Thursday, December 11, 2008

Corelis Expands its Quality Assurance Program to Support Clients Using Windows XP 64-bit, Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit Version OS’s

The QA program is part of ongoing initiatives to provide its clients with unparalleled reliability and freedom of platform choice when using Corelis ScanExpress Boundary-scan Tools.

Cerritos, CA, December 11, 2008 – The Corelis Quality Assurance Department has ramped up support for future product releases by creating an enhanced Quality Assurance Test Platform (QATP) environment for expanded support of Windows XP 64-bit, Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit versions. This is to support the growing performance and migration needs of current and new clients using the Corelis ScanExpress product portfolio.

The QATP is based upon an HPC (High Performance Computing) platform supporting a scripting environment to enable greater test automation and coverage testing of Corelis boundary-scan products, before they are delivered to clients. This will enable Corelis to test broader suites of product configurations simultaneously and with greater efficiency than ever before.

“The primary benefits to our clients are versatility in how our products are utilized and uncompromising reliability right out of the box,” said George B. La Fever, CEO and President of Corelis. “This complements the exceptionally broad range of JTAG/Boundary-scan and JTAG embedded test (JET) products we currently offer by allowing our clients to freely configure their systems with confidence, in order to optimize for their own computing environment and yet still cut test costs.”

About Corelis
Corelis, Inc., a subsidiary of Electronic Warfare Associates Inc., offers the industry’s broadest line of JTAG/boundary-scan software and hardware products that combine exceptional ease-of-use with advanced technical innovation and unmatched customer service. Soon after its inception in 1991, Corelis’ innovation in JTAG/Boundary-scan Test solutions ultimately resulted in acceptance as a major and preferred vendor of JTAG tools worldwide. Corelis’ development and test tools are used by companies such as Agilent, IBM, Jabil, Rockwell, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, Nortel, Marconi, Ford, Plexus, Broadcom, Ericsson, Flextronics and many others. Today Corelis products can be found globally in every industry developing and/or manufacturing electronic products.

Corelis’ ScanExpress boundary-scan systems are used for interconnect testing as well as JTAG functional emulation test and in-system programming of Flash memories, CPLDs and FPGAs. Systems include a complete range of IEEE-1149.1-compatible boundary-scan testers for PCI, PCI-Express, 10/100 LAN, USB 2.0, cPCI/cPXI and VXI host interfaces.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Corelis Introduces Innovative IsoPod™ Accessory to Ruggedize Boundary-Scan Test Hardware for Vital Applications

The ScanTAP IsoPod™ is part of Corelis’ continuous initiative to further reduce board test costs in budget-conscious production test environments.

Cerritos, CA, December 05, 2008 – Corelis has extended its broad line of ScanExpress boundary-scan hardware controllers and accessories with the addition of the ScanTAP IsoPod. The Corelis ScanTAP IsoPod is an add-on accessory that provides a complete electrical isolation barrier between the target system and the JTAG Test Access Port (TAP). It provides electrical isolation of the JTAG controller TAP signals from the unit under test and enhances the protection of the equipment against harsh electrical environments. The digital isolation offered by the ScanTAP IsoPod protects boundary-scan controller hardware from ground potential differences that are often present in production floors and in other industrial environments. The ground potential differences are especially harmful when using computer powered USB based test and measurement equipment where the computer and the target system are powered from different AC power lines sources in a noisy industrial environment.

While the Corelis boundary-scan controllers are highly robust and reliable, its use is often extended to harsh environment conditions and where isolation is required between xthe boundary-scan controller and the target system. While electrical isolation often limits the performance of the equipment on both sides of the isolator, the ScanTAP IsoPod was designed with high speed in mind, supporting test clocks with rates up to 45 MHz. The ScanTAP IsoPod is a drop in replacement for most of the Corelis TAP cables as it utilizes the standard 20 pin universal Corelis TAP connector pinout and it eliminates signal stress that might be caused by ground loops or voltage/ground potential mismatches in the test setup.

“The ScanTAP IsoPod is useful on the manufacturing line to prevent an entire line from going down when a controller is damaged and for development where untested targets pose the highest risk of damaging the target,” said George B. La Fever, CEO and President of Corelis. La Fever added, “The ScanTAP IsoPod is compatible with Corelis ScanExpress boundary-scan and functional test tools and most Corelis boundary-scan controllers. The current global economic condition is stressing our clients’ limited budgets and we are committed to develop products that reduce their test costs.”

