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Xinxintian Industrial Zone, Shajing Street,Bao'an District, Shenzhen, China
ICT TEST
What is ICT(In-Circuit -Testing ) and why ICT?
ICT is the abbreviation of In-Circuit Tester. It is a test instrument that uses computer technology to test whether the components and parameters on the circuit board are correct and whether the circuit assembly is correct on the mass-produced electronic product production line. Since it does not simulate the function and performance of the test circuit, it is also called static test of the circuit board
It is a test instrument that uses computer technology to test whether the components and parameters on the circuit board are correct and whether the circuit assembly is correct on the mass-produced electronic product production line. Since it does not simulate the function and performance of the test circuit, it is also called the static test of the circuit board.
Its in-circuit tester (IN CIRCUIT TESTER) measures all the parts on the circuit board, including resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, transistors, FETs, SCRs, LEDs and ICs, etc., to detect various defects of circuit board products such as: short circuit, open circuit, missing parts, wrong parts, defective parts or poor assembly, etc., and clearly points out the location of the defects to help users ensure the quality of the product and improve the efficiency of defective product inspection and repair. It is also the first to use reed relays (REED RELAY) that can be switched hundreds of millions of times. It is the in-circuit tester with the highest test coverage, the most stable test, the most convenient use, and the most complete data.
How ICT is tested and how it works ?
How ICT test and How is work ?
Detect circuit open circuit, short circuit, and welding condition of parts
Isolation (Guarding) technology Eliminate circuit interference, accurately measure component parameters, and improve PCBA defect detection accuracy.
Constant current/voltage measurement method Quickly determine the resistance value, suitable for large resistance online testing, to ensure welding quality.
Capacitor AC constant frequency test Measure the capacitor impedance through the AC voltage source, and accurately identify abnormal capacitor capacitance (such as leakage, cold soldering).
Inductor impedance analysis method Use AC signal to measure inductor reactance, covering high-frequency/low-frequency inductor fault diagnosis.
Diode forward voltage drop test Detect the forward voltage of silicon/germanium diodes (0.3V/0.7V) to check for reverse breakdown or open circuit.
Vector logic test Compare input and output signals to verify digital IC functions (such as logic gates, microprocessors).
Non-vector fast scanning test No complex procedures are required, quickly detect component pin open and short circuits, and adapt to SMT high-density circuits.
Boundary Scan (JTAG) Technology Detect the internal interconnection of the chip through the serial test chain, and support the fault location of packaged devices such as BGA.
What the function of ICT Test ?
The following is for ICT testing 10 major functions functions
1. Open and short circuit detection
Application Scenarios:
- Automotive Electronics: Detecting welding defects on ECU (Electronic Control Unit) circuit boards to avoid loss of vehicle control due to short circuits.
- Communication equipment: Troubleshooting short-circuit faults in router and switch motherboards to ensure signal transmission stability.
- Consumer electronics: checking the motherboard welding of cell phones, tablet PCs and other devices to enhance user safety.
2. Component Parameter Measurement
Application Scenarios:
- Medical Equipment: Resistance and capacitance parameter calibration of precision instruments such as monitors, ventilators, and so on, to ensure equipment accuracy.
- Industrial control: Inductor and relay performance verification in PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) to ensure stable operation of production lines.
- Aerospace: Full inspection of component parameters of high reliability circuit boards to meet performance requirements in extreme environments.
3. Diode/Transistor Testing
Application Scenarios:
- Power Module: Testing rectifier diode and switching tube performance to avoid overheating or failure of power supply.
- Consumer Electronics: reverse breakdown testing of diodes in cell phone chargers and LED drive circuits to enhance product life.
- Industrial equipment: Verification of transistor amplification characteristics for inverter and motor driver boards to ensure high power output.
4. Isolation (Guarding) Technology
Application Scenarios:
- High-precision Instrumentation: such as the accurate measurement of tiny resistance and capacitance in sensor circuits, eliminating parasitic loop interference.
- Aerospace: Isolation testing of precision control circuits to ensure accurate parameters of key components in complex circuits.
- Medical equipment: High sensitivity circuit testing of electrocardiogram (ECG) equipment to reduce measurement errors.
5. Automated Fault Location
Application Scenarios:
- Automotive Electronics: Quickly locate faulty components of in-vehicle navigation and in-vehicle network modules to shorten repair time.
- Communication base stations: accurate positioning of base station motherboard fault points to ensure communication network continuity.
- Industrial automation: rapid repair of defective robot control boards, reducing production line downtime losses.
