM socket under program control. This allows the operator rapidly to test boards with, for example, multiple ground planes or to connect power supply lines to ground during testing to improve signature stability.
- Page 27 The COM test clip(s) will normally be connected between the ground(s) of the board under test and the COM sockets on the GRS500 table. GRS500 General description ? 21 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 28 The system is shipped in sturdy transit packs. Open the packs carefully and remove the instruments and accessories. Remove the four transit bolts which attach the GRS500 Prober to its transit pallet. Retain the packs for possible future use. If the instruments are damaged in any way contact the local distributor or supplier.
- Page 29 Click the install button to complete the installation. Hint: The program may be started each time Windows is started — navigate to the GRS500 destination folder and create a short cut to the GRS500 in the Windows Startup group. The GRS500 For convenience create a short cut on the desktop.
- Page 30 The GRS500 program icon Configuring the GRS500 If the program is being run for the first time the GRS500 will display the Configure dialog. The Fault Entry tab is highlighted. Specifying Fault Entry Users can choose between selecting nets by name, by number or by component and pin.
- Page 31 Setting test parameter defaults When test points are allocated the GRS500 assigns test parameter settings to each component (or component pin). The user is able to specify the default values and settings via the Testing tab. Choose the voltage range and frequency settings and which common will be connected to the measurement system common at test time.
- Page 32 Click on the Prober/Bxd tab to specify which serial communications port will be used by the host controller to transfer commands and data between the controller and the GRS500 measurement system. Specifying port address, table size and resolution These values are set at the factory; it should not be necessary to alter these values.
- Page 33 GRS500 window. Double click the GRS500 title bar to toggle between full screen and windowed displays. As a windowed display the GRS500 window may be then increased or decreased in size by dragging the window borders with the mouse. GETTING STARTED WITH THE GRS500 ? 27...
- Page 34 ?? The Board View Window where the board layout is displayed and the GRS500 test points may be viewed and edited. The Board View Window can also be used to highlight nets during fault finding. The Board View includes the Layer dropdown box, allowing the operator to select for viewing a single layer of a multi-layer board.
- Page 35 Title Bar or press Alt+Spacebar then X). Using the GRS500 windows The GRS500 opens displaying all windows tiled on screen, the Test List View, the Camera, the Signature View and The Board View. Use the windows tools to set the focus to the window of interest or to return the screen to a standard window layout.
- Page 36 Cascaded Window layout The GRS500 menu system All GRS500 commands are available from pull-down menus; commands can be accessed via the mouse or shortcut keys. GRS500 main menu bar The most frequently used commands are incorporated in the tool bar for each window.
- Page 37 The File menu provides the commands for saving and recalling a complete set of data for a board. The database facility allows the netlist and GRS500 files to be saved for subsequent review. Use the File menu commands to: Create a new set of board data Open and save a database —...
- Page 38 Aperture List details can be modified as necessary. The resulting information — Gerber plot data, pad shapes and created components — can be stored as a GRS500 database for future use. 32 ? GETTING STARTED WITH THE GRS500 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 39 The Display/Info menu The Display/Info menu provides control over the presentation of board and net data and information The menu provides the commands to: GETTING STARTED WITH THE GRS500 ? 33 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 40 Data derived from CAD files may require some pre-processing prior to use in defining test points. For example, the entire board image must be located within the boundaries of the GRS500 table area. Use the Rotate, Mirror or Move Data commands to rotate, mirror and move the CAD Netlist layer as necessary.
- Page 41 “Keep Out” will not be included in the list of points to be probed. The user can nominate individual pins or whole devices for exclusion. Excluded areas are shown on screen in a darker shade of their original colour. GETTING STARTED WITH THE GRS500 ? 35 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 42 Switch to the Test List view to edit the test list and test the board Switch to Board View to view track and pad data Switch to Signature View to view the reference and test signatures for the selected device. 36 ? GETTING STARTED WITH THE GRS500 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 43 COM socket. Connect the COM test clip to the ground of the board under test and a COM socket on the GRS500 table. For boards with split ground planes ensure the COM is connected to the ground associated with the nets under test.
- Page 44 Component signatures are displayed in the Live Instrument window of the GRS500 screen. In Live Instrument the GRS500 may be driven to any location within the table area via the joystick. Ensure the GRS500 has been calibrated (see the Prober Calibration command from the Prober menu) and the board aligned (Align Board from the Prober menu).