About Corelis
Corelis, Inc., a subsidiary of Electronic Warfare Associates Inc., offers the industry’s broadest line of JTAG/boundary-scan software and hardware products that combine exceptional ease-of-use with advanced technical innovation and unmatched customer service. Soon after its inception in 1991, Corelis’ innovation in JTAG/Boundary-scan Test solutions ultimately resulted in acceptance as a major and preferred vendor of JTAG tools worldwide. Corelis’ development and test tools are used by companies such as Agilent, IBM, Jabil, Intel, Rockwell, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Qualcomm, Nokia, Panasonic, Nortel, Marconi, Ford, Plexus, Broadcom, Ericsson, Flextronics and many others. Corelis also has ongoing strategic third-party relationships with TI, Freescale, and Seica. Today, Corelis products can be found globally in every industry developing and/or manufacturing electronic products. Corelis’ ScanExpress boundary-scan systems are used for interconnect testing as well as JTAG functional emulation test and in-system programming of Flash memories, CPLDs and FPGAs. Systems include a complete range of IEEE-1149.1-compatible boundary-scan testers for PCI, PCI-Express, 10/100 LAN, USB 2.0, cPCI/PXI and VXI host interfaces.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Corelis Expands JET (JTAG Embedded Test) Support to PowerPC 750/603E Processors and the Freescale i.MX31 Reference Board

Expansion is part of Corelis’ product development initiative to further reduce board development and test costs.

Cerritos, CA, November 20, 2008 – Corelis has expanded its innovative ScanExpress JET™ JTAG Embedded Test product line with support for PowerPC 750/603E processors and the popular Freescale i.MX31 reference board. ScanExpress JET products are used for at-speed testing of circuit boards incorporating embedded processors in order to detect and isolate subtle structural and functional problems with minimal incremental development and investment.

The PPC 750/603E, a leading member of the PowerPC architecture family, is widely deployed in aerospace and other industries. It is now one of dozens of PPC processor models in Corelis’ JET library. In addition, with support for the i.MX31 reference board, customers can use the Corelis pre-developed test procedure as a basis for developing similar tests for products based on the Freescale i.MX31 family of low power and high performance processors that are already found in millions of consumer, industrial, automotive, medical and general embedded devices.

“Our clients can now take advantage of these new ScanExpress JET capabilities to significantly enhance reliability and accelerate time to market of their consumer products such as PDAs, cell phones, and other multi-media based products,” said George B. La Fever, CEO and President of Corelis. “The JET library now contains sample functional tests for many interfaces supported with the iMX31 such as UART, I2C, 1-wire, SPI, Keypad, and TFT LCD touchscreen. We developed support for the PPC 750/603E specifically to aid one of our customers in their development of an advanced tactical military system. Corelis is committed to partnerships with our clients throughout their product development and production test phases to assist them with initiatives that reduce costs and enhance the quality of their products.” La Fever added, “The current global economic condition is stressing our clients’ limited budgets and we are focused on providing substantial economic benefit coupled with superior technical capabilities. This is also applicable to our customer support and technical services which now include free training and JET/Boundary-scan related product design and test consulting.”

About Corelis
Corelis, Inc., a subsidiary of Electronic Warfare Associates Inc., offers the industry’s broadest line of JTAG/boundary-scan software and hardware products that combine exceptional ease-of-use with advanced technical innovation and unmatched customer service. Soon after its inception in 1991, Corelis’ innovation in JTAG/Boundary-scan Test solutions ultimately resulted in acceptance as a major and preferred vendor of JTAG tools worldwide. Corelis’ development and test tools are used by companies such as Agilent, IBM, Jabil, Rockwell, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, Nortel, Marconi, Ford, Plexus, Broadcom, Ericsson, Flextronics and many others. Today Corelis products can be found globally in every industry developing and/or manufacturing electronic products.

Corelis’ ScanExpress boundary-scan systems are used for interconnect testing as well as JTAG functional emulation test and in-system programming of Flash memories, CPLDs and FPGAs. Systems include a complete range of IEEE-1149.1-compatible boundary-scan testers for PCI, PCI-Express, 10/100 LAN, USB 2.0, cPCI/cPXI and VXI host interfaces.

Source: Corelis Expands JET (JTAG Embedded Test) Support to PowerPC 750/603E Processors and the Freescale i.MX31 Reference Board

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Corelis to Showcase Latest JTAG/Boundary-scan/I2C Products at IPC International Test and Inspection Technology Conference, November 10-12, 2008

Cerritos, CA, October 28, 2008 – Corelis, Inc. announced today that it will exhibit the latest ScanExpress JTAG/Boundary-scan development and test software as well as Corelis’ ScanExpress JET Functional Emulation Test suite at the upcoming IPC International Test and Inspection Technology Conference in Santa Clara, California, USA.

Show attendees will see ScanExpress JET, which is fully integrated with Corelis’ industry-preferred ScanExpress automated boundary-scan test & development tools for unmatched test coverage on microprocessor-based boards. The Corelis ScanExpress JTAG tool suite offers exceptional flexibility and ease-of-use backed by a powerful support team dedicated to customers’ complete satisfaction and success. With a client list that reads like the international “who’s who” of technology and an acclaimed reputation for technical support, Corelis consistently exceeds client expectations.

