Fixture design
Complete mechanical design for the bed-of-nails fixture, including alignment features and probe selection.
Test Fixture Design
Custom test fixtures that catch every defect before your boards ship
A custom bed-of-nails fixture that tests and programs every board as it comes off the line, so quality holds as your volume grows.
20+ years experience
Clients in 15+ countries
Bench-tested in-house
No strings attached
20+
years of professional electronics design
20+ yearsIn electronics design
15+Countries served
Concept to prototypeEnd to end delivery
In-house labBench-verified, not just simulated
Why it matters
Manual probing does not scale. Production needs a fixture that tests every unit the same way.
Moving from prototype to production means every manufactured board has to meet specification, and hand probing cannot keep up. A bed-of-nails fixture makes contact with test points across the PCB and automates the checks on power rails, communication interfaces, and functional performance. Combined with programming, it loads firmware and verifies the unit in a single station, which keeps production time and cost down. The catch is that a good fixture starts at PCB design, when test points can still be made accessible, properly sized, and placed for reliable contact. This is production and functional test fixture design: the bed-of-nails or functional rig, and the test firmware behind it, that turns end-of-line testing into a fast pass or fail instead of a manual guess.
What you get
A complete fixture, ready to run on the line
Probe layout
Optimised probe placement for reliable contact and minimal test point wear.
Interface board
Wiring PCB connecting the probes to test equipment and programming interfaces.
Test procedure
Documented test sequence with pass and fail criteria for each test point.
Firmware loading
Integration of the programming interface so firmware loads during the same test step.
Test software
Automated test scripts for consistent, operator-independent testing.
Documentation
Assembly drawings, wiring diagrams, and operator instructions.
What a fixture catches
The manufacturing defects that never reach your customer
Solder defects
Opens, shorts, and cold solder joints on power and signal connections.
Component issues
Missing components, wrong values, or reversed polarity.
Power supply problems
Incorrect voltages, excessive ripple, or regulation failures.
Programming failures
Firmware loading errors or verification failures.
Functional defects
Circuits that do not meet performance specifications.
ESD damage
Components damaged during handling or assembly.
Fixture types
From a quick programmer to a full functional station
Programming fixtures
Simple fixtures for firmware loading via debug interfaces (SWD, JTAG, UART). Quick operation for high-volume programming.
Functional test fixtures
Comprehensive fixtures that power the board, load firmware, and verify functional operation including communication interfaces and analog performance.
In-circuit test (ICT) fixtures
Detailed fixtures for verifying individual components and connections. Catches manufacturing defects before functional testing.
How it works
A clear path from test strategy to a validated fixture
1
Test strategy
I define what needs to be tested based on product requirements and likely failure modes, balancing test coverage against test time and fixture cost.
2
DFT review
I review the PCB design for testability, checking for adequate test points with proper spacing and accessibility, and request changes if needed before board fabrication.
3
Fixture design
I design the mechanical fixture with alignment features and probe locations, and select appropriate probe types for each test point.
4
Interface development
I design and build the interface board connecting the probes to test equipment, and develop the test software that implements the procedure.
5
Validation
I verify fixture operation with known-good and known-bad boards, confirming reliable contact, accurate measurements, and appropriate test coverage.
Who does the work
George Saliba
An electronics design engineer with 20+ years of professional experience across analog, digital, RF, and power designs, delivered to clients in 15+ countries. Your project is handled by the person who has shipped hardware like it, start to finish.
See the project portfolio
Questions
Frequently asked
What kind of test fixtures do you design?
Bed-of-nails fixtures for production, used to test and program every board quickly and repeatably as it comes off the line.
Why invest in a test fixture?
It catches assembly faults before they ship and lets you program firmware in production, which protects quality as volume grows.
Can the fixture program firmware too?
Yes. Fixtures can combine electrical test with firmware programming in one step.
Do you design the fixture around my board?
Yes. The fixture is built from your board data so the test points and programming match the actual design.
Do you build functional and production test fixtures?
Yes. Functional and production test fixture design, from bed-of-nails and ICT rigs to functional end-of-line testers, including the test firmware and the pass or fail logic, so every unit is checked consistently as it comes off the line.
Ready for production
Ship every unit knowing it was tested
A proper test fixture makes sure every unit that leaves the line meets your quality standards. Send your board data and I will design the fixture around it.
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