Cost effective vibration testing for automotive electronics

The application of a novel random vibration test strategy has been effective in increasing the reliability of a wide range of automotive electronics products. Selecting stress levels greater than the measured mission profile for design qualification testing has the potential to reduce costs by $6000 per test. On one product line this represents a cost savings of $100000 per year. This savings is realized by reducing the shaker time required for qualification testing. The increased stress levels also provide a greater confidence that a product will be reliable in the vehicle.<<ETX>>