Corelis will also display the CAS-1000-I2C high performance I2C bus analyzer, exerciser, debugger and programmer. The most feature-rich I2C bus analyzer on the market today, the CAS-1000-I2C offers unmatched capabilities in a format designed to make tedious measurements simple and effective. Corelis’ famed ease-of-use has been brought to I2C and SMBus bus analysis.

About Corelis
Corelis, Inc., a subsidiary of Electronic Warfare Associates Inc., offers the industry’s broadest line of JTAG/boundary-scan software and hardware products that combine exceptional ease-of-use with advanced technical innovation and unmatched customer service. Soon after its inception in 1991, Corelis’ innovation in JTAG/Boundary-scan Test solutions ultimately resulted in acceptance as a major and preferred vendor of JTAG tools worldwide. Corelis’ development and test tools are used by companies such as Agilent, IBM, Jabil, Rockwell, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, Nortel, Marconi, Ford, Plexus, Broadcom, Ericsson, Flextronics and many others. Today Corelis products can be found globally in every industry developing and/or manufacturing electronic products.

Corelis’ ScanExpress boundary-scan systems are used for interconnect testing as well as JTAG functional emulation test and in-system programming of Flash memories, CPLDs and FPGAs. Systems include a complete range of IEEE-1149.1-compatible boundary-scan testers for PCI, PCI-Express, 10/100 LAN, USB 2.0, cPCI/cPXI and VXI host interfaces.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Corelis joins Texas Instruments Developer Network to provide customers with JTAG and I2C solutions for DSPs and MCUs

Corelis offers significant product discounts for TI customers

Cerritos, CA, October 15, 2008 – As a new member of the Texas Instruments (TI) Developer Network, Corelis, Inc. today announced that its high-performance boundary-scan and JTAG functional emulation test tools can be used for TI’s digital signal processors (DSPs) and microcontrollers (MCU). Corelis also provides a line of advanced I2C bus analyzers / exercisers. Together these products support a wide range of TI processor-based development and test activities, making Corelis a natural choice for TI customers.

Corelis also announced that it is offering significant discounts to customers designing/testing TI processor-based products. Customers interested in purchasing ScanExpress JTAG/boundary-scan, ScanExpress JET, and CAS-1000-I2C bus analyzer products are invited to visit http://www.corelis.com/TI-customer.htm for more information. Corelis has equipped select TI engineers with complete boundary-scan / JET software suites for board bring-up, validation and tests to assist customers in their design challenges. MCU focused engineers have received CAS-1000-I2C bus analyzers / exercisers.

“We are very pleased to have Corelis join our network of DSP third party suppliers,” said Lori Vidra, eXpressDSP Development Tools marketing manager at Texas Instruments. “The Corelis ScanExpress boundary-scan test development and execution tools provide our customers with a powerful debug and test capability, covering all of our test requirements including circuit board bring-up, boundary-scan production test and programming, and comprehensive fault diagnosis. Many of our customers are already clients of both Corelis and Corelis’ sister company, Blackhawk, a leading provider of JTAG emulators for our entire line of DSP products. The addition of Corelis’ JTAG Emulation Test (ScanExpress JET) enables functional test of the most complex boards at full operating speed.”

“The Corelis CAS-1000-I2C is a useful tool for anyone developing embedded systems utilizing the I2C bus with our user-friendly, ultra-low power MSP430 microcontrollers,” said Adrian Valenzuela, TI MSP430 Applications Engineer. “The CAS tool’s flexibility has been very valuable in bus debug and compliance checking thanks to its clean, intuitive and information-rich graphical interface. We found the glitch injection feature to be especially convenient for developers who need to get their MCU-based systems up and running quickly. We are very pleased to feature Corelis’ products in our Developer Network catalog.”

“The collaboration between TI and Corelis comes at a most opportune time,” said George B. La Fever, CEO and President of Corelis. “TI is well-known for its dedication to providing its customers with superior products and support. By cooperating with TI and becoming part of the industry’s most qualified group of IC development and support vendors, Corelis will demonstrate to our mutual customers why we are a preferred provider of innovative test products and acclaimed technical support. Additionally, TI will be able to further support their customers effectively with these new tools.”

About the Texas Instruments Developer Network
Corelis is a member of the TI Developer Network, a community of respected, well-established companies offering products and services based on TI analog and digital technology. The Network provides a broad range of end-equipment solutions, embedded software, engineering services and development tools that help customers accelerate innovation to make the world smarter, healthier, safer, greener and more fun.

About Corelis
Corelis, Inc., a subsidiary of Electronic Warfare Associates Inc., offers the industry’s broadest line of JTAG/boundary-scan software and hardware products that combine exceptional ease-of-use with advanced technical innovation and unmatched customer service. Soon after its inception in 1991, Corelis’ innovation in JTAG/Boundary-scan Test solutions ultimately resulted in acceptance as a major and preferred vendor of JTAG tools worldwide. Corelis’ development and test tools are used by companies such as Agilent, IBM, Jabil, Rockwell, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, Nortel, Marconi, Ford, Plexus, Broadcom, Ericsson, Flextronics and many others. Today Corelis products can be found globally in every industry developing and/or manufacturing electronic products.

