TestStand 2016 Semiconductor Module Known Issues By Date

Overview

This document contains the TestStand Semiconductor Module known issues that were discovered before and since the release of TestStand 2016 Semiconductor Module. Not every issue known to NI will appear on this list; it is intended to only show the severe and more common issues that can be encountered.

Each Issue appears as a row in the table and includes these fields:

  • Issue ID - the number at the top of each of the cells in the first column. When you report an issue to NI, you may be given this ID, you can also find IDs posted by NI on the discussion forums or in Knowledge Base articles.
  • Legacy ID (optional) -  If an issue has a legacy ID from NI's legacy/deprecated bug reporting database, you will see it appear on a separate line directly below the Issue ID in the table, or to the right of the Issue ID in the table of contents (separated by a space).
  • Issue Title: in italics - it describes the issue in one sentence or less
  • Problem Description - a few sentences which describe the problem in further detail. The brief description given does not necessarily describe the problem in full detail, and it is expected that you might want more information on an issue. If you would like more information on an issue feel free to contact NI (contact information below) and reference the ID number given in the document.
  • Workaround - possible ways to work around the problem. The workarounds that appear in the document are not always tested by NI and are not guaranteed to resolve the issue. If a workaround refers you to the NI KnowledgeBase, please visit www.ni.com/kb/ and enter that KB number in the search field to locate the specific document.
  • Reported Version - the earliest version of TestStand Semiconductor Module the issue was reported in. If you discover the issue appears in an earlier version of TestStand Semiconductor Module than is reported in this field, you can report that to NI (contact information below) to have the field updated.
  • Resolved Version - version the issue was resolved or was no longer applicable. If an issue has not been resolved "N/A" will be reported.
  • Date Added - the date the issue was added to the document (not necessarily the reported date)

Document Organization:

The Known Issues Document is divided into two separate tables appearing in two separate documents. The following document displays the issues by date.

For those who wish to locate issues by their category, we have also published another version of the known issues table organized by the category of issue, and sorted by the date the issue was added to the document (not necessarily the date the issue was reported to NI). This table is recommended for use in helping determine if an issue has been reported to us, and is also recommended for users wanting to skim the document to learn of potential issues they may face with TestStand 2016 Semiconductor Module during development. If an issue has multiple categories, it will appear multiple times in this document.

TestStand 2016 Semiconductor Module Known Issues by Category

Contacting NI

Feel free to contact NI regarding this document or issues in the document. If you are contacting NI in regards to a specific issue, be sure to reference the ID number given in the document to the NI representative. The ID number contains the current issue ID number as well as the legacy ID number (use the current ID number when contacting National Instruments). You can contact us through any of the normal support channels including phone, email, or the discussion forums. Visit the NI Website to contact us. Also consider contacting us if you find a workaround for an issue that is not listed in the document so that we can add the workaround to the document.

Known Issues by Date

The following items are known issues in TestStand 2016 Semiconductor Module sorted by Date.

