Abstract: One or more concentric rings of component seats are rotatable about the rings' center. The seats are uniformly angularly spaced and the rings are incrementally rotated, the increment of rotation being the angular space between adjacent seats. The rings are inclined at an angle and a stream of components is poured onto the rings as they are rotating. Stationary fences adjacent to outboard sides of the seats, confine unseated components to tumble randomly, due to gravity, over empty seats passing through arcs of the rings' rotation paths. The random tumbling results in seated components. In the paths of the rotating rings are electrical contactors for coupling the components to a tester. Preferably there are five contactor stations to permit five different kinds of tests to be performed simultaneously. Tested components pass beneath an ejection manifold which defines a plurality of ejection holes which register with a set of seats each time the ring is rotated an increment.

Abstract: A separation and transfer apparatus for use in an electronic test system for testing electronic devices such as IC's, and the like. The apparatus has a housing for holding in a horizontal position, a magazine containing such electronic devices, an air blower for blowing compressed air at the electronic devices at an angle through a slit of the magazine so that the electronic devices are separated from one another and urged in a desired direction, a piston pin for insertion into a space developed between the last electronic device in the magazine and one end of the magazine, an advancing apparatus for changing the horizontal position of the air blower and the piston pin and for expelling the electronic devices from the magazine, and a controller for controlling the timing of the air blowing, the movement of the advancing apparatus, and the operation of the piston pin.

Abstract: A carrier for holding a semiconductor device attached to a tape, said device being bonded to leads attached to the tape, said carrier having a base unit on which the tape is mounted, the base unit also having recessed located on the outer frame for aligning the carrier to punching die and other tools. The base unit also includes retractable latches that secure the tape to the base unit. Alignment posts on the base unit engage sprocket holes in the tape to align any test pads on the tape to the base unit; the alignment posts also align any plating bus nodes to a punching die for removal of the nodes while the tape is in the carrier. A cover is also provided to protect the tape; the legs of the cover engage receptacles in the base unit. The cover and base unit may be electrically conductive to protect against electrostatic discharge; the cover may further include conductive blades which short out leads on the tape to increase electrostatic discharge protection.

Abstract: A multipin coupler (50) includes upper and lower ring members (52, 54) with a plurality of cooperating pin connections (76) surrounding central openings therethrough such that the circuitry and corresponding probe card for testing an IC chip can be interconnected through leads of the same lengths having uniform impedances. Guide pins (68) are provided to assure proper alignment of the ring members (52, 54) before engagement of the pin connections (76). A pin and slot connection supports the upper ring member (52) for limited movement relative to the lower ring member (54) for adjustability.