Corelis’ ScanExpress boundary-scan systems are used for interconnect testing as well as JTAG functional emulation test and in-system programming of Flash memories, CPLDs and FPGAs. Systems include a complete range of IEEE-1149.1-compatible boundary-scan testers for PCI, PCI-Express, 10/100 LAN, USB 2.0, cPCI/cPXI and VXI host interfaces.

Source: Corelis joins Texas Instruments Developer Network to provide customers with JTAG and I2C solutions for DSPs and MCUs

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Frost & Sullivan Movers & Shakers Interview with George B. La Fever, President and Chief Executive Officer, Corelis, Inc...

Sujan Sami: Could you brief me about Corelis, Inc. and its activities?
George B. La Fever: Corelis, Inc. was founded in 1991 and introduced our first JTAG boundary-scan products in 1998. We have been leaders and innovators in this international market ever since. Our customers range from start-up companies to those at the top of the Fortune 500. Just over two years ago, Corelis became part of Electronic Warfare Associates, Inc., (EWA) a broad-based technology company providing professional engineering services and specialized products to both U.S. and international customers.


Sujan: Could you highlight on the acceptance and adoption of boundary scan technology in the T&M market?
George: The factors that drove the creation and steady growth of boundary-scan as a viable market beginning in the 1990s have not abated. Test access, time-to-market, and cost issues are more pronounced now than ever. We expect the growing deployment of boundary-scan where reliability, high quality, and strong cost-performance are mandatory. Furthermore, the continuing industry interest in boundary-scan is evident from the number and vitality of related industry standardization projects and initiatives. Corelis is an active participant in a number of industry standards (e.g., 1149.x, 1687) and other initiatives (e.g., INEMI Boundary-Scan Adoption Project).

Sujan: The battle for the choice of platform continues. Frost & Sullivan believes that in future, vendors in the T&M world will have to co-exist, and play it safe and nice. The trend toward hybrid test system isexpected to be the norm in the future. What is your view on this going forward?
George:
No one test technology is capable of providing customers with everything they need, and no single company today has the home-grown products for all the major technologies. So we certainly agree that cooperation across vendors with complementary platforms is necessary and desirable. We already do that and we'll continue to do so. For example, we recently announced a partnership with Seica, Inc., to integrate their ICT and flying probe systems with our boundary-scan and functional test products. Seica told us that they have experienced an increased demand for such integration in order to both improve test coverage and decrease overall test cost. These are the sort of benefits that customers get when test industry leaders work together.

Sujan: What interesting market and technology trends do you see that are shaping the future of boundary scan market?
George: Two years ago Corelis was the first company to introduce JTAG Embedded Functional Test (JET) technology to supplement standard boundary-scan capabilities. This technology allows our customers to easily generate at-speed tests which can help them detect signal integrity issues and other problems that traditional boundary-scan cannot. For years we have also worked with complementary partner companies to integrate our tools into other environments for more comprehensive and cost-effective test solutions. Our customers continue to tell us about applications where JTAG-based methodologies can help them, and we are devoting both marketing and R&D resources to pursue them.

Sujan: What are the growth rates do you see for the overall boundary-scan board test market?
George: We anticipate an approximate growth rate of 6%-8% per year into the mid term. Clearly, growth in the larger electronics market greatly influences any corresponding change in the board test market. We think that the boundary-scan's portion of the board test market will remain relatively stable perhaps growing very slightly compared to other board test methods.

Sujan: What efforts are you taking to drive the awareness levels up among end-users?
George: We are participating in the INEMI Boundary-Scan Adoption Project. This is a two-phased approach that will first attempt to measure current levels of boundary-scan awareness and adoption and then to take steps to increase boundary-scan's marketplace acceptance. But we expect this project to take at least a couple of years before bearing fruit, and we are not simply standing by and waiting. We are launching what we call the “Boundary-Scan University” to educate the industry about the value of boundary-scan and teach useful boundary-scan tools and techniques. Our first step in this direction has been to offer our existing training courses at no charge, and we will follow suit as we add more courses to the BSU curriculum.

Sujan: What do you feel are some of the barriers to adoption of boundary scan technology?
George: Boundary-scan needs to fit the development and test economics of board manufacturers. It does in this regard for the higher-end, complex designs where testability is most likely paramount. In contrast to ICT, where a bed-of-nails fixture can be designed without much up-front design consideration, boundary-scan requires that designers invest some time, a bit of board real estate, and some level of cost to improve testability. In consumer markets where product cost and time-to-market are the highest consideration, boundary-scan may be a more difficult proposition.

