The Testing Blog

MIL-STD-801F Method 508.5 Testing

Hungry? Growing fungus will use wood, paper, leather, hydrocarbons, PVC, polyurethanes, certain plastics, plants and other materials as fuel. Products which are expected to operate in warm, humid environments must be tested to withstand fungus, the growth and waste of which can wreak havoc on your product.

This image, taken by NTS Compliance Engineer Tom Borrelli in our Tinton Falls, NJ laboratory, is of fungi feasting on a contaminate they found on the side of a connector. This test is conducted using  method 508.5  in accordance with the  MIL-STD-810F specification.

The ANSI C63.10, a standard for Testing Unlicensed Wireless Devices by the American Standards Institute (ANSI) and Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) C63® was published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) on Sept. 10, 2009. This new standard has in one document, procedures for testing many unlicensed wireless devices for compliance with the Rules and Regulations of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Previously this information and testing procedures were scattered in various FCC rules, the FCC Knowledge database, ANSI C63.4 and various other FCC and IC publications. The FCC accepted the use of this new standard on November 25, 20090 (refer to FCC DA No. 09-2478) as an alternative to ANSI C63.4:2003.

Interference Technology recently invited a panel of experts, who were also a part of the working group on the standard, to weigh in on the implications ad the effects of the standard on testing and day to day lab operations. This group and panel included Mark Briggs, Principal Engineer at Elliott Labs, NTS Silicon Valley division. Click here to review the full article and panel discussion.

Climatic, Environmental and Dynamics Testing Capabilities Added To Portfolio of Services
NTS Silicon Valley division is adding a new custom-built Climatic, Environmental and Dynamics Product Testing Laboratory in close proximity to their existing test laboratories in Fremont and Sunnyvale, California. The new location is over 30,000 square feet, and will house a wide range of state-of-the-art testing equipment.

More details can be found in the NTS press release.

NTS has partnered with the Equipment Reliability Institute to offer this four day course. Aimed at individuals who will need to perform, witness or specify environmental testing in accordance with MIL-STD-810. The course will cover vibration and shock methods will be covered and the course will include a tour of the NTS Fullerton, CA test facility, where the full spectrum of MIL-STD-810 testing is conducted.

Full details and course registration information can be found at the Equipment Reliability Institute’s website.

Enables faster, more reliable RF remotes and provides freedom to operate devices Removing ‘line-of-sight’ barrier of today’s infrared remotes

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — CES — Atmel® Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML), a leader in touch- and microcontroller-based solutions, today announced that Atmel’s RF4Control platform has received ZigBee® RF4CE certification using the new ATmega128RFA1 wireless AVR® microcontroller. Atmel can now offer its customers an immediate, low-cost, easy-to-implement solution for various remote control applications using the ATmega128RFA1.

The ZigBee RF4CE specification is a standardized specification for radio frequency (RF) remote controls promoted by the ZigBee Alliance. The specification enables flexible control from nearby rooms, enables unique two-way communications between the remote and device, and delivers improved remote battery life for a variety of consumer electronic (CE) devices such as HDTV, home theater equipment, set-top boxes and other audio equipment.

“We are pleased to be among the first to have our wireless platform ZigBee RF4CE certified,” said Magnus Pedersen, product marketing director of MCU wireless solutions at Atmel Corporation. “With this certification, Atmel’s recently launched ATmega128RFA1 can now offer customers more flexibility, reliability and freedom to operate their devices from greater distances. The two-way communication between the device and remote, and by removing the ‘line-of-site’ barrier, enables our consumers to enjoy an even richer experience.”

“The certification of Atmel’s RF4Control platform is another step towards spreading ZigBee’s reach in homes everywhere,” said Benno Ritter, vice president of marketing for the ZigBee Alliance. “ZigBee RF4CE will offer manufacturers a number of advanced remote control features while offering increased flexibility and ease of use.”

“As the authorized ZigBee test lab, we are pleased to certify Atmel’s ATmega128RFA1 to develop products based on the RF4CE standard,” said Osman Sakr, chief technology officer of National Technical Systems Inc. “We look forward to testing more products and platforms to move towards interoperable RF products across multiple vendors based on this new standard.”

More Information

For more information about Atmel’s ZigBee RF4CE solutions, please click the following link: http://www.atmel.com/RF4CE.

For additional information on Atmel’s wireless microcontrollers, please click the following link: http://www.atmel.com/wireless.

