Hewlett-packard Company

John J Keller

Ronald J Peiffer

Kevin W Keirn

Vance R Harwood

Disclosed is a system for determining whether semiconductor components are present and properly connected to a printed circuit board. The semi-conductor material between two pins of an integrated circuit forms a lateral NPN transistor, having its base connected directly to the substrate connection pin of the component. A constant voltage source is applied to the lateral transistor collector pin of the component being tested, and allowed to stabilize. A current or voltage source is then connected to the emitter pin of the lateral transistor, typically an adjacent pin, and a current or voltage pulse is applied to this pin. The current on the collector pin is then monitored and if a corresponding current pulse is detected, the emitter and collector pins, as well as the substrate connection pin of the component, are properly connected to the printed circuit board.

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Loveland, CO, United States of America

John J Keller