Sujan: How many players compete in this market? Do you see the number of players increasing/decreasing?
George: Today we see three main competitors in our market segment. There are other vendors in the lower market segments that we rarely directly compete. We don't expect this to change much in the near to mid term. The market probably isn't large enough or growing quickly enough to accommodate additional players without significant risk.
Sujan: What have you identified as some of the prime factors for success in this competitive market space?
George: We think the primary success factor is to know, understand and provide timely and innovative solutions to our customer needs. This fundamental approach is no different than any other business. Working closely with customers allows us to continue to adapt to the various board test technologies, applications, and environments that our customers face. We take considerable pride in both our products and our best-in-class customer support. We also clearly recognize the need to work closely with the rest of the industry ecosystem in order to make sure that our tools work well with others and fit properly into the overall market niche. For example, we are now members of Texas Instruments' Third Party programs for both their DSP and Microcontroller devices. By establishing a close relationship with silicon vendors, our products and services can be more in tune with new chip technology and thus better serve our mutual customers.

Sujan: What have been your biggest challenges as the President & CEO of Corelis and how have you re-aligned your strategies to overcome them?
George: The issues facing us now are primarily directed to improvements in infrastructure which will allow us to accommodate growth and change without an appreciable loss in effectiveness, efficiency, or the lengthening of our decision cycle. Our near-term strategies are unchanged. We intend to continue to produce quality boundary-scan products that are based on our customer's stated needs coupled with the best customer support that we can possibly provide.

Sujan: What do you, as President & CEO of Corelis, Inc., want to accomplish in the next couple of years? How would you define success for yourself?
George: Corelis' success will depend on its ability to sustain the existing product line while developing, launching and sustaining other major product lines within the next three to five years. My primary function is to facilitate this goal with: improved infrastructure capabilities and processes; enhanced sales models; disciplined decision making models; and, a full transition to a marketing/sales centric business unit.

Source: Frost & Sullivan Movers & Shakers Interview with George B. La Fever, President and Chief Executive Officer, Corelis, Inc...

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Corelis to Showcase Latest JTAG/Boundary-scan/I2C Products at Three Industry Tradeshows in October and November 2008

Corelis will exhibit at the International Test Conference, Oct. 28-30, Santa Clara, CA; IPC International Test and Inspection Conference, Nov. 10-12, Santa Clara, CA; and Electronica, Munich, Germany, Nov. 11-14.

Cerritos, CA, October 8, 2008 – Corelis, Inc. announced today that it will exhibit the latest ScanExpress JTAG/Boundary-scan development and test software as well as Corelis’ ScanExpress JET Functional Emulation Test suite at upcoming tradeshows in Santa Clara, CA, USA and Munich, Germany.

Show attendees will see ScanExpress JET, which is fully integrated with Corelis’ industry-preferred ScanExpress automated boundary-scan test & development tools for unmatched test coverage on microprocessor-based boards.

The Corelis ScanExpress JTAG tool suite offers exceptional flexibility and ease-of-use backed by a powerful support team dedicated to customers’ complete satisfaction and success. With a client list that reads like the international “who’s who” of technology and an acclaimed reputation for technical support, Corelis consistently exceeds client expectations.

Corelis will also display the CAS-1000-I2C high performance I2C bus analyzer, exerciser, debugger and programmer. The most feature-rich I2C bus analyzer on the market today, the CAS-1000-I2C offers unmatched capabilities in a format designed to make tedious measurements simple and effective. Corelis’ famed ease-of-use has been brought to I2C and SMBus bus analysis.

In response to client interest in TI DSPs, Blackhawk, Inc. is exhibiting TI DSP JTAG Emulators jointly with Corelis at ITC and Electronica. Blackhawk is Corelis’ sister company under the corporate umbrella of EWA, Inc.

  • International Test Conference, Oct. 28-30, 2008. Santa Clara, CA. Booth # 610.
  • International Test and Inspection Conference, Nov. 10-12, 2008. Santa Clara, CA. Tabletop display in exhibits area.
  • Electronica, Nov. 11-14, 2008. Munich, Germany. Corelis Distributor- A.R. Bayer DSP Systeme GmbH Area A6- Booth # 611

About Corelis
Corelis, Inc., a subsidiary of Electronic Warfare Associates Inc., offers the industry’s broadest line of JTAG/boundary-scan software and hardware products that combine exceptional ease-of-use with advanced technical innovation and unmatched customer service. Soon after its inception in 1991, Corelis’ innovation in JTAG/Boundary-scan Test solutions ultimately resulted in acceptance as a major and preferred vendor of JTAG tools worldwide. Corelis’ development and test tools are used by companies such as Agilent, IBM, Jabil, Rockwell, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, Nortel, Marconi, Ford, Plexus, Broadcom, Ericsson, Flextronics and many others. Today Corelis products can be found globally in every industry developing and/or manufacturing electronic products.

