Come See Us at DAC 2015!

The Design Automation Conference is coming up soon! Held June 8th-10th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the DAC is the oldest and largest conference in electronics manufacturing.

The Acuity Electronics team will be on hand at the Siemens PLM Software booth, Booth 915, to discuss our solutions for test engineering, PCB assembly, manufacturing management and Gerber reverse engineering.

Please stop by and visit us to learn more about our integrated solutions for electronics manufacturing. We look forward to seeing you there!

View Exhibit Map

Tech Tip: Convert Cadence .BRD File from Binary to ASCII for UniCam & Test Expert

Are you having trouble importing a Cadence .BRD file into UniCam FX or Test Expert? If so, this post is for you.

First, a quick explanation on file types:

ASCII vs. Binary

There are 2 types of file formats: ASCII and Binary. (Read more about the differences here.) UniCam and Test Expert accept the ASCII format, and Cadence .BRD files are Binary files. In short, the two are incompatible. However, we have a solution to convert from binary to ASCII.

Change Binary to ASCII with Siemens Extract Script

Lucky for us, Siemens knows that this is a real headache for our customers, and they have made an Extract Script utility freely available. This utility must be run on a Cadence Workstation against the BRD file in order to create the necessary ASCII file format.

Find the Installer & Send Folder to Your Customer

The installers are located in default locations:

For UniCam: “C:\Users\Public\Documents\UniCam\CFG\fab_ini\Cadence\EXTRACT”

For Test Expert: “C:\Users\Public\Documents\Siemens\UniCam\TestExpert\FAB\INPUT\Cadence\EXTRACT”

Send your customer a Zip file containing the Extract Folder and have them follow the following steps.

Action Steps for Your Customer

  1. Install utility on the Cadence workstation using the “Cdc2Fab Setup.msi” file found in the EXTRACT folder.
    1. For UNIX based Cadence workstations, extract the appropriate zip file for your UNIX version and follow the instructions in the provided “readme” file.
  2. Launch the utility and from the File menu, select Configure.

BRD binary to ASCII 1

3. Set the paths for the 3 fields (see below)

  1. Extraction Tool: points to where the “Extracta.exe” is located on the Cadence workstation
  2. Script Files: should already be set correctly by the installer
  3. Output: points to where you want it to create the ASCII output file. Usually a temporary location like “C:\Temp” where you can grab it and move it from there easily to a permanent location.

BRD binary to ASCII 2

4. From File menu, select Export Board and select the .BRD file you want to export.

We hope you found this helpful. If you need further assistance or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We look forward to serving you.

Thanks for reading,

-Jim

Increase Yields from ICT Results with Test Expert Repair Station

Your test equipment can do more than just detect a defect. Capture data, accelerate repairs, identify trends and increase yields with Test Expert Repair Station from Siemens PLM Software.

I’m curious. How much did your tester cost you? $500K (or somewhere in that ballpark)? And what does it do for you? Just find defects? If so, I imagine it’s hard to quantify its return on investment, other than “testing is critical to our business.”

Your Test Equipment Can Do So Much More

Your test equipment can do so much more than detect defects. Get real-time results to your technicians while providing complete management visibility through live, web-based reporting to:

  • Troubleshoot errors
  • Trigger trend alarms
  • Initiate root cause analysis

Test Expert Repair Station Does All That and More

Test-Expert-Repair-StationWith the ability to connect to virtually any ICT, Flying Prober or AOI / X-Ray Tester, Test Expert Repair Station bridges the gap between what your tester detects and how the information is used downstream.

The intuitive graphical interface presents your circuit board for easy analysis and disposition of defects, PCB debug, and cross-probing between layout and schematic view. The solution includes a Repair Advisor to give a statistical analysis of actions taken on defect codes against specific board components. KPI-related data is readily available from your test equipment to evaluate historical or in-process quality data.

To learn more about Test Expert Repair Station, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you!

Licensing Tips Part 1: Installing a New License

Licensing is one of the most common support topics to come through our support line.  Now that we have a vehicle for sharing information with the world, I have put together a 4-part series on common licensing questions and their answers. This article is the first in the series, and will guide you through your initial licensing experience.