ZigBee: Control your world

ZigBee is the global wireless language connecting dramatically different devices to work together and enhance everyday life. The ZigBee Alliance is a non-profit association of more than 300 member companies driving development of ZigBee wireless technology. The Alliance promotes worldwide adoption of ZigBee as the leading wirelessly networked, sensing and control standard for use in consumer electronic, energy, home, commercial and industrial areas. For more information, visit: http://www.ZigBee.org.

About NTS

National Technical Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of engineering and testing service to the defense, aerospace, telecommunications, automotive and high technology markets. Through a world-wide network of resources, NTS provides full life-cycle product integrity support, offering world class design engineering, compliance, testing, certification, quality registration and program management. For additional information about NTS, visit our website at http://www.ntscorp.com/ or call 800-794-0926.

About Atmel

Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of capacitive touch solutions, microcontrollers, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry’s broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is able to provide the electronics industry with complete system solutions focused on consumer, industrial, security, communications, computing and automotive markets.

From http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/atmel-receives-zigbee-rf4ce-platform-certification-using-atmega128rfa1-80893507.html

by Vesta I. Bateman, Chair, IEST Working Group DTE032

The IEST Recommended Practice on pyroshock testing has been revised and updated to reflect advances in the art of pyroshock testing and to address common problems related to data accuracy in the pyroshock community. The key changes to IEST-RP-DTE032: Pyroshock Testing Techniques are described here.

New definitions for near-field pyroshock, mid-field pyroshock, and far-field pyroshock adopted by IEST-RP-DTE032.2 are consistent with the definitions given in MIL-STD-810G, Method 517, as shown in the table and the spectra definitions below. The definitions and table values are quantified in terms of shock response spectra (SRS). The SRS, with an appropriate damping value, is the most widely used tool to analyze pyroshock data and is calculated using acceleration measurements near components and subsystems that must be qualified separately. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory will be revising NASA-STD-7003 during the coming year, and the current NASA values for near-field, mid-field, and far-field pyroshock are also shown in the table.

A near-field pyroshock test requires frequency control up to and above 10 kHz for amplitudes greater than 10,000 g. A pyrotechnically excited simulation technique is usually appropriate, although in some cases a mechanically excited simulation technique may be used.

A mid-field pyroshock test requires frequency control from 3 kHz to 10 kHz for amplitudes less than 10,000 g. A mechanically excited simulation technique other than shaker shock is usually required.

A far-field pyroshock test requires frequency control no higher than 3 kHz for amplitudes less than 1,000 g. A shaker shock or a mechanically excited simulation technique is appropriate.

via: Pyroshock Testing, Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology

National Technical Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: NTSC) (NTS), a leading provider of engineering services, announced today that its NQA division has completed the acquisition of Unitek Technical Services, Inc., formerly a Business Unit of Bureau Veritas, in an all-cash transaction. Unitek is a leading provider of supply chain management services headquartered in Centreville, VA, close to Washington, DC. Further terms were not disclosed.

Founded in 1973, Unitek provides supplier management, development, source inspections and related technical services to corporations worldwide. Unitek's client list includes a distinguished list of tier one aerospace and defense suppliers to the federal government and commercial customers, said William C. McGinnis, CEO of National Technical Systems. Unitek is also certified to the internationally recognized Aerospace Quality Management standard AS 9100.

“Unitek enjoys great customer relationships and has an advanced customer and resource management software system,” McGinnis said. “Unitek's technically advanced, web-based system will allow our clients, suppliers and field resources the ability to access data in real time, which can provide a range of unique value-added services. These customer relationships and resources, along with Unitek's experienced and dedicated management team and staff, will allow us to further integrate and support our clients with an even broader range of services.”

Unitek's long term performance and track record with its clients speaks to the company's dedication to being responsive to client needs, and to its ability to provide high quality support resources on demand, added Derek Coppinger, NTS Senior Vice President responsible for acquisitions.

The acquisition of Unitek Technical Services helps fill a strategic piece of our overall business plan to provide engineering and technical support services to our extended client base, specifically in the aerospace & defense markets,” Coppinger said.

Unitek's current management and employees are expected to remain with the firm and continue to operate from its Centreville headquarters.

About Bureau Veritas

Bureau Veritas, headquartered in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, is a global company, founded in 1828, offering conformity assessment services in the areas of quality, health, safety, environment and social responsibility (QHSE). With over 2,000 professionals in over 50 offices across the United States, and operations in over 900 locations in 140 countries, Bureau Veritas develops solutions that contribute to risk prevention and performance improvement for commercial and governmental clients.

