ChipMaster Compact Digital IC Tester
Copyright
1992-2009 ABI Electronics Limited
Page 5
is then possible, the result will FAIL. If the IC under test takes an
excessive amount of current when power is applied, a warning 'ICC!' will
appear. Press the TEST/EXEC key to continue with the test, or
MODE/CLEAR to abandon. Depending on the condition of the batteries
there may also be a ‘BAT!’ warning which indicates that the batteries are
incapable of supplying the current required by the IC under test. You
can continue with the test by pressing the TEST/EXEC key, but the unit
may malfunction because of a drop in battery voltage. To avoid this,
change the batteries or use a battery eliminator. Note that a faulty IC
may demand more operating current and therefore will quickly drain the
batteries.
In the case of a FAIL result, the error conditions at all the non-functional
pins of the IC will be scrolled on the display, and the IC function will be
shown. The various failure conditions that can be displayed are as
follows:
LOW
- the output was LOW when HIGH was expected.
MID LOW
- the output was LOW, but not a valid logic level.
HIGH
- the output was HIGH when LOW was expected.
MID HIGH - the output was HIGH, but not a valid logic level.
LOAD 0V
- the input cannot be driven HIGH.
LOAD 5V
- the input cannot be driven LOW.
In some cases, the scrolling test results may include one or more
WARNING indications. These warnings indicate conditions that may
result in an incorrect test result, and are as follows:
D/F
- result may be invalid because last self-test failed.
BAT
- battery voltage too low during test.
ICC
- large current taken by IC under test.
The scrolling message can be cancelled by pressing the MODE/CLEAR
key, or paused by pressing and holding a numeric key. If you want to
test the IC again, press the TEST/EXEC to abandon the scroll and
perform another test.
Before discarding a failed IC check that the correct IC type number was
entered and also check that the IC pins are clean and making good
contact with the test socket. Note that there is no way of stopping a test
once it has commenced, but see the description of loop functions later in
this manual.
