What Is Athena?

Athena is a test platform. It includes

   -Analog resources (test resistors, inductors, diodes, FETs, transistors, measure voltages, etc).

   -Digital resources (programmable logic levels, use to test digital circuitry).

   -TAP port switches / isolators (maintain isolation during unpowered testing, connect external programmers).

   -Power relays.

   -Mechanics necessary to actuate a unit-under-test onto the spring loaded contacts.

   -Connections for external power supplies.

The Athena platform is essentially a small-scale in-circuit tester with a boundary scan heart. Each test platform has its place. In-circuit, flying probe, boundary scan, X-Ray, MDA, etc. Each also has its drawbacks.

If you are a contract manufacturer, you are aware of the high entry price for any of the pieces of test equipment listed above. This makes it difficult for the majority of CMs to justify the expense. It also makes it difficult for these CMs to compete for business from customers looking for these capabilities.

If you are a product designer, you know that the capabilities of your manufacturing services provider affect the quality of the product they deliver. If your product is designed, built, and delivered without test, many fingers point at each other in attempts to explain fallout. If your product is tested functionally, your manufacturing services provider will typically inflate pricing to accommodate troubleshooting failures due to low diagnostic resolution. Additionally, because of the relatively wide array of test equipment to choose from, it is common for competing CMs to have completely different equipment. If you take advantage of the equipment at one CM, you run the risk of locking yourself in to a single supplier.

The Athena platform is intended to fill niches for both CMs and product designers. The Athena is versatile enough to work with power supplies, heavily digital, and mixed-signal designs. It is priced aggressively enough for most companies to treat as an operating expense rather than a capital expenditure requiring multiple layers of approval. It does not require compressed air, vacuum, or 3-phase power. It requires only a PC, power supplies, and a small amount of space on a bench (roughly 12" deep and 18" wide).