Future test systems architectures

The expanding number of test system architectural choices has caused confusion in the test engineering community. In this article, we explore the strengths and weaknesses of the existing test system architectures, including rack and stack systems with general-purpose interface bus (GPIB) instruments and modular systems. We provide a glimpse into an emerging new architecture: LAN-based test systems. The article reviews key concerns such as costs, channel counts, footprints, I/O speeds, ease-of-integration, and flexibility. The objective of the article is to provide engineers insight into the most effective test systems for their future applications.