6. Efficient Batch Testing
Application Scenarios:
- Consumer Electronics: fast testing of cell phone and computer motherboards on the production line, matching the demand for high SMT throughput (e.g., thousands of pieces per hour).
- IoT devices: batch QC for smart home sensors and wearable devices to improve market delivery efficiency.
- Industrial control: batch testing of PLC and industrial control motherboards to ensure consistency of industrial equipment.
7. Capacitor and Inductor Special Analysis
Application Scenarios:
- Communication Equipment: impedance testing of filter capacitors and high-frequency inductors to ensure signal quality of 5G base stations.
- Consumer Electronics: Performance verification of cell phone antenna tuning capacitors and power supply filtering inductors to optimize signal and range.
- Automotive Electronics: Inductance stability testing for in-car audio and ADAS systems to avoid electromagnetic interference.
8. Integrated Circuit Testing
Application Scenarios:
- Automotive Electronics: boundary-scan testing of BGA-packaged chips (e.g., MCUs, sensors) to ensure the reliability of autonomous driving systems.
- Aerospace: Internal interconnection testing of complex ICs (e.g. FPGA, DSP) to meet high reliability requirements.
- Consumer Electronics: protection diode test for cell phone SoC chips to avoid static electricity or over-voltage damage.
9. Statistics and Traceability
Application Scenarios:
- Consumer Electronics: analyzing the defective rate of cell phone motherboards, tracing the soldering process or component batch problems.
- Medical Devices: Statistical data on medical instrument defects to optimize production processes for FDA/CE compliance.
- Industrial Manufacturing: Improve SMT mounter parameters and yield rate through ICT test reports.
What advantages and disadvantages of ICT ?
The following is a comparison table of the three major test methods ICT, FCT, and AOI based on knowledge base information, highlighting the advantages, disadvantages, and application scenarios
ICT (In-Circuit Test)
| Advantages | Disadvantages | Typical Application Scenarios |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ Fast test speed (a few seconds/board) | ❌ High equipment cost (hundreds of thousands of dollars in fixtures) | Automotive electronics, communication equipment, consumer electronics mass production |
| ✅ High accuracy (direct testing of electrical properties) | ❌ Test points need to be designed (lower wiring rate) | Industrial control boards, aerospace high-reliability Circuits |
| ✅ Support for complex components (e.g. BGA, FPGA) | ❌ High maintenance requirements (probes need to be replaced if they wear out) | PCBA lines that need to locate faults quickly |
| ✅ No need for power-on testing (reduces the risk of short-circuiting) | ❌ Can’t test software functionality | High Density Component Circuit Boards |
FCT (Functional Test. Functional Test)
| Advantages | Disadvantages | Typical Application Scenarios |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ Comprehensively Verify Functionality (Software and Hardware Collaboration) | ❌ Complicated Test Environments (Need to Simulate Real-World Working Conditions) | Smart Phones, Medical Devices, and Finished Appliances Testing |
| ✅ Dynamic testing (real working conditions) | ❌ Long time-consuming (minute level/board) | Communication base stations, automotive ECU system integration testing |
| ✅ Coverage of ICT blind zones (e.g., component performance, software defects) | ❌ Low investment in devices, but high cost of program development | Complex devices needing to validate system-level interactions |
| ✅ Can be adapted to small volume production | ❌ Unable to locate specific failure points | New product development and validation phase |
AOI (Automated Optical Inspection)
| Advantages | Disadvantages | Typical Application Scenarios |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ Non-contact inspection (no mechanical wear and tear) | ❌ Unable to detect electrical properties | SMT line solder joint appearance inspection, PCB process monitoring |
| ✅ High-precision appearance inspection (e.g., monumental, solder bridging) | ❌ Depends on algorithmic and light source configurations | Consumer electronics, automotive electronics appearance defects screening |
| ✅ ✅ Low cost maintenance (no probe replacement needs) | ❌ Unable to detect internal faults | High-speed production line real-time defect interception |
| ✅ Rapid deployment (adapts to multi-model switching) | ❌ Influenced by surface finish (e.g., component masking) | SMT component offset, poor solder paste printing detection |
Comparison Summary and Complementary Suggestions
| Comparison Dimensions | ICT | FCT | AOI** |
|---|---|---|---|
| Types of Tests | Electrical Performance | Functionality | Appearance |
| Speed | Fast (Seconds) | Slow (Minutes) | Fast (Real-Time) |
| Cost | High (Equipment + Fixture) | Medium (Dependent on Test Environment) | Medium (Equipment + Algorithms) |
| Complementary Solutions | +AOI (Optical + Electrical Full Inspection) | +ICT (Locate Specific Faults) | +ICT/FCT (Covering Electrical and Functional) |
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