Little Board™/486e Technical Manual
HALT Testing
The Little Board/486e CPU was subjected to Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) as a part of its Engineering Qualification. An independent firm using a standardized procedure performed testing.
HALT testing is used during the development of a product to identify its temperature and vibration Operating Limits and Destruct Limits. The stresses applied during this testing greatly exceed those expected during normal operation. The intent of the test is to subject the unit to progressively greater extremes of temperature, rapid thermal transitions, vibration (in six axes), and combined temperature stress and vibration until the unit fails, and then is ultimately destroyed.
The results of the test identify the elements of the design that are the weakest, and at what level of environmental stress the elements fail or are destroyed. This information is then used to improve the design of the product.