US-12618894-B2 - Universal socket test card

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for testing sockets, such as but not limited to CPU and GPU sockets. Systems and methods disclosed herein utilize a test card that has a test component and an adaptor Printed Circuit Board. The adaptor Printed Circuit Board (PCB) is configured to connect with a corresponding socket type on a motherboard and serves as an interface between the test component and a socket of the corresponding socket type. The test component includes logic that simulates a test function to test the socket. By connecting the test card to a socket using the adaptor PCB, the socket can be tested by simulating the test function on the test card.

Inventors

• Min-Huang Wu
• Heriberto Castillo Velez

Assignees

• HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT LP

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20230809

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A test card, comprising: a test component comprising logic configured to simulate a test function to test a plurality of socket types; and an adaptor Printed Circuit Board (PCB) comprising a first surface that is configured to be inserted into a corresponding socket type on a motherboard, wherein the adaptor PCB serves as an interface between the test component and a socket of the corresponding socket type, wherein the test component is connected to a second surface of the adaptor PCB opposite the socket, and wherein the test component simulates a test function to test the socket.
2. 2 . The test card of claim 1 , wherein the test component is a Field Gate Programmable Array (FGPA) integrated circuit or a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD) integrated circuit that is programmed with the logic that simulates the test function.
3. 3 . The test card of claim 2 , wherein the FGPA integrated circuit or the CPLD integrated circuit is programmed to act as a dummy CPU module that simulates IEEE 1149.1/6 Boundary Scan capability.
4. 4 . The test card of claim 1 , wherein the test function is a Universal Boundary Scan (UBS) test.
5. 5 . The test card of claim 1 , wherein the test function is a Boundary Scan Interconnect (BSI) test.
6. 6 . The test card of claim 5 , wherein the test component comprises a plurality Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) ports corresponding to JTAG pins of the socket.
7. 7 . The test card of claim 1 , wherein the adaptor PCB is configured to connect with the corresponding socket type by having a pin configuration that matches with a pin configuration of the corresponding socket type.
8. 8 . The test card of claim 7 , wherein the test component is configured to simulate the test function by generating scan signals and applying the scan signals to the pin configuration of the adaptor PCB, wherein the adaptor PCB is configured to apply the scan signals to the pin configuration of the corresponding socket type.
9. 9 . The test card of claim 7 , wherein the test component is configured to simulate the test function by receiving scan signals from the corresponding socket type via the pin configuration of the adaptor PCB connected to the pin configuration of the corresponding socket type.
10. 10 . The test card of claim 1 , wherein the corresponding socket type is one of a CPU socket type and a GPU socket type.
11. 11 . The test card of claim 1 , wherein the test component is a universal test component in which the logic is programmed to test a plurality of socket types.
12. 12 . The test card of claim 1 , wherein the test component is a dummy CPU module that is programmed to simulate IEEE 1149.1/6 Boundary Scan capability.
13. 13 . A method, comprising: connecting a first surface of an adaptor Printed Circuit Board (PCB), corresponding to a socket type of a plurality of socket types, to a socket on a motherboard; connecting a test component to the socket by connecting the test component to a second surface of the adaptor PCB, wherein the test component comprises logic that simulates a test function to test the plurality of socket types; and performing the test function to test the socket using the test component connected to the adaptor PCB by executing the logic that simulates the test function.
14. 14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the test component is a Field Gate Programmable Array (FGPA) integrated circuit or a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD) integrated circuit that is programmed with the logic that simulates the test function.
15. 15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the test function is one of Universal Boundary Scan (UBS) test, a Boundary Scan Interconnect (BSI) test, and IEEE 1149.1/6 Boundary Scan capability.
16. 16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the adaptor PCB is configured to connect with the corresponding socket type by having a pin configuration that matches with a pin configuration of the corresponding socket type.
17. 17 . The method of claim 13 , wherein performing the test function comprises: generating, by the test component, scan signals; applying the scan signals to pins of the connected socket via pins of the adaptor PCB connected to the pins of the connected socket; and determining whether each pin of the connected socket pass or fail the test function based on the applied scan signals.
18. 18 . The method of claim 13 , wherein performing the test function comprises: receiving, by the test component, scan signals via of pins the adaptor PCB connected to the pins of the connected socket; and determining whether each pin of the connected socket pass or fail the test function based on the received scan signals.
19. 19 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising programming the logic in the test component to simulate the test function.
20. 20 . A central processing unit (CPU) socket test apparatus, comprising: a test module comprising logic programed to perform a test function on a plurality of CPU socket types; and an adaptor component comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the first surface is configured to be electrically connected to the test module, the second surface comprises a vertical connector that corresponds to a CPU socket type of the plurality of CPU socket types and is configured to serve as an interface between the test module and a CPU socket of the corresponding CPU socket type.

