In this presentation, you'll learn about 10 common tests to use on consumer electronics, such as a hi-pot test and thermal shock test. And there's more where that came from.
By learning about these tests, you can also discover if the consumer electronics in your day-to-day life meet your quality standards so you can better protect yourself, your family, or your customers.
1. *10 Common tests for electronics, ranging from tablets to radios to blenders.
presents
2. Verify if electrical
insulation in finished
electronics is sufficient
to protect the user from
electrical shock.
Relevant for appliances, transformers,
printed circuit boards, etc.
Purpose:
3. The hi-pot test can also discover material and
workmanship defects in the form of small gaps
between current-carrying conductors and
grounded material.
A typical hi-pot testing device
4. If a contaminant or vibration were to bridge gaps found during a hi-pot
test, current could flow and pose a hazard to the user.
5.
6. Procedure background: the voltage
and measured current value are used
to calculate the resistance of the
insulation.
Purpose:
Provide a quantifiable
resistance value for all
of a product's insulation.
7. Procedure background: the test voltage
is increased until the dielectric fails or
breaks down, which will allow too much
current to flow.
Purpose:
Estimate the breakdown
voltage of a product's
design.
8. Procedure background: a standard test
voltage is applied (below the established
breakdown voltage) and the resulting
leakage current is monitored. This test
fails if the leakage current reaches or
exceeds the device’s preset limit.
Purpose:
Determine current
leakage.
9. Useful for products subject to extreme
environmental
Purpose:
Determine if
a component or complete
product can withstand
a sudden and significant
change in temperature.
11. A test sample is subjected to extreme changes in temperature
for X number of cycles. Determining how many cycles to run
the test requires considering your product’s lifetime.
12. Relevant to products that might be near
the ocean, such as: waterproof speakers,
watches, navigation equipment,
cellphones and headphones.
Purpose:
Analyze corrosion caused
by salt water.
13. Equipmentusedtoperforma salt spray test
This test evaluates the relative corrosion
resistance of different materials and if your
chosen materials meet your longevity
expectations.
14. Test samples are placed in an enclosed salt spray testing unit and are
subjected to a continuous indirect fog/spray of a salt water solution.
15. Determine if a product
meets its claims for
water resistance.
Purpose:
Products can generally be classified as
water resistant, water proof or
submersible.
Tests for each of these categories differ
in the depth and length of time that an
item is exposed to water.
16.
17. For products only
intended for light
interaction with water.
APPLICATION
Procedure background: the item is
subjected to a splash of water for about
10 minutes and then checked internally
for traces of water.
18. Procedure background: submerge the
item in water at a depth of 1m for 30
minutes.
APPLICATION
For products intended for
temporary immersion.
19. Procedure background:
depending on specifications, the
item is submerged at X depth for
at least 4 hours.
APPLICATION
For products intended for
continuous immersion.
20. Products that frequently use this test:
calculators, military equipment,
cellphones, etc.
Purpose:
Determine how sensitive
a product is to impact.
aka “product fragility analysis”
21. This testhelpsdeterminehow wellaproduct
can survivetraumasustainedduringtransit.
Impacts are very common during product
transportation and distribution.
With the ability to control several dimensions of impact shock, this machine
easily determines just how fragile your product is.
22. This test is helpful for products that have
warnings on them or that receive nearly
continuous use, such as a computer
keyboard.
Purpose:
Determine the ability
of printed, painted,
or polished surfaces
to resist abrasion.
23. If a product is unable to withstand the scruff
test, a consumer might not be able to read
any product warnings and instructions.
Procedure background: a
machine goes over a product
with a relevant testing head
thousands of times to simulate
heavy use.
24. Helpful for phones, walkie talkies and
other items that have a relatively long
lifespan.
Purpose:
Evaluate and predict
reliability of a product using
accelerated stress conditions
for each life-cycle phase.
25. Procedure background:
subject an item to constant
use (e.g. repetitively flip
a switch, press a button,
interact with a touch screen).
Life cycle testing helps determine overall
durability and if any design weaknesses are
present.
26. Useful for LED TVs and monitors, tablet
PCs, MP3 players and laptops.
Purpose:
Verify there are no dead
pixels on a screen.
27. Procedure background: look for dead pixels
on a screen by verifying that it can display
a spectrum of colors.
28. Helpful for goods that need to
withstand shaking or dropping, such
as: tablet PCs, phones, watches and
MP3 players.
Purpose:
Simulate forces products
are subjected to during
transportation, shipping
and in storage.
29. This vibration table isn’t as intense as an
earthquake, but it’ll certainly shake things up a bit!
Procedure background: typically a vibration
table is used to simulate vibration conditions
that might cause rapid fatigue. This also
includes testing product packaging.
30. Helpful for products being shipped
internationally that will encounter a
variety of environments, such as: tablet
PCs, smartphones, binoculars, cameras
and video recorders.
Purpose:
Determine if a product
can withstand
a sustained temperature
and humidity level.
31. Forexample: environmental testing is effective for
items with a screenthat might collectcondensation.
Procedure background: the difference
between this test and the thermal shock test
is sustained versus sudden exposure to
temperature or humidity.