In-Process Testing of Automotive Electronic Products

The electrical and electronics division (EED) of Ford Motor Company manufactures a wide variety of automotive electronic products, including a complete line of radios, the electronic engine control (EEC IV), solid state ignition modules, the electronic voltage regulator and instrumentation products for the dashboard. These products have become increasingly sophisticated during recent years; many of them are microprocessor-based. All of the products require extensive 100% in-process testing for which special purpose custom designed test systems have been implemented. The paper describes the basic testing strategy utilized on all products and describes two representative test systems; one for aligning AM radios, the other for testing electronic voltage regulators.