Ampro Corporation 486E - Manual (Page 14)

Little Board™/486e Technical Manual
1–6
HALT Testing
The Little Board/486e CPU was subjected to Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) as a part of its
Engineering Qualification. An independent firm using a standardized procedure performed testing.
HALT testing is used during the development of a product to identify its temperature and vibration
Operating Limits and Destruct Limits. The stresses applied during this testing greatly exceed
those expected during normal operation. The intent of the test is to subject the unit to progressively
greater extremes of temperature, rapid thermal transitions, vibration (in six axes), and combined
temperature stress and vibration until the unit fails, and then is ultimately destroyed.
The results of the test identify the elements of the design that are the weakest, and at what level of
environmental stress the elements fail or are destroyed. This information is then used to improve
the design of the product.