Step 1: Create a Siemens Webkey Account

In order to access our web tools and services available at Siemens PLM Software, you will need to create a WEBKEY account. A WebKey account allows you to control the username and password used to associate you with your company. Through this authentication scheme, we can control access to services, information and also guarantee the privacy of all customer data.

Let’s get started:

  1. Follow this link to create your WebKey account
  2. Enter your Sold-to ID. Your Sold-to ID is directly under the Sold-to information on your shipping order. (You may have also received an email from your CSR with an attached file containing this info.)
  3. Enter your WebKey Access Code (WAC). The Webkey Access Code can be found on the upper right corner of your shipping order that came with your CD. (You may have also received an email from your CSR with an attached file containing this info.)
  4. Fill in required info and create a User Name and Password
  5. This will trigger an activation email from Siemens PLM Software- once you have received the email and activated your webkey, follow the steps below.

Note: You must have a WebKey to log onto the Siemens UGS Support web site. If you do not have a WebKey and have trouble using the process defined above for creating one, please contact the Global Technical Access Center (GTAC) at 800-955-0000 or 714-952-5444 (North America or South America) or your local support office (all other world locations).

Step 2: Install UniCam Licensing Tools

  1. From the UniCam FX CD setup menu install Microsoft .NET 3.5 SP1.
  2. From the UniCam FX CD launch the Setup.exe then select “Security & Licensing” option from the Setup Wizard menu and click Install.
    1. Accept the default settings and click to “Agree” to the licensing terms.
  3. When the installation is complete it will create a file named “challenge.nlc”. This file is saved in the folder where you installed the license server, “C:\Unicam Security” by default. (Make note of this location for step 11 below.)
  4. Browse to the Siemens Support web site at http://support.industrysoftware.automation.siemens.com
  5. Log in using the Webkey information you just created
  6. License Management->
  7. Licenses->
  8. Enter your Sold-To ID (if requested)
  9. Click Passwords and License File
  10. Select “Unicam products” from the Product drop list field and click Continue
  11. Upload your Challenge.nlc file when prompted. Locate your “Challenge.nlc” file in the folder where you installed the license server, (by default “C:\Unicam Security”).
  12. You are prompted to download a file namedlicense.nlf”. Download and save this file in the folder where you installed the security and licensing server, (by default “C:\Unicam Security”). Overwrite existing license file if prompted.
  13. Start the Unicam Security and Licensing server. You can do this by simply rebooting the PC/Server, but a reboot is not required. You can also:
    1. Open Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services
    2. Locate and start “Unicam Security and Licensing server

 Licensing is Now Installed and Ready for Test

For UniCam

  1. Open a UniCam FX client that is pointed to your security server
  2. If you are launching a newly installed client for the first time you may receive an error that no security server could be found. If this happens, close the error message and click on the Options menu in Unicam and select Security Server IP Address and then enter the IP address or hostname for the server where you installed the licensing. Click OK and close Unicam, then re-open UniCam again.

For Test Expert

  1. Open a Test Expert client that is pointed to your security server
  2. If you are launching a newly installed client for the first time you may receive an error that the Server did not respond. If this happens, close the error message and click YES on the next Warning message box. A message box will appear asking you to enter the Security Server IP Address or hostname for the server where you installed the licensing. Enter the address or hostname and click OK. Close and restart Test Expert.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed your UniCam License server and your users can now begin to use the software. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us using our support form or by calling 855-64ACUITY, Option 2.

In Part 2, we will cover “Replacing an Existing License File”. Read Part 2 HERE.

Thanks for reading,

-Dave

Develop Your Test Expert-ise: Test Expert Training 5/18-5/21!

If you’re ready to get the most out of your Test Expert investment, be sure to join us for a 4-day Test Expert training event in San Jose, May 18th-21st!

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:

  • Automate DFT Results– Generate and analyze DFT results in MINUTES
  • Minimize Programming Time– Quickly generate program input files for your ICT, Flying Probe, AXI and AOI equipment
  • Reduce ICT Test Fixture Costs– Use automated tools to get maximum test coverage with minimum required nails

Who Should Attend?

Read more