A method including determining, for a given hardware link, whether a signal error rate for signals sent over the given hardware link is beyond a given threshold, when the signal error rate is beyond the given threshold, generating an error indication for the given hardware link, the error indication including a prediction that a hardware component associated with the given hardware link is likely to fail. Related apparatus and methods are also provided.

A test instrument may include a transmitter configured to transmit signals to a unit under test, a receiver configured to receive signals from the unit under test, and a controller configured to generate a transmitter compensation filter by (i) transmitting, with the transmitter, complex multi-sine signals over a first plurality of observed frequencies within a predetermined baseband frequency range, (ii) estimating a first plurality of frequency responses that compensate for in-phase and quadrature (IQ) imbalance at the first plurality of observed frequencies within the predetermined baseband frequency range, and (iii) determining, using the first plurality of frequency responses, a transmitter polynomial surface, and to compensate, using the transmitter compensation filter, at least one of the signals to be transmitted by the transmitter to reduce IQ imbalance in the transmitted signals, including using the transmitter polynomial surface to calculate a frequency response that reduces the IQ imbalance in the transmitted signals.

An example apparatus includes an input buffer coupled to an input terminal, wherein the input buffer is configured to provide an input signal based on a voltage received at the input terminal, a test terminal configured to receive a probe signal, and a power supply terminal configured to receive an external supply voltage. The example apparatus further includes a test logic circuit configured to, in response to the probe signal indicating a test and an external supply voltage detection signal having a value indicating detection of the external supply voltage, initiate a probe contact detection test. During the initiate a probe contact detection test, the test logic circuit is configured to receive the input signal and to provide an output signal having a value based on the input signal.

A method including determining, for a given hardware link, whether a signal error rate for signals sent over the given hardware link is beyond a given threshold, when the signal error rate is beyond the given threshold, generating an error indication for the given hardware link, the error indication including a prediction that a hardware component associated with the given hardware link is likely to fail. Related apparatus and methods are also provided.

According to some embodiments, a tester tests one or more DUTs by utilizing one or more respective reference devices. The tester comprises one or more test sites and one or more test circuits operatively coupled to each of the test sites. Each test site is configured to: hold a reference device and a DUT, transmit a transmitted electromagnetic RF signal including a test data pattern to the DUT, and receive a received electromagnetic RF signal emitted from the DUT. The test circuits are configured to: receive a first electrical signal converted from the received electromagnetic RF signal, extract first data from the first electrical signal, determine a first error rate between the test data pattern and the first data, and generate a test result on the basis of the first error rate.

A method of conducting bit error rate testing of an electronic device under test using a bit error rate tester (BERT) includes configuring the BERT with one or more of jitter, noise, and timing settings to derive a desired receiver stressed eye diagram; connecting the electronic device under test to the BERT via an inter-symbol interference channel that introduces delays for creation of the desired receiver stressed eye diagram at the electronic device under test; the BERT placing the electronic device under test into a loopback mode whereby data transmitted to the electronic device under test by the BERT is transmitted back to the BERT for comparison to the data transmitted to the electronic device under test; the BERT transmitting a data pattern into the electronic device under test; and the BERT comparing the data pattern transmitted to the electronic device under test by the BERT to data received back from the electronic device under test during the loopback mode to detect a bit error rate.

A method for bit error rate testing a processing unit using a bit error rate tester (BERT) includes transmitting a signal pair to a receiver of the processing unit, the signal pair having jitter levels complying with a jitter threshold, tuning the signal pair to obtain a first stressed eye measurement for the receiver, wherein the first stressed eye measurement complies with a stressed eye mask, placing the processing unit into a loop-back mode, wherein data transmitted to the processing unit by the BERT is transmitted back to the BERT, transmitting a data pattern to the processing unit, receiving a looped back version of the data pattern from the processing unit, and calculating a bit error rate in accordance with the data pattern and the looped back version of the data pattern.

A receiver includes a sampler that samples first voltage levels corresponding to a first logical value of data and second voltage levels corresponding to a second logical value of the data, based on a sampling clock. An equalizer receives and adjusts the first and second voltage levels. A clock and data recovery circuit recovers the sampling clock, based on the first and second voltage levels from the equalizer. An eye opening measurement circuit: (1) tracks a first sigma level by a first step unit depending on upper voltage levels greater than a first reference voltage level among the first voltage levels, (2) tracks a second sigma level by a second step unit depending on lower voltage levels less than a second reference voltage level among the second voltage levels, and (3) calculates a difference between the first sigma level and the second sigma level.

A test instrument may include a transmitter configured to transmit signals to a unit under test, a receiver configured to receive signals from the unit under test, and a controller configured to generate a transmitter compensation filter by (i) transmitting, with the transmitter, complex multi-sine signals over a first plurality of observed frequencies within a predetermined baseband frequency range, (ii) estimating a first plurality of frequency responses that compensate for in-phase and quadrature (IQ) imbalance at the first plurality of observed frequencies within the predetermined baseband frequency range, and (iii) determining, using the first plurality of frequency responses, a transmitter polynomial surface, and to compensate, using the transmitter compensation filter, at least one of the signals to be transmitted by the transmitter to reduce IQ imbalance in the transmitted signals, including using the transmitter polynomial surface to calculate a frequency response that reduces the IQ imbalance in the transmitted signals.

An eye diagram measurement device includes a first mapping circuitry, a count circuitry, a second mapping circuitry and a memory circuitry. The first mapping circuitry maps one of plurality of internal signals of an electronic device to a first data signal having a predetermined number of bits. The counter circuitry performs a counting operation according to the first data signal and a plurality of signal values associated with the predetermined number of bits, to generate a plurality of count signals. The second mapping circuitry maps the count signals respectively to a plurality of eye diagram measurement signals corresponding to a present phase. The memory circuitry stores the eye diagram measurement signals in order to provide the eye diagram measurement signals to an external system for generating an eye diagram measurement result of the electronic device.