Report: "Thanks to the Delta-T Probe, we have confirmed that the work we have done on equipment with embedded chips has been spot on". Trefor Hales, Director

Many of the projects in which the Delta-T Probe has been used have shown that typically 50-55% of embedded systems can be tested without resorting to bench-test measures or manufacture of extra hardware items. In general the remainder are usually new (and accounted for with good manufacturer test results), easily inspected (to rule out date-related components) or date roll-over tested. The Delta-T probe has a clear and useful application on older technology, so it is important that the expectation of what testing will deliver is correctly set – many clients expect the Delta-T Probe to be used on everything.

We therefore recommend that testing be sold on the following basis: "We will initially inspect all systems within the scope of the project. As a result of this it may be that we will be able to rule out probability of millennium-related failure for the vast majority of systems. The remainder will either be tested using the Delta-T Probe or date roll-over tested in conjunction with a manufacturer or maintenance contractor – whichever is the most appropriate". This sets the expectation correctly, and prevents dissatisfaction resulting from a client perceiving equipment inspection as little more than inventory checking prior to testing.

State: "The tests using this probe at Birds Eye Wall's (Unilever) factory at Gloucester independently confirmed compliance of key systems critical to the manufacturing process". Brian Doouss, Y2K Project Manager

Software Enhancements

Since the launch of the Delta-T Probe in November 1998 there has been a continuous process of testing and enhancement on the software. The following enhancements are now implemented in Version 1.04.2, which can be downloaded from the web site. An updated manual is also available in Word97 and .pdf format.

Database additions – another 50 chips have been added to the IC database. This will continue to be updated, and in the event that no software modifications occur in the interim database updates will be posted as a separately downloadable item. If chip substitutions are made during testing, or chips are simply not recognised it is very important that Embedded Science is informed. Chip substitutions should always be recorded in the 'notes' section at the end of the test.

Clip connection testing – now much improved as it tests all of the pins rather than just the power and ground pins. Testing has shown that systems should not be subjected to a clip connection test while powered off, as battery-backed memory devices may be re-programmed by the test. The addition of a start / stop button takes this into account, allowing a test to be stopped before a system is powered off, and subsequently restarted. Pages 44-46 of the v1.04.2 manual detail the changes and new procedure that test engineers must follow. A new, more robust, type of ground clip is being evaluated following reports of the original ones being easy to break. These will shortly be made available to existing probe users at a cost of £50 + VAT per set.

'Pod X returned a Strobe Timing of Zero' following a clip connection test was a much misunderstood message – most operators thought it was reporting an error. In more ordinary language it means 'the chip attached to Pod X was not accessed during the timing measurements, so the software will approximate timings for you'. In other words, it is not an error, it simply means the chip probably is not being used by the system. The message has been re-worded in the new release of software.

The Memory Analysis screen has changed in appearance. Previously not enough detail about clock information identified by the operator was being captured to make code analysis straightforward – the identified locations now include DOW (day-of-week), Century, Year, Month, Day, and Hours as well as the existing Minutes and Seconds markers. An operator should only enable (with a 'tick') the ones they see. The elapsed time decoding feature has now been enhanced too, so that elapsed time can be measured in a variety of intervals, not just seconds. Initial analysis of memory (the red phase) is now done in two passes, to more accurately gauge the read/write activity levels and reduce the level of 'FIFO overflow' during analysis.

The software now captures an The additional code sample related to DOW code. Some systems have difficulty calculating the week-day correctly for post-2000 dates, which previously could not be identified from the captured code sample information.

A warning is often displayed during the code capture stage to say that code for the selected item was not captured. For example, if the trigger was set to the 'Year' location, it is not unusual to find that the location is only updated at midnight when the date changes. This is most commonly reported for the memory write and day of week samples. The software recommends that the test be run again with the 'Wait for 1 Minute' option un-checked over a 24-hour period. This is only necessary (a) if no memory read sample is captured, or (b) the system does day-of-week based scheduling and also supports a full date from which the day of week can be calculated. A quicker way of getting the date- and day-setting related code is to enter the current time and date through a control interface on the target system. Re-entering the date is a very low-risk operation which allows the Delta-T Probe to see the code defining how the date and time is set, and avoids having to run the test over a date change.

When the 1.04.2 version is first run, it will download a number of new control files to the Delta-T Probe to automatically upgrade its capabilities to match the new software. The new version also requires that an organisation and probe user name be entered in the Settings…Settings menu window. This is so that code samples can be correctly tagged and subsequently tracked.

Product Enhancements

---

Clip connection testing Surface mount chip technology clip pack is now available. The pack contains one 28 way SMT clip and one 32 way SMT clip, compatible with the 'B' and 'C' type existing clips and compatible generic chip types. The pack is available for £250 plus VAT plus shipping costs.

An industrial systems pack is now available at £1,250 plus VAT plus shipping which contains:

2 x 64 way single Eurocard back-plane extenders (shown above)
2 x 96 way single Eurocard back-plane extenders (shown above)
1 x kit to make double Eurocard from 2 x single Eurocard
2 x 10 way IDC header extenders
2 x 20 way IDC header extenders
2 x 34 way IDC header extenders (shown above)
2 x 40 way IDC header extenders
2 x 28 way SMT clip for 'C' type chips in SMT package
2 x 32 way SMT clip for 'C' type chips in SMT package

Report: Several Delta-T Probe users have requested a test pod for 'Timekeeper Module'. A socket is in development with a suitable header cable that allows the timekeeper to be substituted for a 'B' or 'C' type memory chip clip. Additional entries to the RAM chip list will be added when the socket becomes available.

New CPU families are also being added as an ongoing development task. The disassembler is also being updated to support filtering of unused 'pre-fetched' instructions. Once this is in place and tested the 16-bit 68000 family of CPUs will be added to the database.

Training Services

---

ERA have been assigned by Embedded Science to be the UK training service provider for the Delta-T Probe. They have a dedicated training facility in Leatherhead, near Gatwick Airport in the UK, and are running regular training courses. They can be contacted via the Embedded Science web site.

Code Validation

---

The code validation service will be upgraded by end of April. WSP Business Technology are in the process of appointing a number of code validation subcontractors in different territories who should be able to meet the required performance criteria.

Web Site

---

The http://www.embedded-science.com web site is constantly being updated with news, media clips and new Q&A on a regular basis. Please try to publicise this URL as widely as possible.