- Page 45 To specify test conditions manually, click the voltage and frequency buttons as appropriate (see Selecting the Voltage range). Selecting the Voltage range The GRS500 provides a range of current limited drive voltages. Only one drive voltage can be selected at a time. Setting...
- Page 46 In an inductor more current flows at lower frequencies. If the resistive component of a circuit is significant compared with the impedance of the reactive component, the elliptical signature will be tilted. 40 ? GETTING STARTED WITH THE GRS500 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 47 Note: some "looping" of the displayed signature (due to stray capacitance) may occur even when the probes are not connected to the circuit under test, especially if High frequency is selected. GETTING STARTED WITH THE GRS500 ? 41 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 48 Semiconductor signatures Diode signatures The Nodal Impedance technique use in the GRS500 is especially useful for locating defective active devices that may be inserted correctly, and therefore measure correctly when tested for simple forward and reverse resistance, but exhibit, for example, a “soft knee”...
- Page 49 During normal testing the GRS500 allows the measurement system COM line to be connected under program control to one or more of four COM lines on the GRS500 table. In Live Instrument it will be necessary to move the COM manually to a ground plane associated with the net under test.
- Page 50 On occasions the signature on a net may even alternate between good and bad on repeated tests. Observing the signatures using Live Instrument can show up "jitter" on the screen as signatures jump between two or more shapes. 44 ? GETTING STARTED WITH THE GRS500 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 51 A and B. Unstable digital IC signature Instability or oscillation in signatures are often the result of capacitive circuits and can be reduced by using the GRS500’s facility to insert a delay prior to each test using the Pre Charge function.
- Page 52 To stop Auto select a drive range, or select Cycle. Cycle Select Cycle to continuously cycle through each voltage range, displaying the signatures. To stop cycling, select a drive range, or select Auto. 46 ? GETTING STARTED WITH THE GRS500 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 53 Mounting the board The GRS500 is able to accommodate a wide range of PCB sizes and layouts. When mounting a PCB for testing the user will need to consider the size and shape of the board.
- Page 54 The Calibrate Probe dialog box Use the joystick to centre the camera on the Calibration Block and click the Save button — the GRS500 will record the crosshair position and produce a probe pin indentation close to the same point on the Calibration Block.
- Page 55 Click on the File|Read CAD Netlist menu item and choose the netlist format from the dropdown list, e.g. Select the file from the dialog box and press Open. The GRS500 displays the pad and trace data for the board. If necessary, use the Enhance Data|Rotate Data command to rotate to a suitable orientation.
- Page 56 M again to draw a box round the removal area (as shown below). (Pressing the Esc key cancels the operation.) Use the confirmation dialog box to select data for deletion on the layer on display or on all layers. 50 ? CREATING THE TEST LIST GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 57 Edit pad shape details if necessary — double click on the aperture type in the list and modify the details in the associated text and list boxes. Click the Save Aperture button to store the changes. CREATING THE TEST LIST ? 51 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 58 Load Component Pins command to add a pin to a component. Locate the crosshair over the first component pin and press L, repeat the procedure for each pin. 52 ? CREATING THE TEST LIST GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 59 Locate the crosshair on the first pad in the next series and repeat the process for each series of pins. All the marked pins will be regarded as a single component. Repeat the process for each component. CREATING THE TEST LIST ? 53 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 60 Default Windows Layout or Large windows Layout button to return the display to a standard view. Creating a new board From the File menu choose New Board: the GRS500 clears all data and displays the table area (a green rectangle approximately at screen center).
- Page 61 Keep Out points: see Excluding areas of the board from testing. As the GRS500 uses the two alignment points to determine board height, position and orientation at test time, both alignment points should be chosen from points exactly level with the board surface (i.e.
- Page 62 Note: the Component and Pin Information sections must be filled in correctly prior to specifying its location. If the details are incorrect click the Edit button to make corrections then click Apply to continue. 56 ? CREATING THE TEST LIST GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 63 Use the camera and joystick to locate the data point and click Save. The GRS500 creates the component and assigns it a test point (denoted by the orange dot). With the component defined, click CREATE. Repeat for all single point components.
- Page 64 SOIC device with first pin on second side highlighted Click CREATE; the device is located in position on screen in the table area with a test point allocated to each pin. 58 ? CREATING THE TEST LIST GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 65 Save. DIL device with first pin on second side highlighted Click CREATE. The device is located in position on screen in the table area with test points assigned to each pin. CREATING THE TEST LIST ? 59 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 66 Start to record the position of the first pin. Move the crosshair to the fourth pin and click Set Pitch. The GRS500 calculates and displays the device pin pitch. If desired click the Snap to nearest standard pitch check box.
