1976 12
1976 12
1976 12
FOR TROUBLESHOOTING DIGITAL systems, whose intensity indicates the relative magnitude of
instruments such as logic probes, logic pulsers, current steps occurring in the vicinity of the current
logic comparators, state analyzers, and computer- tracer's tip. The reference level for the display can be
based board testers enable an operator to localize a varied from one milliampere to one ampere by means
system malfunction down to the faulty node, that is, of a conveniently placed sensitivity control. The
down to a collection of 1C terminals and the network 547A responds to the current changes normally pre-
of printed circuit traces and/or wires that electrically
tie the terminals together. However, after the faulty
node is identified the operator still lacks the ultimate Cover: A new trouble-
information needed to make the repair, namely, ex imt Sno°t'n9 team finds many
actly what part of the node has failed? Is the driving ••*^ low-impedance faults that
1C dead, or has one of the driven ICs developed a shorted elude voltage-sensing in
input? Has the interconnecting network shorted to struments. Model 547 A Cur
another node, and if so, precisely where, or has the rent Tracer (right) reveals the
interconnecting network developed an open circuit? presence and relative size of
Except when the fault is due to an open circuit, vol current steps by the bright
tage-sensing instruments provide no further infor ness of its built-in lamp.
mation, simply because all points of the faulty node Model 546A Logic Pulser supplies the needed
are constrained by the interconnecting network to be stimulus current if it isn't already present in the
at the same voltage. At this stage, techniques such system under test.
as cutting traces or lifting ICs are usually employed
until the defective element is identified. This ap
proach is time-consuming, tedious, and often damag In this Issue:
ing to the printed circuit board and ICs. Current Tracer: A New Way to Find
Although voltage provides no additional informa Low-Impedance Logic-Circuit Faults,
tion, there is a quantity whose variation about the by John F. Beckwith page 2
node provides the information needed to pinpoint New Logic Probe Troubleshoots Many
the faulty element. This quantity is current. To date, Logic Families, by Robert C. Quenelle page 9
little use has been made of the information provided
A Multifunction, Multifamily Logic
by the nodal current distribution simply because of
Pulser, by Barry Bronson and Anthony
the difficulty of measuring current flow. Traditional
Y . C h a n p a g e 1 2
methods, such as cutting a trace and inserting an
ammeter, or encircling the trace with a magnetic Probe Family Packaging, by David E. Gordon,
page 16.
path, are clearly very awkward to use on printed cir
cuit boards. The question thus arises whether there is Multifamily Logic Clip Shows All Pin
a more convenient means to determine current flow States Simultaneously, by Durward
in logic circuits. P r i e b e p a g e 1 8
The new Hewlett-Packard Model 547A Current Interfacing a Parallel-Mode Logic
Tracer (Fig. I) was developed to meet this need. The State Analyzer to Serial Data, by Justin
current tracer is a self-contained, hand-held probe S . M o r r i l l , J r p a g e 2 1
containing a single easily-viewed display lamp
547A
Current Tracer
Gate with Current tracer
Shorted Input indicates large current
at stuck gate
Pulse Activity
_n_n_n
V
Temporary jumper
Bad gate stuck
in LO state
to ground
Voltage stuck at
some value
Fig. 4. The current tracer can often make use of normal cur
rents in a circuit, but sometimes a logic pulser provides a
Fig. 3. The current tracer shows that this stuck node is needed stimulus, as in the difficult problem of a stuck wired-
caused by an input short. AND node.
