Can Boundary Scan be used for Analog?

[benn]

As I understand, Boundary Scan compliant devices can be used for to
make sure you don't have any shorts or opens between boundary scan
devices... but what about analog functionality?

For example, if a 1149.1 compliant microcontrollers has a built-in D/
A, can a ATPG test be written such that the full analog swing of the
pin can be tested? Or is TDI/TDO restricted to logic levels only
and arn't meant for analog testing?

If not, anyone know if the new JTAG standards coming down the road
(1149.7, P1587) will have such support? I'd like to use a board test
that actually tests some board functionality logic instead of just
shorts/opens!

 

[Muzaffer Kal]

On Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:18:18 -0700 (PDT), benn <benn686@hotmail.com>
wrote:

As I understand, Boundary Scan compliant devices can be used for to
make sure you don't have any shorts or opens between boundary scan
devices... but what about analog functionality?

For example, if a 1149.1 compliant microcontrollers has a built-in D/
A, can a ATPG test be written such that the full analog swing of the
pin can be tested? Or is TDI/TDO restricted to logic levels only
and arn't meant for analog testing?

If not, anyone know if the new JTAG standards coming down the road
(1149.7, P1587) will have such support? I'd like to use a board test
that actually tests some board functionality logic instead of just
shorts/opens!

Boundary scan is mainly for shorts/opens in digital connections as you
say and 1149.1 doesn't even support testing of analog interfaces for
those problems. There is work being done in 1149.4 to add analog
connections to the mix and try to detect short/opens, missing
terminations etc. for analog pins too but that still doesn't do what
you want in terms of testing full swing of a DAC. I don't think what
you're asking is a feature of the boundary scan to deliver. Testing
the functionality of a DAC should be done after the chip has been
packaged which is quite a time ahead of it getting assembled on a
board. You seem to want to do mixed-signal device testing and that's
not what boundary scan is for even in the form where it supports
analog pins.
Here is a link for 1149.4 http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/1149/4/