PCBA Functional Testing Service

For prototype PCBA ordered through NextPCB, up to 10 boards receive free functional testing. The free part covers the testing itself only; other costs, such as tools or jigs that need to be purchased, are quoted separately. See the free functional testing article for details. NextPCB is currently also offering free assembly for 5 boards.

Common categories are electrical connectivity (voltage, current, power consumption), communication interfaces (UART, I2C, SPI bus, USB, HDMI, Ethernet; link and function checks), signal levels and timing, memory (RAM and Flash), functional modules (buttons, LEDs, sensors), clock frequency and stability, fault detection and fault tolerance, and embedded software or firmware. The exact scope depends on evaluation of your product and test plan. For in-circuit test (ICT) availability and scope, please contact a NextPCB sales representative.

No. Functional testing checks that an assembled board works as designed, using your test plan. It is separate from regulatory compliance testing such as FCC, CE, UL or RoHS. If your product needs certification, NextPCB offers certification assistance as a separate service, which can be requested when you place your order. The certifications supported depend on your product, so please contact sales for the scope. Environmental stress testing, such as thermal shock, is also available as a separate service; conditions are confirmed with sales.

NextPCB can sign a legally binding non-disclosure agreement (NDA), and a dedicated account manager supports NDA arrangements to protect your intellectual property. Please raise this with your account manager or sales representative before sending files. How files are handled after testing is confirmed with sales.

There are three common approaches: verifying a single board on a prototype to check manufacture, procurement and placement; random sampling during volume production to monitor the process; and 100% testing of a small batch to confirm every unit works. Functional testing can be combined with firmware flashing in the same order.

Make four things clear: which tools are used, which software and parameters, how the board is wired, and what counts as a pass. In practice that means step-by-step test instructions or a complete test video, wiring information and pass criteria, plus firmware (.hex, .bin or .elf) if flashing is involved. Depending on the order you may also provide test software, test hardware such as development boards, programmers and test cables, and a test jig. Send test materials to support@nextpcb.com; the contact form only takes a short requirement summary and cannot accept file uploads.

Provide step-by-step instructions where you can. If you have none, a complete test video lets NextPCB’s engineers write the test document for you. Vague information takes several rounds of confirmation, so the more complete your documentation, the faster evaluation and debugging go.

We recommend you supply them. Tools and jigs you have already verified can be used as soon as they arrive, while tools we purchase may differ in version and have to be debugged first, which takes time and incurs an engineering fee. If you need us to source tools, send a tool list with models or links and the wiring principle; we first check whether they can be sourced, and the cost is yours. We can also design a test jig from your jig design requirements and wiring schematic.

Yes. Board-level flashing, done after assembly through the board’s debug interface such as JTAG, SWD or UART, suits small batches and rework. It requires the PCB to reserve a debug interface (such as SWD pins); if your board has none, please contact sales before ordering. Chip-level flashing, done before assembly in a programming socket, is only recommended for thousand-piece-level quantities; NextPCB currently has a socket for the SOIC-8 208mil package only, and other packages need a custom socket at the customer’s cost. Board-level flashing is the recommended first choice.

A complete test procedure or video is needed before a quote can be evaluated. The charge is factory technician commissioning hours plus the actual test hours, usually collected after testing is complete, and the hourly rate is told to you in advance. One past quote used about 9 USD per hour as a reference; the final rate is confirmed with you. If NextPCB sources tools or builds a jig, an engineering fee applies.

In individual cases where the customer supplied the tools and the instructions were clear, commissioning took roughly 0.5 to 1 hour for flashing and 1 to 2 hours for functional testing, depending on complexity. When tools had to be purchased by NextPCB and instructions were unclear, it took a few days. These are commissioning times for specific cases, not an overall lead time and not a commitment.

The factory analyzes failed boards and repairs them until they pass the test. Responsibility for failures and for issues after delivery is governed by the contract terms, so please contact sales for specifics.

Our lab and factory include RIGOL oscilloscope, programmable DC power supply and function generator, HIOKI resistance meters, J-Link, ST-Link, PICkit and Atmel-ICE programmers, an ACROVIEW automatic chip programmer, and 3D SPI (solder paste inspection), AOI and X-Ray inspection equipment. Which instruments are used on your order depends on your test plan. See the equipment section above.

Minimum order quantity, minimum charge, jig fees, how design revisions affect an existing jig, jig and testing lead times, report format and contents, testing limits for high-speed, RF, high-power or medical products, and other test methods are not listed here. Please contact a NextPCB sales representative through the contact page.

PCBA functional testing subjects an assembled circuit board to a simulated operational environment and checks that it behaves as designed under controlled conditions. It is a black-box test: it looks for the outputs an end user would expect without examining the board’s internal structure. Put simply, it is a series of tests run on assembled PCBs to confirm they meet design requirements and usage needs, and it can be combined with firmware flashing in the same order.

A device may appear electrically sound but still not deliver the required functionality. Functional testing looks for the required outputs from an end-user perspective, which helps keep defective units from reaching the market and highlights problem areas in the manufacturing process. When assembly is handed to a contract manufacturer, especially one that procures the components for you, it also verifies the entire turnkey process: errors such as incorrect polarity or part value, faulty or non-functional parts, or PCB shorts can be identified immediately and corrected at the assembly facility, saving valuable time.