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Tracking sub units in WATS

Tom Andres Lomsdalen
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When implementing WATS into your test equipment and manufacturing processes through the use of UUT and UUR reports, WATS offers a great tool for traceability. Since data can be logged from any geographical location and from any source, you can trace every unit throughout the manufacturing.

See Also:  
Replace Units during repair

General

WATS also supports “box build” or “consist of” information meaning that when you test e.g. a module containing one or multiple sub units (boards), you can enter their inventory information (Serial Number, Part Number, Revision) as part of the report.

Example 1:

A unit tested in WATS and later installed in a module, will be marked as a sub unit. This also applies when performing repair or rework operations.

Example 2:

FlatView.png

Example above shows a unit failing and being reworked as a Unit. When added to a parent, it becomes a sub unit (level highlighted in yellow above).

 Example 3:

SubUnitRepair.png

Example above shows a unit (highlighted in blue above) that passes all tests as a unit, but later the parent fails the Functional Test. The Unit is then repaired as a Subunit (highlighted in red above), then tested again as Unit. When Passed, it is assembled with a different parent (SN starting with 14337...).

 Example 4:

SNH_drilldown.png

Example 4 illustrates how to drill down from top level units to the "lowest" linked unit in the hierarchy. 

Repair

If a module containing sub unit(s) fails in a test, the sub unit(s) will be listed in the web based reporting tool and allow the operator to tag a repair to both the unit (parent) and the sub unit. This information can then later be analysed in the reporting tool as shown below.

SubUnitRepair.png

Example below illustrate units that are repaired as sub units. By increasing test-ability at the unit level, these error may be found earlier in the process.

Picture1.png

 

Implementation

When using TestStand, use the "MiscUUTResult>UUT_Part_Info" container and add one or several sub parts (Type/description, Part Number, Serial Number, Revision). The "IdentifyUUT.vi" has predefined Indicators that match the UUT Container datatype. Open the "IdentifyUUT.vi" from the processmodel, open the diagram and copy/reuse the indicators collected in the "MISC UUT RESULT" frame.

See also <TestStand Examples>\WATS\Log misc UUT info

UUTContainer.png

When using LabVIEW (stand alone), use the "WATS_TDM_UUTPartInfo.vi" fuction. and similar properties on the UUT Header in the API. 

When running the Repair GUI in WATS Operator Interface, linking a UUR to a UUT that contains sub units will automatically list the sub units.

 

 

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Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • Piotr Małyszko

    Hi,

    is there any way of storing more data inside MiscUUTResult.UUT_Part_Info than only part type, number, serial number and revision number?

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  • Tom Andres Lomsdalen

    @Piotr What kind of data? You can also use https://virinco.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/207933206-Add-miscellaneous-data-to-the-UUT-header to store data like firmware versions atc.

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  • Piotr Małyszko

    I thought about dates stored as a string and additional numeric info. Storing it inside miscellaneous data seems like a good idea, thanks!

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  • Winnie Tang
    • Edited

    Can the sub board info be stored after the IdentifyUUT.vi has run? 

    In my case, I have to start the box build module test, and read the sub-board info to populate to the report header.

    Can I added in PostUUT?

     

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  • Kevin Fuhrer

    Hello
    Is there any way in TestStand to add UUT MISC information into the WATS report within or after the Main Sequence?
    We'll get certain information e.g. MAC address or sub-unit information in the main sequence and would need to add them at this stage. Unfortunately we couldn't find any solution which works.
    PostUUT and ModifyReportHeader callback sequences don't work.

    Thanks

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  • Tom Andres Lomsdalen

    Yes.

    Within MainSequence; RunState.Root.Locals.UUT.MiscUUTResult 

    After MainSequence; use the "PostMainSequence" callback - Parameters.UUT.MiscUUTResult

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  • Kevin Fuhrer

    Dear Tom
    Many thanks for the hint. This works.
    BR
    Kevin

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  • Simon Iversen

    Hello,

    I have an issue adding subunit info within the main sequence.

    If I add an element to "MiscUUTResult.UUT_Part_Info", no report is uploaded to WATS.

    Adding elements to "MiscUUTResult.Misc_UUT_Info" works fine, but if "SPC_Data" and "UUT_Part_Info" are not empty the sequence appears to run normally but a report is not uploaded to WATS.

    Extracting the client log shows the following error:

    2025-06-02T13:21:25.9269200+02:00;;Virinco.WATS.Logging.Client Error: 0 : 2025-06-02T13:21:25.9299118+02:00;;Message="An error occured during file conversion, see inner exception for details";
    {"ClassName":"System.InvalidOperationException","Message":"Collection was modified; enumeration operation may not execute.","Data":null,"InnerException":null,"HelpURL":null,"StackTraceString":"   at System.ThrowHelper.ThrowInvalidOperationException(ExceptionResource resource)\r\n   at System.Collections.Generic.List`1.Enumerator.MoveNextRare()\r\n   at System.Linq.Enumerable.<OfTypeIterator>d__95`1.MoveNext()\r\n   at System.Linq.Enumerable.WhereSelectEnumerableIterator`2.MoveNext()\r\n   at System.Linq.Enumerable.<UnionIterator>d__67`1.MoveNext()\r\n   at System.Linq.Buffer`1..ctor(IEnumerable`1 source)\r\n   at System.Linq.Enumerable.ToArray[TSource](IEnumerable`1 source)\r\n   at Virinco.WATS.Interface.Report.ValidateForSubmit()\r\n   at Virinco.WATS.Interface.TDM.Submit(SubmitMethod method, Report report)\r\n   at Virinco.WATS.ClientService.Converter.ConvertFile(ConversionItem ci, TDM api)","RemoteStackTraceString":null,"RemoteStackIndex":0,"ExceptionMethod":"8\nThrowInvalidOperationException\nmscorlib, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089\nSystem.ThrowHelper\nVoid ThrowInvalidOperationException(System.ExceptionResource)","HResult":-2146233079,"Source":"mscorlib","WatsonBuckets":null}

    Any assistance would be appreciated.

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