FIELD NOTES
Get better at hardware test.
Guides, tutorials, and best practices to help you build better hardware tests.
- Quality & Process Control
What Is SPC (Statistical Process Control)
SPC uses production test data to separate normal variation from real problems. Learn the core tools, how they connect, and how TofuPilot automates SPC.
- Getting Started
How to Write a Hardware Test Plan
Structure a hardware test plan from EVT to production: map requirements to stages, set limits from data, and implement it as a TofuPilot procedure.
- Quality & Process Control
What Is IQC, IPQC, FQC, and OQC
IQC, IPQC, FQC and OQC are the four quality gates in manufacturing. What each catches, how AQL sampling works, and how to track yield per gate.
- Scaling & Monitoring
Track Equipment Calibration
Validate instrument calibration status before every test run. Track calibration dates as metadata and catch expired calibrations before they corrupt your data.
- Test Station Setup
What Is an Operator Interface
An operator interface is the screen a technician uses to run a test. What it must show, what it must prevent, and how to build one without frontend work.
- Instrument Control
Automate a Rigol Power Supply
Automate a Rigol power supply from Python: SCPI control, safe output sequencing, and recording load measurements in a test procedure.
- Getting Started
Add Measurements with Limits
Add measurements with limits in TofuPilot: numeric, string and boolean validators, one-sided limits, units, and what makes a measurement useful later.
- Concepts & Methodology
Predictive Maintenance from Test Data
Learn how to use production test data trends in TofuPilot to predict equipment failures and schedule maintenance before downtime occurs.
- Scaling & Monitoring
Test Station Monitoring and Performance
Learn how to monitor test station health, track uptime metrics, and detect performance degradation using TofuPilot analytics.
- Test Data & Analytics
What Is Test Observability
Test observability gives full visibility into what your test systems are doing, why they fail, and how they perform. Learn how it applies to manufacturing test.
- Concepts & Methodology
What Is Design Validation Testing
Design validation testing (DVT) confirms a product meets its design requirements. Learn how to structure DVT in Python and track results with TofuPilot.
- Migrating from Legacy Systems
Migrate from Custom Test Databases
Replace your custom PostgreSQL, SQLite, or Access test database with structured test data collection using OpenHTF and TofuPilot.
