Patent ID: 7131040

Claim:
A forced-air environmental tester for memory modules comprising: a backplane forming one side of an environmental chamber; motherboard sockets mounted on a first side of the backplane; removable module motherboards for insertion into the motherboard sockets; a plurality of memory-module sockets mounted on each of the removable module motherboards, the plurality of memory module sockets for receiving memory modules for environmental testing in the environmental tester; card sockets mounted on a second side of the backplane; removable pattern-generator cards for insertion into the card sockets; a pattern generator on each of the removable pattern-generator cards for generating address, data, and control signals to write data to a plurality of memory locations on memory chips on the memory modules inserted into the memory-module sockets on the removable module motherboards; an inlet duct carrying forced air into the environmental chamber; an air-flow distributor situated between the inlet duct and the removable module motherboards when inserted into the motherboard sockets; a return duct that carries return air from the environmental chamber; and an air collector situated between the return duct and the removable module motherboards when inserted into the motherboard sockets, whereby memory modules are tested within the environmental chamber by pattern generators on removable pattern-generator cards outside the environmental chamber that are separated by the backplane that forms one side of the environmental chamber.