Sensitivity Control
Current-
Step
rnGain
Bipolar
Peak
Sensor Preamp Detector
Amplification
To make a 100-/xV 150-ns pulse light an incandes
cent lamp long enough for it to be visible, consider
able amplification is required. For the sake of operat
Fig. 6. Construction and equivalent circuit of the current-
step sensor, which acts like a current transformer. For each
ing convenience, it was decided to package all the
current step the sensor produces a voltage impulse at its necessary electronics in the probe body and to power
output. the probe from the supplies typically present in a dig
ital environment. This means that the circuitry has to
(R is small), so a current is induced in the coil whose operate from supply voltages of five volts or less, so
magnetic flux nearly cancels the flux change caused nearly all commercially available linear ICs are in
by the unknown current step. Thus, for a fixed physi applicable. Also, the shape and small size of the probe
cal orientation, there will be a current step propor body make physical isolation of the amplifier stages
tional to the unknown current step induced in the impractical, and the small volume within the probe
pickup coil. This induced current flows through the also prevents the use of effective high-frequency de
resistor R, producing a voltage that forms the output coupling capacitors because of their large size. It was
signal of the sensor. The current in the pickup coil, possible, nevertheless, using two custom ICs, to pack
and hence the output voltage, decays with a time con age on a multilayer board approximately 1.3 cm wide
stant L/R. This time constant is such that the output of by 10 cm long, 80 dB x 20 MHz of stable linear ampli
the current-step sensor is an impulse whose peak value fication. This was accomplished by very careful loca
is proportional to the change in the unknown current tion of components to minimize capacitive coupling,
and is independent of the rise time of the current and by orienting the components to cancel destabiliz
change up to about 200 nanoseconds. Although the ing parasitic inductive coupling. Shielding of the
current-step sensor provides an indication only of cur sensitive amplifier from external electric and mag
rent changes and not the total value of the current, it netic fields is provided by the probe housing, which
turns out that for fault finding in digital systems this is made of aluminum and makes an effective electro
information is sufficient. static and eddy-current shield.
The current-step sensor had to meet a number of For maximum viewing angle, brightness, and con
conflicting design criteria. It had to be physically venience of location, the current tracer's display was
small so currents in the closely spaced traces found chosen to be an incandescent lamp at the tip of the
on printed circuit boards could be distinguished. It probe immediately behind the current-step sensor.
had to be able to reject magnetic flux originating from This location creates a difficult stability problem: a
locations other than the tracer's tip. It had to provide a pulse at the current-step sensor is amplified and re
detectable output for the smallest current steps of in turned to the display, which is right next to the sen
terest (<1 mA). It could not respond to voltage sor, and the energy content of the pulse that flashes
changes found in digital systems. It had to be me the display can be greater than 1014 times that cap
chanically rugged and manufacturable at a reason tured by the current-step sensor. It was possible, how
able cost. ever, thanks to the efficiency of the shielding of the
SPECIFICATIONS
HP Model 547A Current Tracer
INPUT:
SENSITIVITY: 1 mA lo 1A
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: Light indicates: single-step current transitions;
single for »50 ns in width; pulse trains to 10 MHz (typically 20 MHz for
current pulses s?10 mA).
RISETIME: Light indicates current transitions with risetimes «200 ns at 1 mA.
POWER SUPPLY REQUIREMENTS:
VOLTAGE: 4.5 to 18 Vdc
INPUT CURRENT: s7S mA
OVERVOLTAGE PROTECTION: ±25 Vdc for one minute
Fig. 8. The output of the bipolar peak detector is a time- TEMPERATURE: 0° to 55°C
stretched version of the input, and is positive for both polarities PRICE IN U.S.A.: $350
of input. MANUFACTURING DIVISION: SANTA CLARA DIVISION
5301 Stevens Creek Boulevard
Santa Clara, California 95050 U.S.A.
ible. The output of the second peak detector is further
amplified by a dc amplifier to provide the signal that 1A
Voltage Regulator
The current tracer is designed to operate from any 100 mA-
external dc supply between 4.5 and 18 volts and to HP547A
withstand accidental reversals of supply voltage po Typical Operating Range
larity. The internal tracer supply voltage is indepen
dent of the magnitude of the external supply voltage.
It is obtained by a feedback configuration using a spe 10 mA -
DESIGNING AND TROUBLESHOOTING digital tages between valid logic levels, as well as open cir
circuits poses some measurement problems not cuits or inputs not connected to outputs.
neatly solved by analog test equipment. The digital The probe contains a latch that indicates and stores
circuit typically has only two narrow voltage ranges, input activity, a useful feature when low repetition
high and low, that represent logic ones and zeros. A
voltmeter or oscilloscope will easily give the voltage
to more accuracy than is required, but won't translate
those voltages into logic levels, leaving that job to the
user. Although the oscilloscope is sometimes indis
pensable for checking ringing, skews, and so forth, in
many instances a simple indication of logic levels
will suffice.
