May/June, 2012
www.us-tech.com
Page 55 An Integrated Approach to Device Programming By Dave Rohona, Marketing Manager, and Roxanne Richardson, Technical Documentation Specialist, Data I/O, Redmond, WA
library file for a programmable device is selected. Pick the wrong one, and you may end up with a mis- take that can cost the company mil- lions of dollars. It has happened, and sadly not just once or twice. Errors of this kind can occur because no link exists between the software reposito- ry and the build recipe. Without a link, operators can program thou- sands of products using the wrong data, an error potentially costing millions of dollars.
H
Last Minute Changes A second major challenge occurs
when software code changes. If out- of-date code is programmed into thousands of devices, those devices are unusable. Scrapping is prohibi- tively expensive since devices can cost several dollars and batch sizes are often in the thousands. Retur - ning pre-programmed de vices to be unpackaged, erased, reprogrammed, verified, and repackaged can cost double the original programming
uman error. It’s always lurk- ing there in the shadows, ready to reach in when a
Storage in a secured area is costly and is no guarantee against theft because security systems can be circumvent- ed. Offshore production in regions where IP protection laws are very loose, further raises the risks of theft. As feature-rich products demand
more code, the ability to program as rapidly as possible becomes critical. Programming large files at test is no longer cost-effective, or needs to be complemented by an integrated inline programming solution. A good inline solution should
include a job management utility to create, encrypt, and transfer pro- gramming jobs. The job management
utility must have the ability to trace information for each device pro- grammed, including the job name, time and date, error information, and algorithm and socket adapter used. All the programming results for a specific job must be easily exported for Manufacturing Execution Soft - ware (MES), Statistical Process Control (SPC) or other analysis or archiving software. After the product is verified, the
job management utility must securely transfer jobs to programming systems on the factory floor or across the globe. When the line manager starts the line, the data file is pulled from its
network location to the programming system on the line, thus ensuring data content matches the product build recipe. In addition, the job manage- ment utility should be able to remote- ly command the programmer to start, stop, pause, and resume a job. If pro- grammer performance declines, the job management utility should alert management so steps can be taken immediately to address the issue.
Meeting Requirements When choosing a programming
solution, a number of requirements must be adequately addressed:
Continued on page 60
RoadRunner3 slides into the SMT assembly machine’s pick point, supplying just-in-time programmed chips.
price per device. Depending on how quickly the company needs the repro- grammed devices, additional fees may be assessed to expedite and transport reprogrammed parts back to the assembly floor.
Inventory Float Devices programmed offline typ-
ically sit in factory inventory await- ing placement on PCBs, adding no value and representing sunk cost. Forecast uncertainties can increase inventory float. An example helps illustrate. If current forecast calls for 500K devices for a product build, blank devices are purchased (at $2 each), and programmed (at $.30 each). If only 350K devices are need- ed, the manufacturer has 150K unus- able programmed devices. If they can be reprogrammed, the manufacturer reprograms 150K parts (at double the original programming cost, or $.60 each) for a total programming cost of $135K ($45K for original program- ming and $90K for reprogramming ). If the devices can’t be reprogrammed, 150K devices are scrapped, costing $345K ($300K for devices and $45K for original programming).
Loss of Intellectual Property Programmed devices in invento-
ry expose the manufacturer to possi- ble intellectual property (IP) theft because every programmed device contains the critical information to make a product operate. When thou- sands of programmed devices are in factory inventory, the theft of even a single device can be catastrophic.
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