Analog signature analysis is an
electronic component
An electronic component is any basic discrete electronic device or physical entity part of an electronic system used to affect electrons or their associated fields. Electronic components are mostly industrial products, available in a singula ...
and
circuit board
A printed circuit board (PCB), also called printed wiring board (PWB), is a laminated sandwich structure of conductive and insulating layers, each with a pattern of traces, planes and other features (similar to wires on a flat surface) ...
troubleshooting technique which applies a current-limited AC sine wave across two points of an electronic component or circuit.
The resulting current/voltage waveform is shown on a signature display using vertical deflection for current and horizontal deflection for voltage. This unique analog signature represents the overall health of the part being analyzed. By comparing the signatures of known good circuit boards to those of suspect boards, faulty nets and components can be quickly identified.
Analog signature analysis relies on a change in electrical characteristics to detect problems on a circuit board.
See also
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ATE diagnostics
*
Flying probe
*
Power-off testing
References
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Hardware testing
Nondestructive testing