What is NI TestStand?
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Overview
NI TestStand is ready-to-run test management software designed to help you develop automated test and validation systems faster. You can use NI TestStand to develop, execute, and deploy test system software. With NI TestStand, you can develop test sequences that integrate code modules written in any test programming language. Sequences also specify execution flow, reporting, database logging, and connectivity to other enterprise systems. Finally, you can deploy test systems to production with easy-to-use operator interfaces.
Table of Contents
Developing Test Systems with NI TestStand
NI TestStand includes the Sequence Editor development environment for automated test system development, as seen in Figure 1.
Figure 1. The NI TestStand Sequence Editor helps you develop automated test systems faster.
With the Sequence Editor, you can create test sequences, which automate the execution of code modules written in any programming language. Each code module executes a test on the device under test and returns measurement information to NI TestStand. You can log test result information in a report or database automatically. In addition, systems written in NI TestStand can integrate with source code control, requirements management, and data management systems.
Deploying Test Systems with NI TestStand
After development is complete, you can use NI TestStand to deploy automated test systems to production. NI TestStand helps deployment by providing simple operator interfaces that can execute the test system and reduce operator error. You can create operator interfaces, like the one seen in Figure 2, in a number of different programming languages to meet a variety of application requirements.
Figure 2. You can create simple operator interfaces to execute test systems.
NI TestStand also offers a deployment utility, which helps you create a distribution of code modules, test sequences, and related files. You can copy this distribution to a central code repository or directly to a production machine, or you can include it in an installer.
Where Would I Use NI TestStand
NI TestStand automates a sequence of steps. These steps can be individual tests, measurements, actions, or commands. Any application needing automation of executable pieces of code can benefit from the use of NI TestStand. NI TestStand was designed to address four key areas: (1) simplify complex sequence development; (2) accelerate complex sequence development; (3) increase code and test system reusability and maintenance; and (4) improve test system execution performance. This has led to its adoption in consumer electronics for validation and manufacturing test, military and aerospace applications, the medical industry, as well as IC characterization and simple code sequencing.
Figure 3. This diagram shows where NI TestStand fits into the development and manufacturing cycle.
Read more in the “Where Would I Use NI TestStand?” white paper.
NI TestStand in the Electronics Industry
The electronics industry has to meet very high test-throughput challenges. Device production can increase very quickly, requiring test systems to scale and test more units in less time. Using NI TestStand, engineers in the electronics industry can develop test systems quickly to reduce time to market. NI TestStand parallel test features also help engineers develop scalable test systems that can increase, as necessary, the number of devices tested in parallel.
NI TestStand in the Aerospace and Defense Industry
Engineers in the aerospace industry face the challenge of testing some of the most complex and innovative devices today. With NI TestStand, engineers can rely on a commercial off-the-shelf tool that is compatible with industry standards such as ATML [http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/3893], IVI, PXI, ATLAS, and others. In addition, the modular architecture of NI TestStand helps reduce obsolescence by supporting the execution of both legacy and next-generation programming languages in the same test system.
Conclusion
NI TestStand offers a flexible and powerful framework for developing, managing, and executing test systems. The components of NI TestStand work together and seamlessly integrate the features of enterprise systems and software.
As test management software, NI TestStand delivers easy integration of independent test modules into a testing framework. With this easy integration, you can focus on developing tests instead of the test framework needed to build the test system.
NI TestStand is an integral part of any test where accelerated development, code reusability, improved performance, and automation is desired. NI TestStand offers a ready-to-run yet fully customizable environment for developing and managing test systems.
Try NI TestStand by downloading the evaluation version.
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