Patent ID: 8359585

Claim:
A method for replacing an obsolete instrument or set of instruments in an automated test system or automatic test equipment while maintaining functionality provided by the obsolete instrument or set of instruments and allowing continued use of test program sets including commands for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments, comprising: providing a new instrument or set of instruments capable of providing the same functions as the obsolete instrument or set of instruments; monitoring a data conduit of the automated test system or automatic test equipment for instructions for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments; coupling a translator module to the data conduit; storing in the translator module, a plurality of instructions or procedures for the new instrument or set of instruments in correspondence with a plurality of instructions for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments to thereby form an instruction repository in the translator module; and when an instruction for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments is detected, translating the instruction for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments into an instruction or procedure for the new instrument or set of instruments by inputting the instruction for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments into the translator module and obtaining as output from the translator module, one of the stored instructions for the new instrument or set of instruments that corresponds to and is a substitute for the input instruction for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments; and executing the stored instruction output from the translator module at the new instrument or set of instruments to provide the same functionality to the test program sets via the new instrument or set of instruments as the obsolete instrument or set of instruments.