Test & measurement N
In testing high-end electronics during the production process, conventional test pins are reaching the end of the road: electronic designers require more in specifications, while manufacturers serving the automotive industry, among others, seek greater productivity...
on-contacting radar level transmitters are widely implemented throughout the manufacturing and process industries, especially in measurement applications
where high accuracy, reliability and minimal maintenance are important requirements. These versatile devices are suitable for measuring the level of liquids, sludges, slurries and solids. However, one of the most challenging applications for this technology has traditionally been measuring level in tanks with internal obstructions (figures 1 and 2), such as agitators, heating coils, pipes, ladders or baffles, for example. Among the disruptive forces that are reshaping the automotive industry, electrification is entrenched and unrelenting. Market demands as well as safety and environmental legislation are calling for all cars – from entry-level to premium models - to become smarter, more assistive, more connected, and sustainability conscious. To deliver these values, car makers are adding more sensors, computing power, and communication capabilities and electrifying more subsystems, from water pumps and power steering to the entire drivetrain.
It is a trend that presents opportunities for electronic component manufacturers and assembly builders in the automotive supply chain. Among the challenges, the industry’s high-quality expectations and unit-volume demands call for test capabilities that are fast and extremely accurate, able to correctly identify good units and any that have
defects. This needs to be accomplished with minimal errors or time-consuming rechecking to rectify false-NG results.
IMPROVING TEST OF ADVANCED ELECTRONICS
Contact test solutions for advanced equipment, using probes, could prevent suppliers from meeting their objectives, as test contact points are becoming smaller, more closely spaced, and more difficult to reach with conventional sprung test probes (figure 1). Furthermore, connecting with the DUT (device under test) at a single point creates an unreliable solution. All types of electronic devices are affected, from semiconductor wafers to ECU modules, as component geometries are being reduced and PCB assemblies are more densely populated. Also, intricately designed vibration- proof connectors used within the automotive industry present difficulties for probes to achieve contact when placed on the test fixture (figure 2). Problems with sprung test probes, or pogo pins, are already common. The pins often fail to make proper contact with the test point. Based on actual research, only 80 per cent of occasions when tests are performed using standard pogo pins result in the DUT being correctly classified. Such errors result in
high false-NG rates that require investigation and re-testing. In addition, the typical lifetime of a pogo pin can be about 100,000 cycles. At automotive mass-production volumes, this can demand frequent stoppages for replacement. Inaccurate results and frequent stoppages both impair productivity and cause delivery delays.
Also, the contact resistance due to conventional pogo pin structure can be inconsistent and is not usually less than 70mΩ, which can prevent testing assemblies where contact resistance needs to be low. A generally accepted practicable minimum diameter for conventional sprung pins is about 0.35mm. Reducing the size can prevent reliable contact with test points as the probes can become fragile leading to more frequent malfunctions and breakages. And yet, smaller test pins are required to meet future demands. An alternative is needed to ensure efficient, fast, and accurate contact testing.
PIN LIMITATIONS Figure 1. Pogo pins allow only limited tolerance to ensure pins connect with contact points. 32
Conventional pogo pins are carefully designed to possess compliance that allows tolerance for a small amount of positioning error, as well as spring force to press against the DUT test point and ensure a robust electrical connection with low
January 2026 Instrumentation Monthly
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