connection to BOB (Break-Out Box)

[McTester]

Hello,
I am a beginner in Automation testing and I never used a BOB, so I don't know too much about it. Is it a way to route signals from the test board to correct outputs and inputs from the HIL and also have protected (via optocouples, for ex.) routes? So test board <---> BOB <---> HIL
A more important question, how companies connect the product (ECU, PCB) to a BOB? Do they solder a lot of wires to test points (that would not be ideal, it's hard and HW versions could change) or they think of this ahead and bring the most important routes to the edge of the board, where there is a connector (at least in the development phase,not in production)
Thank you!

 

[THINKER_KAM_MAN]

Hello,
I am a beginner in Automation testing and I never used a BOB, so I don't know too much about it. Is it a way to route signals from the test board to correct outputs and inputs from the HIL and also have protected (via optocouples, for ex.) routes? So test board <---> BOB <---> HIL
A more important question, how companies connect the product (ECU, PCB) to a BOB? Do they solder a lot of wires to test points (that would not be ideal, it's hard and HW versions could change) or they think of this ahead and bring the most important routes to the edge of the board, where there is a connector (at least in the development phase,not in production)
Thank you!

the manufactures of pcb either use the output/input connectors
or a bed of nails to connect to the pcb for testing.
you need an interface unit/card which connects between the BOB
and the pcb connectors or bed of nails.

 

[horace1]

if we have space on a PCB we bring out some spare pins to a connector on the side of the board
often we find that the system requirements change and having easy access is preferable to attempting to solder wires onto processor pins

 

[McTester]

Yes, this would be good, but I think for some tests one would also need to interrupt the line and put voltage from a HIL or an external power supply.
So I am referring to the situation when the device is in use and you want to disrupt one line, put an overvoltage. If you put directly on the line, maybe it would cause problems, since there are 2 voltage sources now on that route. Am I wrong?

 

[horace1]

in applications (such as in factories) where where there may be high voltages or electrical noise the use of transformers, opto isolators, filters, etc isolates the microcontroller and low voltage circuits