For several years the logic probe has comple
mented the oscilloscope in helping to solve digital
troubleshooting problems. HP's Model 10525T, for
example, is small and light enough to be hand-held
and features convenient fingertip display of ones and
zeros and 10-nanosecond pulse-catching capability,
independent of repetition rate. The 10525T translates
voltages at the measurement tip to logic levels based
on the specifications of TTL logic.
With the expanding use of MOS and CMOS, it be
came desirable to have more than TTL thresholds
available. The new HP Model 545A CMOS-TTL Logic
Probe (Fig. 1) offers switch-selectable TTL or CMOS
thresholds for monitoring acitivity in most logic fam
ilies, including DTL, TTL, HTL, HNIL, MOS, CMOS
and discrete logic (but not ECL). The CMOS thresh ^£
olds are set at 30% and 70% of the supply voltage to
which the 545A is connected.
Most MOS parts are either TTL-compatible or have
logic levels close to some power supply voltages. By
selecting TTL thresholds for TTL-compatible parts or
by using CMOS thresholds and connecting the probe
to appropriate supply voltages, most MOS devices
can be checked. The probe always displays the more
negative logic level as a zero. HTL or HNIL parts are
tested using CMOS thresholds. The input current is
nominally 10 /zA (source and sink), compatible with
high-impedance logic yet large enough to overcome
leakage currents and prevent false readings. Besides Fig. 1. Model 545A Logic Probe indicates logic levels and
displaying ones and zeros, the probe indicates vol pulse activity at individual digital circuit nodes.
-Barry Bronson
10
11
12
13
From
Fig. automatically delivers schematic of 546A output stage. The circuit automatically delivers pulses ot
the proper polarity, voltage, width, and transition time to override the logic node at the pulser's tip.
14
15
The problem was to design a second generation probe push this. Ordering, stocking, and handling costs are reduced
packaging system for three new logic test instruments, accom by using common parts, and the increased production volume
modating 100% more circuit area with minimal instrument size of those parts lowers the manufacturing costs. For low as
increase, 200% more heat dissipation, and electromagnetic sembly and service costs, all of the mechanical parts, with the
shielding. The amount to be spent for tooling was strictly limited. exception of the crimp-on cable strain relief, are easy to fit to
It was desirable that all parts be inexpensive, easy to assemble gether by hand without the use of nuts, bolts, washers, etc. (see
and service, and highly reliable. Figs. 2 and 3).
Our solution was to use an aluminum extrusion coupled with Custom switches for the logic probe and logic pulser are pro
simple molded plastic parts that snap, slide, and press together duced at very low cost. The lighted pulse memory reset switch
to provide a low cost, versatile instrument package that meets (Fig. 4) and the latching pulser mode switch use plastic actua-
the functional requirements of the electronic design (see Fig. 1).
To have low factory and selling costs and stay within the tool
ing budget, the package had to be designed using a minimum
number of parts that could be produced by easy manufacturing Ground Ring
methods — aluminum extrusion, plastic molding, and metal
stamping processes offered the necessary tooling to accom-
16
1C Troubleshooting Kits
1C Troubleshooting instruments
are available in kits consisting of
various combinations of logic
probe, logic pulser, logic clip, cur
rent tracer, logic comparator, and
carrying case. Model 5022A Kit
(shown) contains the four instru
ments described in this issue: the
545A Logic Probe, the 546A Logic
Pulser, the 547A Current Tracer,
and the 548A Logic Clip.
