Bermondsey Electronics, an embedded systems design and test house, has witnessed first-hand the many trials and tribulations engineers have encountered when testing hardware and software during design cycles. They decided to do something about it. The company launched the Bermondsey Electronics Limited Integration Verification Engine (BELIeVE), a JavaScript-based integration verification engine that automates the operation of networkable instrumentation to exercise a device under test (DUT), and verify that its hardware and software are functioning together as intended.
According to the company, BELIeVE can also be used for continuous integration (CI) and end-of-line quality assurance in manufacturing scenarios.
The BELIeVE program builds on the well-proven test-driven development (TDD) methodology, with which engineers will be familiar. It enables the user to directly hook up his or her test hardware and the product being tested, to create a simulated environment in which the DUT can operate.
When the user hooks up the test equipment and loads the program on his or her PC, the BELIeVE program, using JavaScript, runs the tests and runs signals into the device under test. It reprograms the target and runs test reliably and repeatedly. The program ends the cumbersome, time-consuming task of jury-rigging tests and manually recording data, according to Peter Wrigley, Managing Director of Bermondsey Electronics, in an interview with DesignNews.
During product development, BELIeVE can be used to inject faults and mimic events/conditions that would otherwise be hard to replicate. In addition, reports are automatically generated, which helps engineers that must demonstrate their designs were thoroughly verified; crucial for safety-critical applications as well as being good engineering practice.
One example is a customer design for a 3.0 V battery, only to see the supply voltage change to 5 V and thus alter the design to a 4.2 V battery. The power stage design would in turn change the calculation for the device under test. With the firmware being rewritten, the BELIeVE program can easily test both the old and new firmware against the functional spec to verify changes.
Once networked with instrumentation – such as benchtop power supplies, oscilloscopes, dataloggers, digital multimeters, the BELIeVE program runs scripts that can change input power, drive analog and digital inputs, and record outputs. It is also possible to simulate user interactions, such as keypad button pushes and switch throws, allows tests to run unattended.
The BELIeVE program is available in two versions. BELIeVE-DV is ideal for design and verification work and is supplied with editable interface libraries so that engineers can write their own tests. Enabled user interfaces include Test Manager, Project Manager, Test Editor and Command Line Interface. The program is available through a node-locked license for either one year or an unrestricted period. The program is supplied with a Getting Started guide, sample interfaces (including BLE and ANT+ serial ports), a comprehensive list of Test Editor commands, and up to 10 hours of free support from Bermondsey’s technical specialists.
BELIeVE-QA is for use in product manufacturing scenarios, or as part of a CI toolchain, and runs on the PC’s command line. It is supplied with a Getting Started guide and a node-locked licence for one-year.
Spencer Chin is a Senior Editor for Design News covering the electronics beat. He has many years of experience covering developments in components, semiconductors, subsystems, power, and other facets of electronics from both a business/supply-chain and technology perspective. He can be reached at [email protected]
Fully functional evaluation versions of BELIeVE-DV and -QA can be downloaded from Bermondsey Electronics’ website, www.bermondseyelectronics.com, and will function for 30 days before requiring a licence.