Running legacy test systems on modern PCs

Billions of dollars were invested from the 1960's through the 1980's developing automated testers with embedded minicomputers such as the HP 1000, the DG Nova/Eclipse and the PDP-11. Many are still in operation as it is impractical to replace them. With limited budgets and an ever-dwindling supply of parts and expertise, keeping these systems running presents challenges. The US Navy grapples with the requirement to continue testing 30-year-old weapons systems with vintage custom test equipment. At the NUWC-Keyport facility, we have chosen to replace the computers with emulators using modern COTS PCs and Strobe Data Inc.'s Kestrel Co-Processor. As with Strobe's Osprey (PDP-11) and Hawk (DG Nova/eclipse), the Kestrel runs the original test system software correctly and generates the identical backplane signals of the HP 1000 to run the test fixture I/O, eliminating the costly requirement to re-verify and re-certify TPSs (test program sets). In addition, some of the obsolete stimulus and measurement equipment has been replaced with new COTS devices and a test module adaptor (TMA) that emulates the original device. This solution has extended the service life of these systems and avoided the high cost of migration, reducing the risk of maintaining these systems to negligible.