- Page 67 Move the crosshair to the last pin and click Verify. The GRS500 calculates and displays the number of pins and steps back over each pin to confirm the position of each pad. Creating quad flat-pack devices Note: because many large quad flat-pack devices are densely packed and have a high pin count it can prove difficult to determine visually the number of pins on such devices.
- Page 68 Copy Component button. Check the component details and graphic match the device to be copied 62 ? CREATING THE TEST LIST GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 69 Set 1st Alignment Point or Set 2nd Alignment Point button. Alignment point assigned to corner of board trace CREATING THE TEST LIST ? 63 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 70 To apply Keep Out settings globally choose Make all pads Keep Out or Make all pads Not Keep Out as required and press Execute to apply the settings — the dialog box remains displayed. 64 ? CREATING THE TEST LIST GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 71 Add Keep Out Component Component button or press C. The component will be displayed in dark green and excluded from the test list. CREATING THE TEST LIST ? 65 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 72 Remove Keep Out Out Component button or press R. Component Note: if components are designated Keep Out after the test list has been compiled it will be necessary to reallocate test points. 66 ? CREATING THE TEST LIST GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 73 CAD information) it will probably be most appropriate to test every point on the board. For data derived from CAD files the GRS500 can intelligently allocate test points: to test all multi-pin devices, i.e. devices with more than 2 pins...
- Page 74 Use the check boxes and option buttons to select the Nodal Impedance voltage ranges and test frequencies to be applied during testing. Set the Nodal Impedance Tolerance and Pre-Charge via their respective text boxes. 68 ? CREATING THE TEST LIST GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 75 Eliminating test points The check boxes in the Test Point Elimination group allow the GRS500 software to exclude unwanted test points during test point allocation. If All Points or All devices with > 2 pins have been specified via...
- Page 76 When all options have been specified, click Allocate to generate the test point list. The GRS500 software generates the test point file and displays a report summarising test point allocation. ******************************************************* GRS500 Test Point Allocation Report ******************************************************* Unable to Allocate Net Test Point to Selected Surface : N08083...
- Page 77 The test point will be shifted outwards by approximately 10% of the pad length. To jog test points inwards click the Jog Test Point Inwards button or press the I key. CREATING THE TEST LIST ? 71 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 78 Set Safe Fly Height for under test. The GRS500 uses the setting to clear tall components Prober button during testing.From the Prober menu choose the Set Safe Fly Height command (or press the Set Safe Fly Height for Prober button).
- Page 79 Use the joystick and camera to locate the tallest component and click Save. The GRS500 will probe the component and record its height; retracting the GRS500 probe sufficiently to clear this height between tests rather than retracting to the full vertical home position can provide useful speed improvements during testing.
- Page 80 Moving the display Select the point to move with the crosshair click the Enhance Data menu and choose Move then follow the prompts on the Status Bar. 74 ? CREATING THE TEST LIST GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 81 The Display Options command allows the operator to select items (Pad data, Trace data, Test Point data.) for display. Use this command to reduce the level of displayed information on screen and increase the visibility of highlighted nets. CREATING THE TEST LIST ? 75 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 82 (Solid) Track data — turn track data on or off Test Point Data The GRS500 displays all data by default; uncheck an item to remove it from the display Net Information Select the Net Information command from the Display/Info menu to display summary information on the currently displayed CAD Netlist.
- Page 83 Displaying Highlighted Nets. Activate the Fault Entry area on the Toolbar. The GRS500 will use the Fault Entry method selected via the Configure menu. Press OK in the Fault Entry area to confirm the selected nets or to dismiss the Fault Entry area.
- Page 84 From the Fault Entry tab select Net Name. Press F on the keyboard — the Fault Entry area on the Toolbar is activated: Enter the name for the net(s) and click OK. The GRS500 will highlight the selected net(s). 78 ? CREATING THE TEST LIST...
- Page 85 From the Fault Entry tab select Net Number. Press F on the keyboard — the Fault Entry area on the Toolbar is activated: Enter the number of the net(s) and click OK. The GRS500 will highlight the selected net(s). Fault Entry: Component and Pin From the Fault Entry tab select Component and Pin.