Description

BACKGROUND Motherboards and main logic board (MLB) are printed circuit boards (PCBs) to which main components of a computing device are coupled. Examples of main components include a central processing unit (CPU), graphical processing unit (GPU), memory, etc. To achieve a connection with a CPU, a motherboard/MLB comprises a CPU socket to which the CPU is attached. Similarly, a motherboard/MLB can use a GPU socket to achieve connection with a GPU. There are various methods of testing a sockets, such as, but not limited to, a UPI (Ultra Path Interconnect) Boundary Scan Interconnect (BSI) test, a Structural Test Plus (STP) test, etc. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present disclosure, in accordance with one or more various embodiments, is described in detail with reference to the following figures. The figures are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict typical or example embodiments. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an example motherboard comprising a test card according to the presently disclosed technology. FIG. 1B is a cross-section side view of the motherboard of FIG. 1A taken along a cross-sectional plane shown in FIG. 1A. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example test component according to the presently disclosed technology. FIGS. 3A-3C are various views of an example adaptor in accordance with an example implementation of the presently disclosed technology. FIGS. 4A-4C are various views of another example adaptor in accordance with an example implementation of the presently disclosed technology. FIG. 5 is an example computing component that may be used to implement various features of testing a socket in accordance with the implementations disclosed herein. FIG. 6 is an example computer system that may be used to implement various features of socket testing of the present disclosure. The figures are not exhaustive and do not limit the present disclosure to the precise form disclosed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The presently disclosed technology is directed to a test card that comprises universal test component that includes an integrated circuit (IC) having programmable logic provided for simulating a test function and a customized adaptor component, which can be provided as a printed circuit board (PCB). The programmable logic can be provided as a FPGA/CPLD IC (Field Programmable Gate Array Integrated Circuit/Complex Programmable Logic Device Integrated Circuit) programmed to execute a desired test function. The test component can be universal, such that the test component can simulate a test function of any socket type via the adaptor component, which is customized so to plug into and/or interface, through establishment of an electrical connection, with a socket of a socket type corresponding to the adaptor component. More particularly, each instance of a customized adaptor component is configured to interface with a particular socket type. As alluded to above, motherboards comprise sockets used to attach processing units, such as a CPUs and GPUs. Sockets are generally designed to be specific to the processing unit. That is, for example, a motherboard couples to a particular CPU using a particular CPU socket type that corresponds to the particular CPU. Different CPUs have different sizes, structures, and pin configurations. Therefore, the different CPU socket types have different sizes, structures, and pin configurations to accommodate the different CPUs. As a result, the different CPU socket types are not interchangeable among different CPUs; a particular CPU must mate with a corresponding CPU socket type. Similarly, a motherboard attaches to a particular GPU using a particular GPU socket type that corresponds to the particular GPU. As used herein, “socket” will be understood to refer to CPU sockets, GPU sockets, and the like, unless otherwise explicitly stated or in the context of description. As noted above, there are various ways of testing a socket on a motherboard. Examples of test methods include, but are not limited to, a UBS test, a UPI BSI test, a STP test, etc. The logic for performing these tests can be embodied in distinct test modules. Test modules are provided with logic programmed that, when executed, tests certain capabilities of sockets or CPUs abilities to perform the certain capabilities. For example, one test module may be programmed to execute a UPI BSI test method, which simulates standard IEEE 1149.1/6 boundary scan capability and tests the socket's capabilities with respect to the IEEE 1149.1/6 boundary scan capability. A different test module may be programmed to execute a STP test method, which only applies to CPU sockets manufactured by Intel® and only works with specific Intel® test controller equipment. With conventional systems and methods, in order to test a socket, it is necessary to purchase actual, real CPUs (or GPUs) from the different CPU manufacturers (e.g., Intel®, AMD, etc.) or GPU manufacturers (e.g., Nvidia®). The CPU (or GPU) manufactu