I have been working on a project I have called Test in a Box (TiaB), it is an open-source test automation platform for repeatable hardware testing and validation.
The idea is pretty simple: build something that makes it easier to control test equipment, run repeatable sequences, and capture the results without having to reinvent the whole setup every time. A lot of engineering test work ends up being a mixture of scripts, manual steps, instrument settings, and notes, and this project is my attempt to pull that together into something more structured.
So far I have got the TTI PSU working, along with the Seeit USBB 8 relays board . That means I now have the basic building blocks in place to start switching things on and off under software control, which is a useful step forward. It is the sort of progress that does not look very dramatic from the outside, but it is the point where the project starts to become real.
The aim is for the platform to be useful across a range of test scenarios, whether that is HiL (Hardware in the Loop), SiL (Software in the Loop), or more traditional DUT (Device Under Test) and EUT (Equipment Under Test) style validation work. That gives it a bit more flexibility, because not every test setup is the same and not every project needs the same level of automation. In some cases it is about controlling real hardware, in others it is about simulating or emulating parts of the system to support development and verification.
The next part is to keep adding functionality around that core. Once the power supply and relays are doing what they should, it becomes easier to start building out the rest of the test process. That should include sequencing, measurement capture, and eventually a more complete setup for repeatable testing.
At the moment, the focus is still on getting the fundamentals working properly. I would rather build it up slowly and make sure each part does what it needs to do than bolt everything together too quickly and end up with a mess that is hard to maintain later on.
TiaB next steps?
This is still early days, but it is moving in the right direction. The hardware side is now behaving properly, and that gives me a solid base to keep developing from.