Tag Archives: HALT

Why success with HALT begins long before doing HALT

Engineering, Testing, ,

HALT is a BIG change

Implementing a new reliability development paradigm in a company which is using traditional, standards-based testing can be a perilous journey.  It is especially true with introducing HALT (Highly Accelerated Life Test) in which strength against stress, and not quantifying electronics lifetimes is the new metric.  Because of this significant change in test orientation, a critical factor for success begins with educating the company’s top Continue reading Why success with HALT begins long before doing HALT →

Why HALT is a methodology, not equipment

Engineering, Testing, ,

Kirk Gray, Accelerated Reliability Solutions, L.L.C.

It is easy to understand why the term HALT (Highly Accelerated Life Test) is so tightly couple to the equipment called “HALT chambers” systems.  Many do not think they can do HALT processes without a “HALT Chamber”. Many know that Dr. Gregg Hobbs, who coined the term HALT and also HASS (Highly Accelerated Stress Screens), spent much of his life promoting the techniques and was also the founder of two “HALT/HASS” environmental chamber companies. Continue reading Why HALT is a methodology, not equipment →

For Maximum Test Value, Take it to the Limit!

Testing, , , ,

When we go to an automobile race such as the Indianapolis 500, watching those cars circle the track can get fairly boring. What is secretly unspoken is that everyone observing the race is watching for a race car to find and sometimes exceed a limit, finding a discontinuity. The limit could be how fast he enters a curve before the acceleration forces exceed the tires coefficient of friction, or how close to the racetrack wall, he can be before he contacts it and spins out of control. Using the race analogy, Continue reading For Maximum Test Value, Take it to the Limit! →

System or component testing

Testing, , , , ,

Fred i was asked this question and wanted to know what your thoughts were on this. R and D asked me what was the criteria to decide if to test at a component level or at a system level , my answer was that it should depend on what is the reliability and confidence level of the component
your thoughts? Continue reading System or component testing →

No Evidence of Correlation: Field failures and Traditional Reliability Engineering

Predictions, , , , , ,

Historically Reliability Engineering of Electronics has been dominated by the belief that 1) The life or percentage of complex hardware failures that occurs over time can be estimated, predicted, or modeled and 2) Reliability of electronic systems can be calculated or estimated through statistical and probabilistic methods to improve hardware reliability.  The amazing thing about this is that during the many decades that reliability Continue reading No Evidence of Correlation: Field failures and Traditional Reliability Engineering →