Corelis’ ScanExpress boundary-scan systems are used for interconnect testing as well as JTAG functional emulation test and in-system programming of Flash memories, CPLDs and FPGAs. Systems include a complete range of IEEE-1149.1-compatible boundary-scan testers for PCI, PCI-Express, 10/100 LAN, USB 2.0, cPCI/cPXI and VXI host interfaces.

Source: Corelis to Showcase Latest JTAG/Boundary-scan/I2C Products at Three Industry Tradeshows in October and November 2008

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Corelis Advances Industry Initiatives to Promote and Improve Circuit Test

JTAG solutions provider
supports IEEE standardization efforts and INEMI program

Cerritos, CA, October 2, 2008 - Corelis announced today that it is providing key support to several industry-wide efforts to advance industry-wide electronic circuit test technology and increase the adoption of boundary-scan methodology. Corelis is helping guide the IEEE 1149.7 and IEEE 1687 standards and is an active participant in International Electronics Manufacturers Initiative (iNEMI) Boundary Scan Adoption Project.

George B. La Fever, President and CEO of Corelis, said, “Our clients, and electronics companies in general, are continually looking for ways to improve testability in response to the rising complexity and component density of their products. At many companies, technology advances can impede test quality and result in higher test costs. Corelis is pleased to be able to apply our unique test expertise and years of experience, toward defining new standards that can alleviate challenging test issues. We also support the iNEMI program to encourage the adoption of boundary-scan as one of today’s most effective ways to reduce test costs and improve product quality.”

IEEE Standard 1149.7
Corelis is actively supporting both the development and the adoption of the IEEE 1149.7 standard, which is expected to be ratified in early 2009. IEEE 1149.7 is a complementary and compatible superset of IEEE 1149.1 (JTAG) that reduces the test interface pin-count from four to only two using the IEEE 1149.7 standard. Despite this impressive economy which is sure to appeal to IC vendors and board designers alike, IEEE 1149.7 also provides powerful extensions, addressing System-on-Chip (SoC) architecture challenges, including scan performance for boards with multi-core devices, power domains, varied device connection topologies and background data transfers. To achieve higher performance for multi-core and other complex IC and packaging applications, the IEEE 1149.7 offers chip-level bypass mechanisms to shorten scan chains, greatly improving the debugging experience.

“IEEE 1149.7 is well on its way to ratification next year and is now being implemented by a number of IC companies,” according to Stephen Lau, emulation technology product manager, Texas Instruments (TI) and a key IEEE 1149.7 proponent. “Corelis, with its years of JTAG experience, has made significant contributions to the emerging standard, and we are very pleased that Corelis will back the standard with its full complement of outstanding products and support when IEEE 1149.7 is ready for deployment.”

Internal JTAG (IEEE P1687)
Corelis is engaged in defining the industry-wide initiative IEEE P1687, commonly referred to as IJTAG (Internal JTAG). IJTAG is a draft standard for access and control of instrumentation embedded within an integrated circuit. The drive for the standard grows from the realization by electronics manufacturers that external design validation; testing and debug technologies are simply running out of gas. More and more chip manufacturers are embedding instruments into silicon as the most practical way of providing the necessary control and observation of both component and system behaviors. Without an accepted standard, however, these instruments require custom, dissimilar management and configuration tools, and devising an integrated solution for board and system-level test becomes increasingly difficult. IJTAG proposes a methodology for access to embedded test and debug features (while not specifying the features themselves) through the IEEE 1149.1 TAP (Test Access Port). The elements of the methodology include a description language for the characteristics of, and communication with, the embedded instruments, and hardware requirements for interfacing to the features.

“IEEE P1687 creates an open ecosystem for deployment of embedded instruments to enhance coverage of IC, board, and system development and test,” according to Kenneth Posse, chairman of the IEEE P1687 Working Group. “Corelis has a broad client base and thus one of its key contributions is to help ensure that IJTAG truly meets both the business and technical needs of the industry at large.”

iNEMI Boundary-Scan Adoption Project
Corelis was already a committed member of the iNEMI Boundary-Scan Adoption Project when it was officially launched earlier this year. The project’s ultimate objective is to broaden the use of boundary-scan across the electronics industry. The initial phase will consist of an industry survey to determine the state of, and obstacles to, adoption. After the survey results have been analyzed and published, the project team will define and initiate actions to address any significant obstacles.

Stated Jim McElroy, iNEMI CEO, “Boundary-scan is clearly a cornerstone technology of today’s circuit board test and, given the inevitable increases in board density, compounded by the universal mandate to keep test expenditures down, we expect boundary-scan will become even more essential in the future. By assuming a key role in our Boundary-Scan Adoption Project, Corelis is fostering cooperation among both complementary and competitive participants, toward iNEMI’s goal of providing industry-standard solutions that will help advance manufacturing technology.”

