Test System Design
Design principles and processes help the engineer solve challenging open ended problems. If a proper process is followed the engineer can be confident that their solution is defensible, and likely to work when implemented.
In school design is often illustrated as a variant of a cyclical process that involves Defining the problem, research, brainstorming ideas, and designing a solution. Once a design (model / drawing / schematic) is prepared the Build-Test-Evaluate loop begins. The number of iterations of the Build-Test-Evaluate loop depends on how many checks the customer wants to write 😃
In test system development the outcome of “defining the problem” is a system block diagram. What is a system?
A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment, is described by its boundaries, structure and purpose and expressed in its functioning.
A Test System is a software controlled electromechanical system. Designing a test system requires a multi-disciplinary team. The design process described in this post is a universal process that can be used in any discipline.
Rule #1: Create a system block diagram.