17
by Durward Priebe
A LOGIC CLIP IS A HANDY means of monitoring devices. In most applications its operation is automa
logic conditions in a digital integrated circuit tic; simply clip it onto the 1C in any convenient orien
(1C) system. It simultaneously clips onto all the leads tation and observe the pin states shown by the LEDs.
of a dual in-line 1C package (DIP) and displays the Power leads for the clip are unnecessary, since each
logic states of all pins of the device at once, instead of clip pin has a network that seeks the most positive
one pin at a time like a logic probe. Corresponding to and negative voltage levels on the 1C; from these the
each 1C pin is one light-emitting diode (LED) on top of 548A draws its power and sets proper threshold lev
the clip; it turns on when the logic level on that pin is els. Each remaining clip pin is then free to compare
more positive than a specified threshold voltage. The the 1C pin voltage with the internally derived thresh
user sees the logic states of all 1C pins by observing old and control the illumination of the corresponding
the LED array, and can quickly identify state changes LED. Each 1C pin sees a negligible nominal load of
or verify truth tables. The clip is useful for system de 3/LtA and 20 pF thus assuring that the clip does not
signers, test technicians, and field service personnel. perturb the IC's operation. Operation is automatic
The new Model 548A Logic Clip (Fig. 1) was de for positive supply voltages of 4 to 18 volts. Internal
signed to provide this capability with a maximum of regulation maintains essentially constant LED bright
ease and versatility for the user while imposing neg ness over this voltage range.
ligible loading upon the 1C being examined. Today's Many digital systems contain higher-voltage
digital systems typically contain a variety of device analog or interface DIPs, so it is possible that a user
types, along with microprocessors, memory, inter may inadvertently place the clip on such a circuit.
faces, and other functional blocks in NMOS, CMOS, The 548A is protected against this, and will not be
TTL, ECL, and other logic families. The 548A was de damaged by momentary connection to an 1C with a
signed to be readily compatible with these types of total voltage differential of up to 30V.
18
19
I
these pro possible. HP's Optoelectronics Division pro ing integrated circuits for 1 1 years.
vided the innovative LED array for the logic clip. We would also With HP since 1973, he's served
like to thank Roger Smith, group leader, and Gary Gordon, sec f * ^ as an 1C consultant, most recently
tion Manager, for their contributions and guidance. Pete Le- on the 545A, 546A, and 547A
Mmon was instrumental in the development of the automatic test probe designs, and designed the
system. Lou deGive helped develop the manufacturing tech •V-» 548A Logic Clip. He's authored
nology for the 547A current sensing tip. Roy Criswell and Mike several articles on ICs in technical
Yarbrough coordinated development activities with the rest of W publications. Durward was born in
HP, and Bruce Hanson was our marketing consultant. Ã- I ,
- Melrose Park, Illinois and attended
California Polytechnic College at
-John Beckwith t San Luis Obispo, graduating in
-Barry Bronson
-Anthony Chan
r 1965 with a BS degree in elec
tronic engineering. He and his wife
-Durward Priebe have two children, live in Sunny
-Robert Quenelle vale, them and take great pride in doing most things them
selves. Their concern for their city occasionally results in Dur-
ward's representing his neighborhood at city council meetings.
Among Durward's other interests are taping local concerts,
astronomy, ornamental welding, sailing, and photography.
SPECIFICATIONS
HP Model 548A Logic Clip
Corrections
INPUT CURRENT: s ± 1 5j/A per pin
INPUT THRESHOLD: s(AO ± .06) x supply voltage = logic high (e.g. at 5V A typographical error occurred in the equation given as an example ot the printout modes for
supply. LED is guaranteed to be off below 1.7V and on above 2.3V) the HP-91 Calculator in last month s issue of the Hewlett-Packard Journal, page 10. The
INPUT PROTECTION: 30 Vdc for one minute equation, for the length (L) of a belt connecting two pulleys, should be:
INPUT VOLTAGE RANGE: 0-18 Vdc
POWER SUPPLY REQUIREMENTS: L • -d2 * (d2-d-|)(tan ifi-ii)
VOLTAGE: 4-18 Vdc across any two pins
It should also be noted that the equation is valid only for d2>d-|.
CURRENT: s 50 mA with 15 LEDs on
AUXILIARY SUPPLY VOLTAGE: 4. 5to 20 Vdc applied to connector. Supply must
Part 47201A the of the references given with the article on the HP Model 47201A Oximeter in the
be s 1.5 Vdc more positive than any pin of 1C under test.
