Walnut Creek, California -- September 22, 1998 -- Teradyne, Inc. (NYSE: TER) announced that it will support the Jam™ programming and test language on its SpectrumT 8800-Series Manufacturing Test Platform and its Z1800-Series In- Circuit Test Systems. The Teradyne solution compiles Jam files into a new binary vector format that speeds the creation and execution of test programs that include programming of complex programmable logic devices (PLDs). Teradyne Z1800-Series and Spectrum 8800-Series customers will be able to download the new Jam support software free of charge at http://www.jamisp.com. The software is scheduled to be available in the fourth quarter of this year, Teradyne said.

"Altera is proud to see Jam continuing to gain industry-wide support," said Bob Beachler, Altera senior director of development tools marketing. "Teradyne's adoption of the Jam language will help bolster the growing effort to have it adopted as an industry standard."

Craig Pynn, marketing manager for Teradyne's Assembly Test Division, explained why the company is supporting Jam."Increasingly, electronics manufacturers are realizing the reduced cost and cycle time benefits of programming devices at circuit board test," he said. "Teradyne views the Jam standard as an important enabler to accelerate this trend."

Jam is a vendor- and platform-independent interpreted language compatible with all current PLDs that offer in-system programmability (ISP) via the IEEE standard 1149.1 TAP controller, commonly known as JTAG. With ISP, PLDs can be reprogrammed after they have been mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB). In the prototyping stage, design revisions can be compiled and programmed into the device in minutes. In production, ISP simplifies the manufacturing flow by allowing devices to be programmed during board test by automated test equipment.

The Jam programming language allows the specification of both the programming data and the programming algorithm in a single file. Support for new devices and updated algorithms can therefore be added quickly by the user generating a new Jam file from the development tool. Once created, a Jam file contains all the information required to program a specific design into a targeted device.

There are two software components in the Jam programming solution: the Jam Composer and the Jam Player. The Jam Composer writes the Jam file required to program a specific design into a specific device. The Jam Player (in this case, the Teradyne software) interprets the Jam file and programs the target device. These elements create an universal language and toolset that can address all JTAG PLDs and in-system programming. For more information about Jam, visit www.jamisp.com.

Teradyne is a leading manufacturer of automatic test equipment and connection systems for the electronics and telecommunications industries, with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. The Spectrum 8800-Series and Z1800-Series systems are produced by the Assembly Test Division in Walnut Creek, California. That division also produces other circuit board test and inspection equipment for the commercial board-test market. Teradyne sales in 1997 were approximately $1.3 billion. Its Internet address is www.teradyne.com..

Jam is a trademark of Altera Corporation. Spectrum is a trademark of Teradyne,Inc.