Breakout Box F
A rack-mounted interface for automated physical fault insertion and signal access.
Overview of the Breakout Box F
The Breakout Box F (BOB-F) is a 19-inch, 6U interface unit for hardware-in-the-loop testing of automotive systems. It brings signal lines to the front panel for probing and enables controlled physical fault insertion while the simulation continues to run.
The BOB-F provides:
- 150 channels, including 120 general-purpose and 30 dedicated channels
- Four relays per channel for signal interruption and connection to three fault lines
- Front-panel probing for 144 of the 150 channels via 4 mm banana jacks
- Dedicated channels for CAN, resolver and return-path sensitive signals
- Physical faults including open circuits and shorts to the fault lines (including channel-to-channel shorts)
- Individual relay control from the model, the SCADA panel, or directly over CAN
- Relay states updated as fast as every 5 ms
Controlled from the model.
Fault Lines
Each channel combines four relays: one to open or close the channel path and three to connect the channel to fault lines FL1, FL2 or FL3. This enables controlled faults such as open circuits, shorts to ground or a supplied voltage, and shorts between channels. Fault states indicated by front-panel LEDs.
The BOB-F is controlled over CAN, allowing individual relays to be switched directly from the model, automated through SCADA and test scripts, or by an external CAN device directly sending commands. Built-in interlock logic prevents incompatible fault combinations from being applied.
resolver or return-path sensitive signals.
Dedicated Channels
Thirty dedicated channels are routed through eight D-Sub (DE9) connectors for CAN, resolver and auxiliary signals. Unlike the general-purpose EDAC connector, these connectors provide a direct chassis ground through the metal shell, improving shielding and noise immunity for sensitive signals.
The integrated CAN splitter also breaks the HIL device’s four CAN channels out to individual connectors with switchable termination.
From Simulated to Real: Closing the Field-Readiness Gap
Every device we test eventually meets a fault in the field—the question is whether it was ever tested for one. The Breakout Box F lets our customers introduce physical faults into a HIL simulation in addition to model-based faults, moving beyond purely simulated fault scenarios. That’s exactly the gap between software validation and field readiness.