October issue was inadvertently omitted. Reference number 9 should be:
TEMPERATURE: CfC to 55:C
H Poppius and A. A. Viljanen. "Non-Invasive Measurement of Oxygen Saturation during
ACCESSORY INCLUDED: Auxiliary power cable and grabber. Exercise in Patients with Pulmonary Disease. XXVII Nordiske Lungelege Kongress. Oslo,
PRICE IN U.S.A.: S105
Norway, 13-15 June 1976.
MANUFACTURING DIVISION: SANTA CLARA DIVISION
5301 Stevens Creek Boulevard
Santa Clara. California 95050 U.S.A. The first equation given on page 5 of the same article should be: I = Iglú"*011
20
21
© Copr. 1949-1998 Hewlett-Packard Co.
mode digital systems perform some operations se full byte has been loaded into the shift register, a clock
rially, such as at I/O interfaces for disc memories and pulse is sent to the logic state analyzer. The clock
teletypewriter consoles. pulse causes the byte to be stored in the analyzer's
A new serial-to-parallel converter now makes it memory where it becomes available for display as one
possible to use the measurement capabilities of HP's line on the analyzer's CRT.
Model 1600A and 1607A Logic State Analyzers for Designed-in flexibility enables the converter to be
the serial data domain. This accessory, Model used for a wide variety of applications. For example,
10254A, accepts data in serial form and formats it into the shift register is bidirectional so serial data can be
a parallel word for presentation as one line on the loaded in either direction. This gives the user a choice
logic state analyzer's tabular display (Fig. 1). Just as of having the first bit appear in the most significant
with parallel data, the logic state analyzer can be set to position (LEFT) on the analyzer's display, or in the
capture and display the data sequence beginning least significant position (RIGHT), whichever is easier
with a particular word, or data leading up to the word, for him to interpret.
or data at some point downstream from the word, The length of each byte can be selected to be any
enabling the user to search out and find the part of the where from 1 to 16 bits by the BITS/BYTE selector
program where malfunctions occur. switch. Words longer than 16 bits are handled as two
Applicable too are all the other operating modes of or more sequential bytes.
the 1600A/1607A Logic State Analyzers (halt when The data stream bit that is to be loaded into the shift
the captured sequence differs from a previously register as the first bit can be determined in a number
stored sequence; indicate bit-by-bit differences be of ways. Frequently, a sync or framing pulse is avail
tween captured and stored sequences, etc.).1 When able somewhere in the machine being tested. This
the 1600A and 1607A are both used at the same time pulse can be used to initiate loading of the data
with the 10254A Serial-to-Parallel Converter, both stream. If, however, the desired data occurs some time
serial and parallel data, such as that occurring on both after the sync pulse — say following a preamble and
sides of an I/O interface, can be displayed side by side address — the BITS AFTER SYNC selector can be used to
in two tables on the 1600A display. delay data loading for a predetermined number of bits
(up to 99) after the sync pulse.
W h a t It Do e s If, on the other hand, no separate sync pulse is
The heart of the Model 10254A Serial-to-parallel available, the SYNC SEARCH mode can be used in con
Converter is a bidirectional shift register that is junction with the pattern recognition capabilities of
loaded with the serial data. The parallel outputs of the the logic state analyzer. In this mode, the serial sys
register are applied to the inputs of the logic state tem clock pulses are sent to the logic state analyzer
analyzer, and when a clock counter indicates that a continuously, causing it to read the contents of the
Qualifier 0
To
Logic
State
Analyzer
22
Technical Details
A block diagram of the serial-to-parallel converter
is shown in Fig. 2. Inputs are by way of the same type
of six-probe pod used with the Models 1600 A and
1607A Logic State Analyzers. Besides the data input,
there is a sync input, two qualifier inputs, and two
clock inputs (OR'd internally into a single clock in
put). The pod has level-sensing circuits that decide B i t 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
23
© Copr. 1949-1998 Hewlett-Packard Co.
data stream is routed to the parallel input of the shift in each stage of U2 is loaded into the adjacent stage to
register that is 7 units from the right-hand end, in this the right. The last stage output, QA, goes to the left
case input C of U2. At the same time, U2's parallel input L of Ul where it is stepped to the right in the
output QC is routed back through the selector gates to normal right-shift fashion. Thus, after seven clock
parallel input B, and QB is routed to A. pulses, the first bit loaded into C of U2 is in stage A of
Each clock pulse loads U2 in parallel, hence the bit Ul, the bit 0 position. The byte is thus right justified
when it is transferred to the logic state analyzer.
