printed circuit board testing + functional test fixtures

Functional test fixtures are standalone test fixtures that may or may not contain electronic devices to facilitate the testing of components on a specific PCBA that is being tested.  These fixtures generally contain a connector that allows a DAQ or other devices to be attached to facilitate the verfication of the PCB and its components.  Note that only a reliability fixture will test for quality issues like cold solder joints or bad wire crimps.  These fixtures do a great job testing for missing components, broken solder joints and incorrect components assuming they are wired correctly and the DAQ is appropriately programmed to find those issues.  These fixtures are convenient way to establish a test methodology in ones lab and translate it to a CM in its entirity.   The fixture in this photo was designed to hold a PCBA and had a fifty pin connector as well as bananna plugs to facilitate these tests.  The connector attached to a ribbon cable that would direct the signals to the DAQ.