396711Second error dialog box appears after run-time error occurs when incorrectly using the Set and Lock Bin step
457832TestStand Semiconductor Module Operator Interface Test Program Information control does not clear values when switching from a sequence with a configuration to one without
505457The Number of Sites control in the Configure Station Settings dialog box does not affect the number of sites when executing with the Sequential model
517287TestStand Seminconductor Module .NET APIs do not appear in the Visual Studio Add References dialog box when 64-bit TestStand is installed but 64-bit TestStand Semiconductor Module is not
528021TestStand Semiconductor Module result processors do not appear in the Result Processing dialog box
529670The license activation dialog box in the installer for a TestStand deployment that contains the TestStand Semiconductor Module Runtime incorrectly labels the serial number field as "TestStand" instead of "TestStand Semiconductor Module"
555661Building the TestStand 2014 Semiconductor Module LabVIEW operator interface executable after installing TestStand 2014 Semiconductor Module SP1 might result in build errors
557654Importing limits from a test limits file that changes the evaluation type of a test might not correctly set the flags on the test properties
558650Cancelling installation of TestStand 2014 Semiconductor Module SP1 might leave TestStand 2014 Semiconductor Module in a bad state
562103TestStand might launch a license activation dialog box after you install TestStand Semiconductor Module for one bitness and start TestStand for the other bitness before activating the TestStand Semiconductor Module
563547In rare cases, certain steps that use the LabVIEW Adapter and default values might report run-time errors when using a test program configuration that loads limits
590475You must restart the computer to install the TestStand Semiconductor Module after you install TestStand, which prevents silent installs
596009LabVIEW operator interfaces built in LabVIEW 2016 might be slow to exit
596546Cycle and socket times might temporarily increase after you click inside the Bin Summary Table of the LabVIEW operator interface while executing a lot
597659In certain cases, using CPU Affinity step might cause some threads to suspend intermittently for several seconds
612228Launching the Digital Pattern Editor from the TestStand Semiconductor Module does not always bring the existing editor to the front
647125TSM bins the part correctly but reports incorrect measurement data when a step errors out
651595Memory usage can increase when using reentrant VIs and testing a high number of sites
669922Run-time errors occur when looping on TSM steps



IDKnown Issue
396711

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Second error dialog box appears after run-time error occurs when incorrectly using the Set and Lock Bin step
When you use a Set and Lock Bin step in a sequence file and run Single Pass using the Batch model, a run-time error occurs because the step sets the bin to 0 by default. If you do not specify a bin definitions file, bin 0 is a fail bin. When the sequence passes and tries to determine the final bin, it reports a run-time error because the sequence passed but the bin was set to a fail bin. After that run-time error is reported, a second run-time error occurs and indicates that "One or more test sockets have unexpectedly stopped executing".

Workaround: Ignore the second error dialog box and configure a bin definitions file.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/14/2014
457832

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TestStand Semiconductor Module Operator Interface Test Program Information control does not clear values when switching from a sequence with a configuration to one without
In the TestStand Semiconductor Module Operator Interface, the Test Program Information control updates values to match the test conditions of the current configuration and the station settings. However, if you switch from a sequence file that has a configuration, and thus populated the control with values, to a sequence file that does not have a configuration and has no values to populate it with, the Test Program Information control does not clear itself and continues to show the old values.

Workaround: If it is required to execute sequence files without test configurations, modify the operator interface code to handle this use case.

Reported Version: 2013  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/14/2014
505457

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The Number of Sites control in the Configure Station Settings dialog box does not affect the number of sites when executing with the Sequential model
When executing with the TestStand Sequential model, only one site is allowed. However, the Configure Station Settings dialog box displays the number of sites that would run if the Parallel or Batch model were used.

Workaround: N/A

Reported Version: 2014  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/20/2015
517287

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TestStand Seminconductor Module .NET APIs do not appear in the Visual Studio Add References dialog box when 64-bit TestStand is installed but 64-bit TestStand Semiconductor Module is not
If 32-bit and 64-bit TestStand are installed but only 32-bit TestStand Semiconductor Module is installed, the TestStand Seminconductor Module .NET Code Module API and Application API do not appear in the Add References dialog box in Visual Studio.

Workaround: Install 64-bit TestStand Semiconductor Module or add the reference to the Visual Studio project manually by browsing to <TestStand>\API\DotNET\Assemblies\CurrentVersion.

Reported Version: 2014  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/20/2015
528021

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TestStand Semiconductor Module result processors do not appear in the Result Processing dialog box
If the Result Processing dialog box has been opened at least once before the TestStand Semiconductor Module is installed, the installer is unable to update the items in the Result Processing dialog box.

Workaround: Follow the instructions documented in the "Enabling and Configuring Semiconductor Module Result Processing Plug-ins" topic in the TestStand Semiconductor Module Help.

Reported Version: 2014  Resolved Version: 2017  Added: 07/20/2015
529670

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The license activation dialog box in the installer for a TestStand deployment that contains the TestStand Semiconductor Module Runtime incorrectly labels the serial number field as "TestStand" instead of "TestStand Semiconductor Module"
A TestStand Semiconductor Module serial number will activate the product. If TestStand 2014 SP1 or later is installed, the dialog box displays the correct label.

