NATIONAL Semiconductor, represented in Australia by Arrow Electronics , has released an analogue voltage monitor. The low-power SCANSTA476 analogue voltage monitor is controlled via the IEEE 1149.1 (JTAG) bus, and is capable of accurate measurement or sampling of up to eight analogue or mixed-signal input channels for verification of power supply and critical reference voltages on printed circuit boards.
It operates over a range of 0V to +5.5V. It provides 2mV of typical measurement accuracy at the full scale range of +5.5V.
By adding this component to the board, multiple point voltages can be accessed even when extensive electromagnetic interference shielding is used or there is no physical access to the board. In production test, physical access has become more difficult for traditional probing techniques, such as in-circuit or flying probe testers, yet board complexity and semiconductor packaging density continue to increase.
The SCANSTA476 enables voltage monitoring to be embedded into the electronic system, supplementing existing JTAG test techniques and permitting more advanced monitoring functions. It also extends the lifecycle of the electronic system by reducing field service and maintenance costs, while improving system availability with health monitoring features.