The term “PCB FCT test” refers to a technique used in the electrical industry to verify that printed circuit boards are operating appropriately. The function and connectivity test, or FCT, is designed to ensure that all the components on the printed circuit board (PCB) are working as expected and that all circuit connections are performing as expected.
ICT, which stands for “in-circuit test,” is a technique for testing printed circuit boards (PCBs) in which individual components are examined “in-situ,” or at the place on the board in which they have been mounted. The purpose of the ICT is to identify any flaws or errors in the connections or components of the PCB.
The final result of the manufacturing process for electronic devices requires several key phases, including FCT and ICT. These procedures assist to guarantee that the final product is of high quality and free from any faults.
FCT
The printed circuit boards (PCBs) used in the electronic industry are subjected to a functional circuit test to determine whether or not they are functioning appropriately. Checking that all of the components on the printed circuit board (PCB) are operating correctly and that the circuit connections are operating as intended is the primary goal of functional test and verification or PCB FCT test. Before the board is sent out to the client, it must first go through this test, which verifies that it is functioning well. This test is done on the fully built version of the board.
FCT is often performed by connecting test patterns to the board’s inputs and then measuring the results at the board’s outputs. The test patterns applied during FCT are intended to exercise the circuit’s various components to validate their functioning appropriately. In most cases, the test patterns are produced by a tester, a specialised piece of apparatus developed mainly to carry out this function.
ICT
The term “in-circuit test” (ICT) refers to a technique of testing printed circuit boards (PCBs) in which individual components are examined in situ or in the location where they are mounted on the board. This approach is known as “in-circuit testing.” ICT’s primary purpose is to identify any flaws or problems in the PCB’s components or connections, and this is its primary aim. Before the board is sent out to the client, it must first go through this test, which verifies that it is functioning well. This test is done on the fully built version of the board.
ICT is often performed by connecting test signals to the board’s inputs and monitoring the device’s outputs. The test signals used in ICT are created to test the functionality of the various components of the circuit by forcing them to perform their intended functions. A tester is a specialised piece of equipment created expressly for this function, and it is the tester typically responsible for generating the test signals.
Conclusion
Functional and PCB FCT test, or FCT and ICT, are two primary testing methodologies used to assure the quality of electronic devices by evaluating that all of the device’s components and connections are functioning appropriately. The available functionality of a PCB is tested using the FCT, while the individual components and contacts on the PCB itself are tested using the ICT.
