AboCom Cuts Test Time by 33%

LitePoint Helps AboCom Ensure Highest Quality and Fastest Time

"AboCom’s primary objective is delivering quality wireless products at competitive prices using state-of-the-art technology. The LitePoint test platform helps us assure quality and deliver products to market in the fastest, most cost-effective manner. By using LitePoint testers in R&D and manufacturing, we can identify and fix problems in minutes versus days. We can assure quality by using EVM and other signal quality metrics. Our engineers no longer need to write test programs, which saves an average of six weeks per product tested. Additionally, the 33% reduction in test time translates into direct cost savings for our shareholders."

The Customer

Founded in 1995, AboCom is a leading provider of wireless technology solutions. Select customers include Cisco-Linksys, Hawking Technology, Xterasys Corp, and Ploanex Communication Inc. Known for quality products at competitive prices—including access points, PC cards, routers, signal boosters, USB devices, and more—AboCom has experienced booming worldwide sales in the OEM/ODM business sector. With the increasing demand for wireless solutions, AboCom remains at the forefront of its industry and has plans to deliver wireless entertainment audio and video products.

The Need

As a fast-moving company that delivers hundreds of thousands of products per month for numerous customers, AboCom’s primary objective is delivering quality wireless solutions. Reliably achieving this objective implies being able to guarantee product performance to customers while keeping yields as close to 100% as possible. Prior to going into production, a small number of samples are tested to ensure they meet expected performance requirements. However, ensuring the quality of thousands of mass-produced products is a difficult and time-consuming task.

In 2004, in the early stage of its production of WLAN 802.11g CardBus and mini-PCI cards, AboCom’s yields were lower than desired. The company embarked upon a continuous yield improvement project, with the goal of procuring an efficient and reliable test solution. In the past, AboCom used spectrum analyzers or similar equipment to test wireless products. However, there was no EVM measurement capability. AboCom also had to develop its own test programs, which required significant effort by the engineering staff. Any calibration of equipment required engineering time as well.

To improve the situation, AboCom’s R&D engineers needed a cost-effective vector analysis and debugging too. Meanwhile, their R&D and production groups needed cost-effective test equipment to cover EVM measurement, while the production staff needed efficient test equipment with test time reduction capabilities. They knew that obtaining a new test approach would help increase yields, guarantee consistent product quality and performance, and reduce test times, allowing the company to enter new markets more quickly as they met customer demands with the best technology.

The Solution

An early adopter of LitePoint test equipment, AboCom first turned to LitePoint for an efficient and reliable production test environment, which would play an integral part in the company’s continuous yield improvement program. The test solution includes LitePoint IQview® 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN Test Solution for R&D, LitePoint IQflex ® 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN Test Solution for Manufacturing, and LitePoint IQfact™ manufacturing test software optimized for devices using Texas Instruments (TI) chipsets.

Both LitePoint IQview and LitePoint IQflex are wide-bandwidth single instruments capable of performing all 802.11a/b/g/n transmitter and receiver tests. They feature integrated VSA and VSG functionality, including MIMO and optional Bluetooth + EDR. The LitePoint IQfact test program, which runs on IQview and IQflex WLAN one-box testers, is the result of a partnership with TI to offer wireless OEMs a quick, easy, and cost-effective way to develop and test their TI-based products.

AboCom installed the LitePoint test equipment quickly, allowing the company to jumpstart the new testing program and start improving efficiency immediately. Today AboCom uses LitePoint testers at dozens of manufacturing lines to test hundreds of thousands of products per month. These products include 11b/g modules such as wireless routers and access points, Compass client cards, USB dongles, and TCI adapters. When it came time to hit the market with its MIMO-based products based on the Ralink chipset, AboCom also used LitePoint testers at R&D testing sites and uses LitePoint testers in production.

A partner to AboCom for many years, Ace Solution, a LitePoint distribution partner, provides added support for AboCom’s production solutions for various chipset makers including Realtek, Zydas, and Atheros. Ace also has conducted on-site training and advanced engineering support training. 

The Benefits

More customers satisfied by consistent quality and performance: LitePoint testers ensure consistent product performance and quality by directly measuring transmitter performance using EVM and other signal quality metrics. This means AboCom can spot issues and fix them during the R&D cycle. Should performance issues arise in production, AboCom can quickly identify and amend them by comparing parameters within LitePoint IQview in R&D and LitePoint IQflex in production. As a result, customers receive the quality they expect, and returns are minimized.

Reduced costs resulting from an improvement in yields: A number of IQview features contributed to AboCom’s 4% increase in yields as part of the 2004 yield improvement program. These include the vector signal analyzer, spectrum analyzer, power meter, and signal analysis software all in one box; the capability of measuring error vector magnitude; and transmitter impairments including I/Q imbalances, phase noise, spurious signals and transient effects, and effects of signal compression.

Direct time and cost savings resulting from reduced test times: By using LitePoint testers in production, AboCom has been able to reduce test time by 33%. This translates into direct time savings of hundreds of hours per year, the ability to get products to customers faster, and direct cost savings in the thousands of dollars each month—all of which directly impacts AboCom’s bottom line.

Faster time to production owing to ease of use: Before AboCom adopted LitePoint, its test equipment was complicated to set up and required significant engineering efforts to maintain and calibrate. LitePoint testers, by contrast, can be used by nontechnical personnel. Engineers no longer need to develop test programs since they are included within the LitePoint test solution. On the manufacturing line, LitePoint testers have helped AboCom streamline testing to such an extent that LitePoint IQflex is described as “auto testing equipment.”