Workaround: N/A

Reported Version: 2014  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/20/2015
555661

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Building the TestStand 2014 Semiconductor Module LabVIEW operator interface executable after installing TestStand 2014 Semiconductor Module SP1 might result in build errors
When you build an existing TestStand 2014 Semiconductor Module LabVIEW operator interface executable after you install TestStand 2014 Semiconductor Module SP1, the build operation might fail with a build error with text similar to the following: Click the link below to visit the Application Builder support page. Use the following information as a reference: Error 1 occurred at EndUpdateResourceA.vi.

Workaround: Mass compile the LabVIEW operator interface project before building.

Reported Version: 2014 R2  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 01/01/2016
557654

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Importing limits from a test limits file that changes the evaluation type of a test might not correctly set the flags on the test properties
If you import test limits into a sequence file with the Update limits in matching tests option enabled and the import operation changes the Evaluation Type of an existing test, certain flags on the test properties are set incorrectly. These flags do not affect execution of the test program because the Semiconductor Multi Test step corrects the settings at run time. The specific flag involved is the Dont Copy To Results flag on the NumericLimit or PassFail properties.

Workaround: N/A

Reported Version: 2014  Resolved Version: 2016 SP1  Added: 01/01/2016
558650

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Cancelling installation of TestStand 2014 Semiconductor Module SP1 might leave TestStand 2014 Semiconductor Module in a bad state
The TestStand 2014 Semiconductor Module SP1 installer first un-registers some files from the TestStand 2014 Semiconductor Module but is unable to re-register the files if the installer cancels before completing.

Workaround: Run the TestStand Version Selector and make TestStand 2014 active to re-register the files.

Reported Version: 2014 R2  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 01/01/2016
562103

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TestStand might launch a license activation dialog box after you install TestStand Semiconductor Module for one bitness and start TestStand for the other bitness before activating the TestStand Semiconductor Module
If you have 32-bit and 64-bit TestStand installed and you install TestStand Semiconductor Module for either 32-bit or 64-bit, then start TestStand with the bitness for which you did not install TestStand Semiconductor Module, a license activation dialog box launches with a blank entry for the product that needs to be activated. The dialog box no longer displays after you activate the TestStand Semiconductor Module license.

Workaround: Activate the license for the TestStand Semiconductor Module or install the TestStand Semiconductor Module for both bitness versions of TestStand.

Reported Version: 2014 R2  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 01/01/2016
563547

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In rare cases, certain steps that use the LabVIEW Adapter and default values might report run-time errors when using a test program configuration that loads limits
Certain rare combinations of default values for array parameters on LabVIEW steps can cause a run-time error when running a test program with a configuration that loads limits from a test limits file.

Workaround: On the step that reports a run-time error, change the step load option to Load Dynamically and the unload option to Unload after the step executes.

Reported Version: 2014  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 01/01/2016
590475

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You must restart the computer to install the TestStand Semiconductor Module after you install TestStand, which prevents silent installs
The TestStand Semiconductor Module relies on a reboot of the computer after you install TestStand. If you do not restart the computer, a modal dialog box returns the following error: The TestStand Service did not start up promptly.The TestStand Engine uses this service to ensure that external environments such as LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, and Microsoft Visual Studio are properly updated. The TestStand Service can sometimes be delayed after restarting a system if a previous service is slow to start. For example, the Windows Workstation service can delay for a few minutes on startup when trying to reconnect to mapped network drives if the drives are not immediately available. Determine the offending service and see if you can resolve why it is slow to start. An option is to mark the service as manual, and delay the launching of it by adding a command to the startup group to start the service. Because a modal dialog box returns the error, a silent installation (including an installer running in silent mode that you build with the Batch Installer Builder) cannot complete successfully.

Workaround: N/A

Reported Version: 2014 R2  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 08/05/2016
596009

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LabVIEW operator interfaces built in LabVIEW 2016 might be slow to exit
When you exit a LabVIEW operator interface built in LabVIEW 2016, the operator interface might be slow to terminate.