- Page 86 Query Pad dialog 80 ? CREATING THE TEST LIST GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 87 Component View pane to query the pin. If Track Cursor Position is turned on (Prober|Prober Options), as each pin is queried the camera is located over the pin in the Camera View. CREATING THE TEST LIST ? 81 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 88 Test parameters can be varied on a pin by pin basis from those set during test point allocation to accommodate charging effects or to specify more effective voltage and frequency ranges. 82 ? TESTING BOARDS GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 89 Component Pins list Save alternate signatures Delete alternate signatures Test selected device(s) Test all devices Stop test Inspection view The Test List pane The Test List pane lists all the components defined for the board. TESTING BOARDS ? 83 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 90 If signatures have been acquired for the component they are shown in the Signature View window. The Component pane The Component pane displays the component highlighted in the test list. 84 ? TESTING BOARDS GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 91 Nets are shown in grey, the pads are displayed in green and the test points are shown in orange. After testing the component, test points that failed the nodal impedance test are shown in black. TESTING BOARDS ? 85 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 92 The GRS500 normally retracts the probe a short distance as it moves from pin to pin on a device. Click the Force Safe Fly Height check box to force the GRS500 probe to retract to the safe fly height between test points on the same device.
- Page 93 To view details of a device click the Component Pins List button. The Component Pins List displays net and test information for the Component Pins List button selected device. TESTING BOARDS ? 87 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 94 (requiring that the reference signatures be re-acquired). If the test parameters are modified for a single component pin the settings for the whole component are shown in grey. 88 ? TESTING BOARDS GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 95 To acquire signatures for every test point on the board under test click the Test All button. The GRS500 will probe every test point on the board, sensing the height of each component. With reference signatures acquired for the board, use the Save Database command to store the signatures along with the net data.
- Page 96 During reference signature acquisition, the GRS500 will check for open circuit signatures for each device. Open circuit signatures may indicate a badly positioned test point, flux on a board or a missing ground connection, etc. The GRS500 displays a warning dialog.
- Page 97 Click Yes to save the signature as reference or No to discard the signature. If the open circuit is unexpected, check the Prober Calibration, check for COM lines connected to the correct ground planes, correctly registered alignment points and surface contamination, etc. TESTING BOARDS ? 91 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 98 If a jog or offset has been applied to a test point the jog or offset distance is shown in the Camera View window. This allows the operator to verify the actual probe position visually. 92 ? TESTING BOARDS GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 99 Test List and click the Test Selected Test Selected button button to test the component. The GRS500 tests the device and displays its test result (PASS or FAIL) as a green tick or a red cross. Test results for each device are shown in the Component windowpane;...
- Page 100 (the Live Nodal Impedance view). Note: the probe remains in the down position until the Live Nodal Impedance window is closed. Click Close to dismiss the Nodal Impedance View and return to the Signature View window. 94 ? TESTING BOARDS GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 101 Nodal Impedance button reference signature for comparison. Using alternate signatures The GRS500 allows the operator to store up to five reference signatures for each test point on a board. For example, sets of signatures for devices from different vendors can be stored as reference. This can eliminate spurious device failures caused by slight variations in signatures in good devices from different manufacturers.
- Page 102 Click Close to return to the Signature View window. Using board snapshots The GRS500 allows the operator to save the board database along with the test results for the board as a snapshot. The board snapshot may then be used for offline repair.
- Page 103 Video Sectioned board To create a new video section of the board, ensure the board is aligned; click the Learn Frames button; the GRS500 steps across the board taking video snapshots of every frame in the board Learn Frames button section.
- Page 104 To compare the board under test with the reference board mount the board on the GRS500 table and align the board. Click the frame of interest; the GRS500 displays the Current (live) view of the board along side the reference (Learnt) view.
- Page 105 REFERENCE GRS500 Display Window Colors Loaded data colors The table below defines the colors for each layer. Layer Color Pad Data for upper layer Green Pad Data for lower layer Magenta Pad and Trace data for all layers Grey Test points (assigned during Test Point...
- Page 106 Add Series of Pins Test points Add test point Delete test point Jog test point outwards Jog test point wards Offset test point Undo and return test points to original positions Name Alignment Point 100 ? REFERENCE GRS500 USER MANUAL...
- Page 107 Remove Components Test Points Keep Out Areas Add Keep Out Point Delete Keep Out Point Add Keep Out Component Remove Keep Out Component REFERENCE ? 101 GRS500 USER MANUAL...
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