SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS -- August 30, 1999 -- Teradyne, Inc. (NYSE:TER) introduced the M960 Digital Test Instrument (DTI) at AUTOTESTCON '99. A new addition to the highly successful M9-Series DTI, the M960 provides digital stimulus and measurement capabilities of ±30 volts, a range previously unavailable in commercial-off-the-shelf VXI instruments. Consisting of the M918 central resource board (CRB) and up to 11 M967 channel cards, the M960 is designed to meet the needs of military test program re-host from legacy test equipment that requires extended voltage range.

The M9-Series offers the highest voltage C-sized digital test instruments designed for VXI system integrators. With a VXIplug • Windows NT framework software driver and hardware that is compliant with VXI interface standards, M9-Series instruments are easily integrated with other VXI-based instruments in automatic test systems (ATS) and specialized test equipment (STE) for defense and avionics programs. They have been integrated in commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) test equipment supplied to the U.S. Department of Defense.

Additional Flexibility, Reduced Test Fixture Complexity

The new channel card offers 16 bi-directional, programmable-voltage test channels with a 10MHz data rate. With 128K of pattern memory per channel, the M960 has the capacity to handle long pattern sequences efficiently and capture complete pass/fail data for every pattern in a single pass, ensuring efficient generation of high-resolution fault-dictionary diagnostics. Hybrid pin capability offers greater flexibility in mixed-signal testing. The M960 has a voltage range of ±30 V and supports 30 V swings. This allows the M960 to accommodate legacy systems that have requirements for ±15 V levels or 28 V logic to address a broader range of technologies.

The M9-Series takes advantage of VXI interface standards and advanced packaging techniques to provide more digital test capability with greater cost efficiency and higher reliability than has ever been available in a C-size VXI instrument. The CRB supplies system-wide clock generation, active channel alignment to maintain timing accuracy, and guided-probe electronics for fault diagnostics.

The VXIplug • Windows NT driver included with the M9-Series provides a graphical soft panel for "benchtop" access and programming. The driver also serves as a programmatic interface to all Application Development Environments (ADEs) supported in the Windows NT Framework.

Pricing and Availability

Volume shipments of the M960 begin in the first quarter of 1999. The price for the M967 channel card is $20,000. The M960, which includes an M918 Central Resource Board (CRB), one M967 channel card and the M9-Series VXIplug • driver, is provided with a one-year warranty for $27,500. Prices will vary outside North America.

About Teradyne

Teradyne is the world's largest manufacturer of automatic test equipment (ATE) for the electronics industry. Products include systems to test semiconductor devices, printed circuit assemblies, telephone lines, computerized telephone systems, internet and intranet networks, and software. The company is also a leading supplier of high-performance connection systems used in the manufacture of electronics. Teradyne's extensive service network supports customers through a worldwide service and application engineering network, with technical centers located throughout Asia, Europe and North America.

The Assembly Test Division, located in Boston and Walnut Creek, California, serves circuit-board test customers with comprehensive capabilities in test and inspection. These test instruments and systems are used in commercial environments and in military/aerospace applications where reliability, time-to-market, and in-line process test are key to success. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Teradyne reported sales of approximately $1.5 billion in 1998 and had 6,100 employees worldwide. The company's Web address is www.teradyne.com.