Abstract: Pin electronics for an IC tester are built as an integrated circuit for characterizing the electrical operation of a device under test (DUT) by applying a test voltage to each of the pins on the DUT and measuring each resulting current. Typically, an IC tester selects one of several measure resistors, applies a stimulus to a pin of the DUT using an input driver, and measures the current response of the DUT through the related measure resistor. Each measure resistor corresponds to a specific current range and measurement accuracy is proportional to the precision of the selected resistor. Each measure resistor is a series of precision integrated resistors having a very low leakage current. This provides for current measurements of high sensitivity.

Abstract: Pin electronics for an IC tester are built as an integrated circuit for testing the electrical operation of a device under test (DUT) by applying a test voltage to each of the pins on the DUT and measuring each resulting current. The tester uses diode switches instead of discrete relays to switch between measurement ranges. Leakage current, on the order of nanoamperes from a switch that is open or disabled, is dramatically reduced by reverse biasing the diodes in each diode switch about the switch's diode bridge output node by an equal amount so that the summed current at the output node is almost zero.

Abstract: Pin electronics for an IC tester are built as an integrated circuit for testing the electrical operation of a device under test (DUT) by applying a test voltage to each of the pins on the DUT and measuring each resulting current. Typically, when the tester switches between the internal measure resistors, a voltage spike occurs on the pin of the DUT of a magnitude that may severely damage the sensitive circuitry on the DUT. Voltage spike suppression is included in the circuitry to minimize the effects on the DUT of voltage spikes.

Abstract: Pin electronics for an IC tester are built as an integrated circuit for characterizing the electrical operation of a device under test (DUT) by applying a test voltage to each of the pins on the DUT and measuring each resulting current. Typically, an IC tester selects one of several measure resistors, applies a stimulus to a pin of the DUT using an input driver, and measures the current response of the DUT through the related measure resistor. Each measure resistor corresponds to a specific current range and measurement accuracy is proportional to the precision of the selected resistor. Each measure resistor is a series of precision integrated resistors having a very low leakage current. This provides for current measurements of high sensitivity.

Abstract: A pretensioned cable transmits power along a first support member (link) from a rotary actuator to a rotating output joint, typically an output pulley fixed to a second link arm but rotatable in a coupling between the first and second links. A reducer, typically two sets of coupled idler pulleys of different diameter, is mounted at a point removed from the actuator, and preferably as close as possible to the output joint. An axially split spool mounted on the actuator output wraps the outgoing and returning cable sections on different halves of the spool in opposite directions to provide pretensioning of the cable in the entire cable circuit at one point. The links and pulleys of the transmission are long and narrow. This high aspect ratio provides a compact configuration that is conductive to whole arm manipulations where any exterior surface of the links can engage an object. A low inertia, low friction brushless D.C.

Abstract: A pretensioned cable transmits power along a first support member (link) from a rotary actuator to a rotating output joint, typically an output pulley fixed to a second link arm but rotatable in a coupling between the first and second links. A reducer, typically two sets of coupled idler pulleys of different diameter, is mounted at a point removed from the actuator, and preferably as close as possible to the output joint. An axially split spool mounted on the actuator output wraps the outgoing and returning cable sections on different halves of the spool in opposite directions to provide pretensioning of the cable in the entire cable circuit at one point. To form a differential, a pretensioned cable carried on paired pulleys having smooth outer surfaces parallel to the axis of rotation couples the pulleys. The pulleys have axes of rotation that can intersect and their cable carrying surfaces are closely spaced, preferably by less than half the width of the cable.