Test platform shapes up to aerospace industry demands

5th February 2015

Mick Elliott

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Marvin Test Solutions has delivered a TS-323 GENASYS test platform to Lockheed Martin Space Systems to meet the test demands required by increasingly complex aerospace systems. GENASYS is a PXI-based system designed to meet the demands of mission-critical applications that require performance functional testing.

It features a high-density, multiplexed switching subsystem with any-pin-to-any-resource architecture and switch management software that provides automated, end-to-end signal routing. It also includes a high-performance digital subsystem that supports up to 512 I/O pins with multiple timing sets and per-pin PMU capability. The system will be deployed by LMSSC for the functional testing of satellite systems and subsystems.

Lockheed Martin’s test requirements for future applications include: an open architecture, a functional test platform that is configurable, scalable, and the capability to support more than 4,000 I/O test points as well offering performance digital and analog test capabilities. The GENASYS platform, with its high-performance digital subsystem and high-density switching subsystem, provides LMSSC the required functionality to support both their legacy and future test needs.

The test platform now features the GX7016, a high-density, modular switching subsystem with SwitchEasy software for easy use and high-performance testing of complex, high I/O count, and mixed-signal applications including those for complex electronic systems. With SwitchEasy software, test engineers no longer have to manually route individual signals, and can automatically and efficiently monitor relays. And, to support legacy test requirements, GENASYS includes software tools that test engineers can use to migrate existing applications to the test platform. For new, mission-critical test needs, the platform offers test engineers advanced software tools with system and UUT simulation capabilities, and user-defined FPGA instrumentation for the support of custom control interfaces.

The high-performance PXI digital subsystem addresses a range of bus test requirements including 1553, 429, RS-232, and custom or parallel digital busses. In addition, the multiplexed pin architecture of the GENASYS platform supports more than 6,000 UUT pin connections. With hybrid pin capability, both analog and digital tests can be performed at the pin level.