About National Technical Systems

National Technical Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of engineering and testing services to the defense, aerospace, telecommunications, automotive and high technology markets. Through a world-wide network of resources, NTS provides full life-cycle product integrity support, offering world class design engineering, compliance, testing, certification, quality registration and program management. For additional information about NTS, visit our website at www.ntscorp.com or call 800-270-2516.

via National Technical Systems Acquires Unitek Technical Services From Bureau Veritas.

National Technical Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTSC) (NTS), was awarded contracts by General Atomics (GA) Electromagnetic Systems Division (EMS) of San Diego, Calif. for the performance of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC and environmental testing for the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) and the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS).

NTS, under contract to GA EMS, supports environmental qualification testing at GA’s EMS manufacture and test facility at Tupelo, Miss. Some of the tests are being conducted at Joint Base McGuire-Dix – Lakehurst, N.J., where full-scale EMALS and AAG systems are installed and qualified by GA- EMS and the Navy. The EMALS and AAG customer is Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR).

NTS will provide environmental and EMC test engineering and evaluation for AAG and EMALS systems to be installed on CVN 78. Testing will be conducted at both the major assembly and component level. Additional testing will be conducted at NTS laboratories located in Santa Clarita and Fullerton, Calif., Boxborough, Mass. and Tinton Falls, N.J. NTS resources support the testing and evaluation program over the next two years.

The EMALS system consists of a high-voltage transformer rectifier manufactured by Neeltran, high power inverters manufactured by GA EMS, a large motor generator, to store energy, manufactured by Kato, and a rectifier manufactured by L-3 Pulse Power Division. Four linear induction motors manufactured by GA EMS will accelerate the launch aircraft from a dead stop to about 150 knots in 3 seconds or less.

Visit this website for more info.

National Technical Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: NTSC) (NTS), is pleased to announce the addition of tunable resonant beam apparatus for metal-to-metal simulated Pyroshock testing at its Tinton Falls, NJ engineering and test facility.

Pyroshock testing is designed to simulate the high-frequency, high-magnitude shock pulse that a product may experience as the result of an explosive event, such as an explosive impact on a military tank structure or the separation of booster rockets from the space shuttle during flight. This type of explosive impact can cause failures in electronic components and thus endanger the survival of the system as a whole.

The Pyroshock test differs from other mechanical shock tests in that there is very little rigid body motion of the product. In this test method, an aluminum bar with rectangular cross-section is clamped to a massive base. Clamps are intended to impose nearly fixed-end conditions on the beam. When the beam is struck with a cylindrical mass fired from the air gun beneath the beam, the beam will resonate at the first bending frequency of the beam, which is a function of the distance between the clamps. The tunable resonant beam method provides a good, general purpose Pyroshock simulator, since the knee frequency is continuously adjustable over a wide frequency range, 500 Hz to 3,000 Hz for example.

NTS’ new 17,000 pound system is designed to simulate the far-field Pyroshock spectrum. The original system design was developed by Neil Davie, Principal Member of the Technical Staff, Mechanical Environments, Sandia National Laboratories. The design was then adopted as a “recommended practice” by the Institute for Environmental Science and Technology and published in the “Pyroshock Testing Techniques” IEST-RP-DTE032.1 document.

“The addition of this new test capability demonstrates both the technical expertise of the NTS engineering team in its construction, and our commitment to continue to add capabilities and capacity to meet the ongoing needs of our customers in the defense and aerospace markets” commented NTS General Manager Richard Gaynor, “We look forward to demonstrating this unique new capability.”

For more information – click here.

NTS  is pleased to announce the approval of our Calgary, Alberta, Canada laboratory as a Verizon Independent Testing Laboratory (ITL). This certification program approval allows NTS Calgary to perform NEBS testing for Verizon’s telecommunications equipment vendors.

Telecommunications equipment suppliers to Verizon must have their products tested to ensure compliance with the NEBS (Network Equipment Building System) specifications. NEBS is the generic requirement for the spatial environmental, EMI/EMC, and product safety of telecom equipment being deployed in the central office. These requirements are mandated by Telecommunications Operating Companies, providing them confidence that all telecom equipment has a high degree of reliability and will work under extreme environments while maintaining service for their customers.