FIELD NOTES
Get better at hardware test.
Guides, tutorials, and best practices to help you build better hardware tests.
- Test Types & Methods
PCBA Functional Testing: A Complete Guide
PCBA functional test with Python: what to measure, how to structure the procedure, fixture and instrument plugs, and tracking yield per measurement.
- Test Types & Methods
Use Thermal Imaging in Production Test
Learn how to find resistive joints and shorts with an IR camera under DC current, recording ROI temperatures and images on every unit in TofuPilot.
- Test Types & Methods
Stress Screening (ESS): A Complete Guide
Learn what environmental stress screening is, how it differs from HALT and HASS, and how to set screen levels and record every screen in TofuPilot.
- Test Types & Methods
Why Is My Motor Test Showing Current Spikes?
Learn why a brushless motor bench shows current spikes, from throttle steps to regen and supply foldback, and how to fix each cause and record the evidence.
- Test Types & Methods
Ramp Motor Throttle Safely on a Test Bench
Learn how to ramp brushless motor throttle on a test bench with DShot from a microcontroller, abort limits and a teardown that always stops the motors.
- Test Types & Methods
Track Repair and Rework Data
Learn how to structure OpenHTF tests so repair loops, rework actions, and retests all link to the same serial number in TofuPilot.
- Test Types & Methods
Design for Testability: PCB Best Practices
Design for testability on PCBs: test points, boundary scan, debug access and firmware hooks that make a board cheap to test in production.
- Test Types & Methods
Motor and Actuator Testing
Learn how to automate motor and actuator production tests, capture torque, speed, and vibration data, and track results with TofuPilot.
- Test Types & Methods
Write a Functional Test Spec for PCBA
Learn how to build a functional test specification for PCBA production, map schematic nets to measurements with datasheet-derived limits, and translate to.
- Test Types & Methods
Track PCBA Results Across Lines
Learn how to tag OpenHTF test runs with station, line, factory, and shift metadata, then compare first pass yield across production lines using TofuPilot.
- Test Types & Methods
HIL vs SIL vs MIL Testing: When to Use Each
Compare MIL, SIL and HIL testing on cost, speed and fidelity, with Python examples where only the plug changes between the three levels.
- Test Types & Methods
Design an End-of-Line Operator Screen
An EOL operator screen must be fast, clear, and error-proof. Learn how to design the interface for end-of-line test stations.