Workaround: Rebuild the operator interface in LabVIEW 2015 SP1 or earlier.

Reported Version: 2016  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 08/05/2016
596546

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Cycle and socket times might temporarily increase after you click inside the Bin Summary Table of the LabVIEW operator interface while executing a lot
Clicking inside the Bin Summary Table of the TestStand Semiconductor Module LabVIEW operator interface while executing a lot might result in temporarily increased cycle and socket times. The overall performance degradation is more pronounced with higher site counts.

Workaround: Add a filter event case to the Event structure in the main execution loop for the 'Mouse Down?' event on the Bin Summary Table control. Wire a True Boolean constant to the 'Discard?' event filter node of the 'Mouse Down?' filter event case to discard mouse down events that occur inside a cell of the Bin Summary Table.

Reported Version: 2014 R2  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 08/05/2016
597659

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In certain cases, using CPU Affinity step might cause some threads to suspend intermittently for several seconds
This behavior might occur when you configure the CPU Affinity step to use fewer cores than are available in processors with eight or more cores.

Workaround: Refer to the National Instruments KnowledgeBase article, KnowledgeBase 7G0F28RQ: TestStand Semiconductor Module CPU Optimization on the PXIe-8880, for more information about this issue and available solutions.

Reported Version: 2016  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 08/05/2016
612228

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Launching the Digital Pattern Editor from the TestStand Semiconductor Module does not always bring the existing editor to the front
When an instance of the Digital Pattern Editor is running, attempting to launch the Digital Pattern Editor from the TestStand Semiconductor Module does not always bring the existing editor to the front. If the Digital Pattern Editor was originally launched from the Start menu, the TestStand Semiconductor Module instead launches a new instance of the Digital Pattern Editor.

Workaround: Manually navigate to an existing instance of the Digital Pattern Editor instead of using the TestStand Semiconductor Module shortcut to bring the existing instance of the editor to the front.

Reported Version: 16.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 10/24/2016
647125

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TSM bins the part correctly but reports incorrect measurement data when a step errors out
If a Semiconductor Multi Test step produces an error on a run other than the first in a lot, TSM logs the measurements of the step from the previous batch. TSM bins the DUT correctly, and the step returns an error.

Workaround: Disable the Optimize Non-Reentrant Calls to this Sequence option on all sequences that return report data in the sequence file.

Reported Version: 2013  Resolved Version: 2017  Added: 07/27/2018
651595

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Memory usage can increase when using reentrant VIs and testing a high number of sites
Testing with many sites that call reentrant VIs can cause increased memory use because TestStand creates a clone of a reentrant VI in each thread where the VI executes. Duplicate clones can be created because the thread used depends on the order at which the sites arrive at the step. The order can vary when you test with many sites.

Workaround: N/A

Reported Version: 2014  Resolved Version: 2017  Added: 07/27/2018
669922

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Run-time errors occur when looping on TSM steps
Intermittent errors can occur if you use TSM steps in a loop or enable looping settings in certain multisite situations.

Workaround: Avoid using loops with TSM step types or ensure that the last step in a loop block is a Semiconductor Multi Test step with the Multisite Option set to One thread only.

Reported Version: 2014  Resolved Version: 2017  Added: 07/27/2018

Glossary of Terms

 

  • Bug ID - When an issue is reported to NI, you may be given this ID or find it on ni.com.  You may also find IDs posted by NI on the discussion forums or in KnowledgeBase articles.
  • Legacy ID – An older issue ID that refers to the same issue.  You may instead find this issue ID in older known issues documents.
  • Description - A few sentences which describe the problem. The brief description given does not necessarily describe the problem in full detail.
  • Workaround - Possible ways to work around the problem.
  • Reported Version - The earliest version in which the issue was reported.
  • Resolved Version - Version in which the issue was resolved or was no longer applicable. "N/A" indicates that the issue has not been resolved.
  • Date Added - The date the issue was added to the document (not the reported date).