About Corelis
Corelis, Inc., a subsidiary of Electronic Warfare Associates Inc., offers the industry’s broadest line of JTAG/boundary-scan software and hardware products that combine exceptional ease-of-use with advanced technical innovation and unmatched customer service. Soon after its inception in 1991, Corelis’ innovation in JTAG/Boundary-scan Test solutions ultimately resulted in acceptance as a major and preferred vendor of JTAG tools worldwide. Corelis’ development and test tools are used by companies such as Agilent, IBM, Jabil, Rockwell, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, Nortel, Marconi, Ford, Plexus, Broadcom, Ericsson, Flextronics and many others. Today Corelis products can be found globally in every industry developing and/or manufacturing electronic products.

Corelis’ ScanExpress boundary-scan systems are used for interconnect testing as well as JTAG functional emulation test and in-system programming of Flash memories, CPLDs and FPGAs. Systems include a complete range of IEEE-1149.1-compatible boundary-scan testers for PCI, PCI-Express, 10/100 LAN, USB 2.0, cPCI/cPXI and VXI host interfaces.

Source: Corelis Advances Industry Initiatives to Promote and Improve Circuit Test

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Corelis Offers Free JTAG/Boundary-Scan Training

JTAG solutions provider initiates an expanded training program to accommodate those interested in test techniques addressing complex, high density board designs.

Cerritos, CA, September 25, 2008 - Corelis announced today that there is now an expanded free three-day Boundary-Scan/JTAG training program at their company headquarters in Cerritos, California, for clients who require a comprehensive introduction and/or review of Boundary-Scan basics and hands-on experience generating and running tests. This program is in addition to free half-day seminars Corelis holds regularly at various venues domestically and internationally.

George La Fever, Corelis President and CEO remarked, “We are determined about establishing Corelis as a reliable and knowledgeable source for all that our clients need to achieve success with JTAG/Boundary-scan tools. In fact, our clients unanimously praise us for our responsive, qualified technical support. Now, we are initiating an expansion of our training capabilities to pass this asset of knowledge on to our clients and clients-to-be. In fact, we expect to soon announce an even further expansion of Corelis’ training curriculum to offer a comprehensive, course-based academic program related to JTAG, Boundary-scan and additional Corelis products now in development.”

Ideal for both new and occasional users who want to quickly upgrade their skills, the three day basic training program features an expanded selection of courses for design, development and test engineers who want to further develop their expertise towards achieving higher test quality and lowering test cost.

Topics covered in the class include:

  • Introduction to boundary-scan

  • Design for boundary-scan testability Guidelines

  • Design for boundary-scan In-System Programming Strategy

  • Test generation and testing methods for boundary-scan-based designs

  • Test program generation methodology

  • Test program execution plan

  • Test program interactive debugging concepts

  • At-speed embedded functional testing using an on-board JTAG-based CPU

  • In-system programming of CPLDs and Flash memories tutorial

  • Hands-on individual lab exercises using real units under test (UUTs) that will teach you:

  • How to generate and execute interconnect tests

  • How to test memory interconnects

  • How to test logic clusters

  • How to use an embedded processor’s JTAG port for embedded functional testing

  • How to program CPLDs and Flash memories in circuit

  • How to troubleshoot a test procedure

For additional schedule and registration information about these seminars and training classes, please contact: training@corelis.com +1 (562) 926-6727

  • Classes are subject to cancellation two weeks prior to start date.

  • Classes held at the Corelis facility are no-charge.

  • On-site training classes are available. Contact your Corelis Sales Engineer or sales@corelis.com for scheduling and pricing information.

About Corelis
Corelis, Inc., a subsidiary of Electronic Warfare Associates Inc., offers the industry’s broadest line of JTAG/boundary-scan software and hardware products that combine exceptional ease-of-use with advanced technical innovation and unmatched customer service. Soon after its inception in 1991, Corelis’ innovation in JTAG/Boundary-scan Test solutions ultimately resulted in acceptance as a major and preferred vendor of JTAG tools worldwide. Corelis’ development and test tools are used by companies such as Agilent, IBM, Jabil, Rockwell, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, Nortel, Marconi, Ford, Plexus, Broadcom, Ericsson, Flextronics and many others. Today Corelis products can be found globally in every industry developing and/or manufacturing electronic products.

Corelis’ ScanExpress boundary-scan systems are used for interconnect testing as well as JTAG functional emulation test and in-system programming of Flash memories, CPLDs and FPGAs. Systems include a complete range of IEEE-1149.1-compatible boundary-scan testers for PCI, PCI-Express, 10/100 LAN, USB 2.0, cPCI/cPXI and VXI host interfaces.

