Development of a new interchangeable virtual instrument class specification

In today's world, rapidly changing technology and high costs associated with developing and maintaining ATE software push the need for reusability and ease of upgrading or replacing components in test systems intended to be used over a long period of time. The interchangeable virtual instrument (IVI) foundation is tackling these issues by: "Promoting specifications for programming test instruments that simplify interchangeability, provide better performance, and reduce program development and maintenance cost". An interchangeable virtual instrument (IVI) class specification defines the base capabilities and extensions for an instrument type (such as a function generator or oscilloscope). This specification defines the application programming interface (API) used to develop an IVI class-compliant driver. Systems & Electronics Inc. and Boeing are jointly chairing an IVI foundation working group to define an IVI class specification for a counter/timer. Based on the experiences of characterizing the counter/timer specification, this paper explores the process of creating a new class specification for an instrument type that does not already have a specification defined. Topics such as steps to effective specification development, obstacles encountered, and how to keep the specification moving forward are discussed