Techniques and lessons learned from a rapid response deployment of an automated test system

Well known and established requirements are an ideal scenario for developing test equipment; however, for projects that have aggressive schedules and short period of performances, test requirements are constantly evolving as the final design of the Unit-Under-Test (UUT) materializes. Additionally, test equipment ends up getting shoehorned into a full rate production environment when considerations for such deployment were not factored into the initial design. Many aspects need to be considered early on in the test system development to allow for changes in the requirements. In one of Draper Laboratory's early opportunities to develop a production test system, there are several lessons that can be learned from the process. One important decision is the hardware platform of the test system. By leveraging commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS), industry-standard equipment with an open architecture, the modular test system is adaptable and scalable so that additional requirements can be met without major redesign efforts. Other considerations to be made include designing for automation, training for efficiency with using software tools, hardware sparing strategies, UUT health and welfare concepts, staffing, facility needs, validation of the test system, error handling, data logging with post processing in mind, data archiving, and more. All of these factors and techniques are key to the rapid development of a test system that will meet the needs of a fastpaced project.