Source: Corelis Offers Free JTAG/Boundary-Scan Training

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Corelis Releases Latest Version of its Boundary-Scan Tool Suite FeaturingFully Integrated JTAG Functional Emulation Test

Corelis’ ScanExpress JET, functional emulation test has been fully integrated with its industry-preferred ScanExpress automated boundary-scan test & development tools for unprecedented test coverage on microprocessor-based boards

Cerritos, CA, September 18, 2008 - Corelis Inc., a leading supplier of high-performance boundary-scan and JTAG functional emulation test tools, today announced that Corelis has just released the latest version of its powerful ScanExpress Boundary-Scan Tool Suite. The new Version 6.6 now combines ScanExpress JET with the uniquely expanded capabilities of both ScanExpressTPG test development and ScanExpress Runner test execution software. These developments represent a quantum leap in automatic circuit board testing.

The JTAG Emulation Test (JET) method extends coverage beyond popular boundary-scan techniques to virtually every signal of the UUT that is accessible by on-board CPU(s). This includes most of the remaining non-scanable, analog and I/O port resources. It also runs full-speed functional verification without requiring modifications to the circuit or its onboard firmware.

The seamless integration of JTAG Functional Emulation Test with boundary-scan also now includes support for Corelis’ sister company Blackhawk’s JTAG Emulators, a preferred solution for testing TI DSP devices.

The benefits of Corelis ScanExpress JET, applicable for both the development and production phases, include:
  • Improved test coverage and fault diagnostics
  • One test station and GUI for boundary-scan (structural) test, functional at-speed test, and in-system programming (ISP)
  • Dramatic reduction in the time it takes to develop functional tests
  • Reduced use of costly ICTs and fixtures
  • Fast device programming
  • "Dead" board debug
  • Complete interactive control/visibility of the UUT resources

In conjunction with inputs from its clients, the Corelis engineering team has responded quickly to address and resolve some of the most time-consuming aspects of functional emulation test generation and execution. For example, JET preparation data is now automatically imported from ScanExpressTPG, saving development time and eliminating manual errors.

An appreciated element of its unique high-value program, Corelis also offers free training to its clients so they may immediately make good use of the many new features and innovations now available.

About Corelis
Corelis Inc., a subsidiary of Electronic Warfare Associates Inc., offers the industry’s broadest line of JTAG/boundary-scan software and hardware products that combine exceptional ease-of-use with advanced technical innovation and unmatched customer service. Corelis’ ScanExpress boundary-scan systems are used for interconnect testing as well as JTAG functional emulation test and in-system programming of Flash memories, CPLDs and FPGAs. Systems include a complete range of IEEE-1149.1-compatible boundary-scan testers for PCI, PCI-Express, PC-Card, 10/100 LAN, USB 2.0, cPCI/cPXI, PC Card and VXI host interfaces. Corelis also offers I2C and 629 bus analyzers and provides custom test engineering services.

Source: Corelis Releases Latest Version of its Boundary-Scan Tool Suite FeaturingFully Integrated JTAG Functional Emulation Test

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Corelis Headquarters Expansion Is Fueled By Increasing Demand For Its JTAG Products And Services...

Unprecedented Client Response to Corelis’ ScanExpress JTAG/Boundary-Scan Solutions and ServicesRequires Additional Staff to Augment Vital Product Development and Client Support Services

Cerritos, CA, September 11, 2008 – Corelis Inc., a leading supplier of high-performance boundary-scan and JTAG functional emulation test tools, announced today the expansion of its existing facility by over 30% in order to effectively meet its clients’ demands for solutions to demanding new test requirements. Always in a vanguard role on behalf of many clients at the leading edge of technologies addressing communications, electronics manufacturing, computers, consumer products, etc., Corelis has made a substantial investment to insure that its clients continue to receive the unparalleled products and services they have become accustomed to.

"The push behind our expansion is due to an increase in customer demand as well as the need to expand our existing research and development departments," said George La Fever, President & CEO of Corelis. "With the new space we will be able to serve the needs of our current clients plus have additional capacity available to support prospective clients who prefer Corelis for timely and robust JTAG/boundary-scan Solutions. Furthermore, we will have the room to expand our headquarters training facility to offer a substantially broadened curriculum. And, by the way, we currently offer our clients training here at no cost to them."

The facility expansion will also house Corelis’ expanded quality program, DFT support group and a section specifically organized to participate in industry standards initiatives.

About Corelis
Corelis, Inc., a subsidiary of Electronic Warfare Associates Inc., offers the industry’s broadest line of JTAG/boundary-scan software and hardware products that combine exceptional ease-of-use with advanced technical innovation and unmatched customer service. Corelis’ ScanExpress boundary-scan systems are used for interconnect testing as well as JTAG functional emulation test and in-system programming of Flash memories, CPLDs and FPGAs. Systems include a complete range of IEEE-1149.1-compatible boundary-scan testers for PCI, PCI-Express, PC-Card, 10/100 LAN, USB 2.0, cPCI/cPXI, PC Card and VXI host interfaces. Corelis also offers a full-line of JTAG emulation and debugging tools and provides custom test engineering services.