Printed circuit board test fixtures are not just for testing. Using fixtures for programming Flash memories and microcontrollers as early as the prototyping stage can reduce the need for board re-spins and speed development.

Typically a board with a programmed device will incorporate test pads for connecting a programmer via test probes during production test. In production, probing is preferred over using a physical connector because it is faster than having an operator manually attach a cable.

Conversely, during development it is typical to design the board with a physical connector, often a simple dual-row header, to suit standard cables provided with development programmers and debuggers. A common strategy is to simply not populate the connector for production, leaving the empty footprint as effectively a set of test pads.

But such headers are not small, and often consume more board area than is available or desirable in the finished product, particularly modern consumer and IoT products that are increasingly tiny. So prototype boards may need to be larger to accommodate such connectors. A board re-spin is therefore necessary between prototype and production, introducing risk and delay.

What if there was a test fixturing solution inexpensive and easy enough to use during development, eliminating the need for different approaches in engineering and production? That is one of the reasons we created Merifix. A low-cost fixture with a small number of test probes wired to a programming dongle mounted under the probe plate can be a great solution for programming and re-programming during development, with no change needed for production.