Test Engineer

Definition

A test engineer is a professional who decides how to create a procedure which can test a product. Test engineers create efficient test designs for products under development; also know as device-under-testing (DUT).

Expertise of Test engineer

Expertise of a test engineer may vary, depending on the area of the test processes they are more familiar with. The familiarity may include PCB level processes such as JTAG, 5DX and ICT to PCBA and the system level processes such as BFT or FT, system level test, burn in test etc.

Processes used in manufacturing products

Some of the known processes used in testing while products are under manufacturing process are Automated X ray inspection, continuity or flying probe test, in circuit test, stand alone JTAG test, highly accelerated life test, ongoing reliability test, functional test, burn in test, environmental stress screening, system test and final quality audit process test etc.

Contact a: Test Automation Specialist

Early Project Processes

Test engineers have responsibility to describe how a system is designed for manufacturability and testability. He is responsible to

• Make sure that the system has perfect specs in the label and correct placements that would make the unit to be programmable and traceable. This implementation of perfect label specification would make the product to be programmed correctly into Device under test (DUT). The test engineers would make these label specs into identifiable, scan able and readable by eliminating the manual typing of information of the product into the DUT.
• They would debug the components with serial /console/GPIB/RS232 port, which should be accessible till the final quality audit /assurance process. This process will confirm that the final product returned by the customers must undergo troubleshooting or repair.
• Test engineer would see whether all components required to test are added to the cost matrix and post the upgrade to the firmware, connectors, JTAG etc.
• He would verify the automated test equipment (ATE) and check whether it is adequate and have sufficient resources for testing the proposed product. Budgetary concerns must be addressed and lead time required for equipment verification and installation must be planned by him.
• Based from the product description, the test engineer would decide to choose the best manufacturing process for testing.

Responsibilities with platform teams test engineers would get involved in the reviews such as:

• Schematic review - to address the data or electrical parts which are testable and accessible.
• Board layout review- to check all the label specification and components for accessibility. He needs to make sure that no products are movable, near the edges, covers that may have some possibilities of products being knocked off the board.
• Electrical specifications review- to check the appropriate power, number of fixtures, required voltage, and chamber specs on the board.

The task of the test engineer is to ensure that all the processes undertaken
for manufacturing a product are fulfilled as per the standard procedures,
so as to ensure the best and defect free end product.

Article published December 21st 2009
Versatyle.com – Test Engineers