SPECIFICATIONS Acknowledgments
HP Model 10254A Serial-to-Parallel Converter Initial product definition was by Jeff Smith and
many ideas were contributed by section manager Bill
Requires an HP Model 1600A or 1607A Logic-State Analyzer to form complete
measurement unit; uses data probe supplied with logic state analyzer as input
Farnbach. Product design was by Roger Molnar.S
device.
DISPLAY FORMAT
Reference
BITS/BYTE: 1 to 16 (displayed as one line on logic-state analyzer) 1. C.T. Small and J.S. Morrill, Jr., "The Logic State
FIRST BIT (LEFT/RIGHT): formats displayed data with most significant bit left Analyzer, a Viewing Port for the Data Domain," Hewlett-
or right.
DATA SYNC
Packard Journal, August 1975.
PATTERN: synchronizes on digital pattern within serial data stream; pattern is
selected by logic state analyzer s TRIGGER WORD switches.
SYNC SEARCH: pushbutton or positive-going pulse (5V max) initiates search for
pattern sync.
EDGE: synchronizes on input probe sync signal with positive or negative edge Justin S. Morrill, Jr.
selectable. A native of Houston, Texas, Justin
DELAY (BITS AFTER SYNC): selects number ol clock pulses (0 to 99) between Morrill attended Rice University
sync signal and start of data acquisition.
BYTES/SYNC: acquires 1 to 16 bytes between sync pulses for display.
there, earning a Bachelor of Arts
PROBE degree in Science and Engmeer-
REPETITION RATE: «10 MHz in EDGE sync; «7 MHz in PATTERN sync. . . _, «ing and a Master of Electrical En
INPUT RC: 40 kii shunted by s 14 pF at probe tip. s' gineering. He then joined
INPUT THRESHOLD: ±10 V dc selected at logic state analyzer.
MINIMUM PULSE WIDTH: 40 ns at threshold.
P . ^y I Hewlett-Packard (1972), initially
SETUP TIME: 50 ns (minimum time data must be present prior to clock transition). VJtiL | working on an investigative project
HOLD transition). 0 ns (minimum time data must be present following clock transition). involving storage CRTs, then on
SYNC clock 60 ns (minimum time sync edge must precede clock the 1600A/1607A Logic State
transition corresponding to first data bit).
GENERAL
Analyzers, Since then, he has
POWER: supplied by 1600A or 1607A logic state analyzer through intercon been designing accessories for
necting data cable. the 1600A/1607A (card reader,
SIZE: 284mm W x 121mm H x 414mm D (11-3/16 x 4% x 5/16 inches). serial-to-parallel converter,
WEIGHT: 3.2 kg (7 Ib )
PRICE IN U.S.A.: 10254A, $975. Note: data probe not supplied; uses data probe
probes). When available time
from 1 600A or 1 607A Logic State Analyzer. coincides with good snow conditions, Justin enjoys cross
MANUFACTURING DIVISION: COLORADO SPRINGS DIVISION country skiing. Otherwise, he goes cross-country in his four-
1 900 Garden of the Gods Road. wheel-drive vehicle. He also does some hiking and backpack
Colorado Springs. Colorado 80907 U.S.A.
ing. He and his wife have one son, 3.
Bulk Rate
Hewlett-Packard Company, 1501 Page Mill U.S. Postage
Road, Palo Alto, California 94304 Paid
Hewlett-Packard
Company
:hange address address or delete your name from our mailing list please send us your old address label (it peels off),
CHANGEOF ADDRESS:^ id changes days. Hewlett-Packard Journal, 1501 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto. California 94304 U SA Allow 60 days.