Testing An Electrical Component

• US 20100231209A1
• Filed: 03/12/2009
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Patel, Pravin, Mutnury, Bhyrav M., Cases, Moises, Seidel, Peter R., Herrman, Bradley D., Ahmed, Rubina F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,106,666 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/239
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 15/183 using transformers with a magnetic core
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2806 Apparatus therefor, e.g. test stations, drivers, analysers, conveyors G01R31/2805, G01R31/281, G01R31/2818 take precedence

Abstract

Testing an electrical component, the component including a printed circuit board (‘PCB’) with a number of traces, the traces organized in pairs with each trace of a pair carrying current in opposite directions and separated from one another by a substrate layer of the PCB, where testing of the electrical component includes: dynamically and iteratively until a present impedance for a pair of traces of the component is greater than a predetermined threshold impedance: increasing, by an impedance varying device at the behest of a testing device, magnetic field strength of a magnetic field applied to the pair of traces by the impedance varying device, including increasing the present impedance of the pair of traces; measuring, by the testing device, one or more operating parameters; and recording, by the testing device, the measurements of the operating parameters.

Claims

1. A method of testing an electrical component, the component comprising a printed circuit board (‘

PCB’

) with a plurality of traces, the traces organized in pairs with each trace of a pair carrying current in opposite directions and separated from one another by a substrate layer of the PCB, the method comprising;

dynamically and iteratively until a present impedance for a pair of traces of the component is greater than a predetermined threshold impedance;

increasing, by an impedance varying device at the behest of a testing device, magnetic field strength of a magnetic field applied to the pair of traces by the impedance varying device, including increasing the present impedance of the pair of traces;

measuring, by the testing device, one or more operating parameters; and

recording, by the testing device, the measurements of the operating parameters.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the impedance varying device further comprises an electromagnet, the electromagnet comprising:

an iron core; and

a solenoid coiled around the iron core and conducting electrical current, the electrical current supplied to the solenoid by a power supply.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein increasing, at the behest of a testing device, magnetic field strength of a magnetic field further comprises:

increasing, by the testing device, an amount of current supplied to the solenoid by the power supply.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the electromagnet comprises an adjustable vise, the adjustable vise comprising two jaws, one jaw comprising a magnetic north pole of the electromagnetic, another jaw comprising a magnetic south pole of the electromagnetic, the jaw comprising the magnetic north pole positioned above a first trace of the pair of traces on one side of the PCB, the jaw comprising the magnetic south pole positioned above the second trace of the pair of traces on an opposite side of the PCB, each jaw of the vise further comprising a non-conductive layer that affixes the vise non-conductively to the PCB.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrical component is installed in an electrical system, the electrical system comprising a blade server.

6. Apparatus for testing an electrical component, the component comprising a printed circuit board (‘

PCB’

) with a plurality of traces, the traces organized in pairs with each trace of a pair carrying current in opposite directions and separated from one another by a substrate layer of the PCB, the apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable of;

dynamically and iteratively until a present impedance for a pair of traces of the component is greater than a predetermined threshold impedance;

increasing, by an impedance varying device at the behest of a testing device, magnetic field strength of a magnetic field applied to the pair of traces by the impedance varying device, including increasing the present impedance of the pair of traces;

measuring, by the testing device, one or more operating parameters; and

recording, by the testing device, the measurements of the operating parameters.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the impedance varying device further comprises an electromagnet, the electromagnet comprising:

an iron core; and

a solenoid coiled around the iron core and conducting electrical current, the electrical current supplied to the solenoid by a power supply.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein increasing, at the behest of a testing device, magnetic field strength of a magnetic field further comprises:

increasing, by the testing device, an amount of current supplied to the solenoid by the power supply.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the electromagnet comprises an adjustable vise, the adjustable vise comprising two jaws, one jaw comprising a magnetic north pole of the electromagnetic, another jaw comprising a magnetic south pole of the electromagnetic, the jaw comprising the magnetic north pole positioned above a first trace of the pair of traces on one side of the PCB and the jaw comprising the magnetic south pole positioned above the second trace of the pair of traces on an opposite side of the PCB, each jaw of the vise further comprising a non-conductive layer that affixes the vise non-conductively to the PCB.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the wherein the electrical component is installed in an electrical system, the electrical system comprising a blade server.

11. An impedance varying device for testing an electrical component, the component comprising a printed circuit board (‘

PCB’

) with a plurality of traces, the traces organized in pairs with each trace of a pair carrying current in opposite directions and separated from one another by a substrate layer of the PCB, the impedance varying device configured to;

dynamically and iteratively until a present impedance for a pair of traces of the component is greater than a predetermined threshold impedance;

increase, at the behest of a testing device, magnetic field strength of a magnetic field applied to the pair of traces by the impedance varying device, including increasing the present impedance of the pair of traces,

wherein the testing device is configured to measure one or more system-level parameters and record the measurements of the system-level parameters.

12. The impedance varying device of claim 11 further comprising an electromagnet, the electromagnet comprising:

an iron core; and

a solenoid coiled around the iron core and conducting electrical current, the electrical current supplied to the solenoid by a power supply.

13. The impedance varying device of claim 12 wherein the impedance varying device configured to increase magnetic field strength of a magnetic field at the behest of a testing device further comprises:

the testing device further configured to increase an amount of current supplied to the solenoid by the power supply.

14. The impedance varying device of claim 12 wherein the electromagnet comprises an adjustable vise, the adjustable vise comprising two jaws, one jaw comprising a magnetic north pole of the electromagnetic, another jaw comprising a magnetic south pole of the electromagnetic, the jaw comprising the magnetic north pole positioned above a first trace of the pair of traces on one side of the PCB and the jaw comprising the magnetic south pole positioned above the second trace of the pair of traces on an opposite side of the PCB, each jaw of the vise further comprising a non-conductive layer that affixes the vise non-conductively to the PCB.

15. The impedance varying device of claim 11 wherein the electrical component is installed in an electrical system, the electrical system comprising a blade server.

16. A computer program product for testing an electrical component, the component comprising a printed circuit board (‘

PCB’

) with a plurality of traces, the traces organized in pairs with each trace of a pair carrying current in opposite directions and separated from one another by a substrate layer of the PCB, the computer program product disposed in a computer readable recording medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable of;

dynamically and iteratively until a present impedance for a pair of traces of the component is greater than a predetermined threshold impedance;

increasing, by an impedance varying device at the behest of a testing device, magnetic field strength of a magnetic field applied to the pair of traces by the impedance varying device, including increasing the present impedance of the pair of traces;

measuring, by the testing device, one or more system-level parameters; and

recording, by the testing device, the measurements of the system-level parameters.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the impedance varying device further comprises an electromagnet, the electromagnet comprising:

an iron core; and

a solenoid coiled around the iron core and conducting electrical current, the electrical current supplied to the solenoid by a power supply.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein increasing, at the behest of a testing device, magnetic field strength of a magnetic field further comprises:

increase, by the testing device, an amount of current supplied to the solenoid by the power supply.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the electromagnet comprises an adjustable vise, the adjustable vise comprising two jaws, one jaw comprising a magnetic north pole of the electromagnetic, another jaw comprising a magnetic south pole of the electromagnetic, the jaw comprising the magnetic north pole positioned above a first trace of the pair of traces on one side of the PCB and the jaw comprising the magnetic south pole positioned above the second trace of the pair of traces on an opposite side of the PCB, each jaw of the vise further comprising a non-conductive layer that affixes the vise non-conductively to the PCB.

20. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the electrical component is installed in an electrical system, the electrical system comprising a blade server.