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Methods and systems for obsolescence mitigation of electronic systems including hardware and software components, in particular methods and systems for managing obsolete instrument hardware and application software used in legacy Automated Test Systems (ATS) or Automatic Test Equipment (ATE). When o

Methods and systems for obsolescence mitigation of electronic systems including hardware and software components, in particular methods and systems for managing obsolete instrument hardware and application software used in legacy Automated Test Systems (ATS) or Automatic Test Equipment (ATE). When one or more components of a test program set (TPS) has been rendered obsolete, migration to one or more replacement instruments without any impact to the TPS or other remaining legacy instruments in the ATE or ATS is obtained by a translator module interposed between the new instrument and the system bus for translating instructions for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments into instructions or procedures for the new instrument whereby the new instrument thus functions in the same manner as the obsolete instrument or set of instruments.

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1. 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

1. 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; andwhen 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; andexecuting 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. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising interposing the translator module between the new instrument or set of instruments and the data conduit. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein translation of the instruction for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments into an instruction for the new instrument or set of instruments comprises mapping the instruction for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments into an instruction for the new instrument or set of instruments using the instruction repository. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing the plurality of instructions for the new instrument or set of instruments in correspondence with a plurality of instructions for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments in the translator module comprises: identifying instructions for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments utilized in each of the test program sets in a preparatory stage;deriving for each utilized instruction, one or more corresponding instructions for the new instrument or set of instruments; and thenstoring in the instruction repository, a mapping of the utilized instructions for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments and the derived corresponding instructions for the new instrument or set of instruments. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising reconfiguring the instruction repository in the translator module dependent on the obsolete instrument or set of instruments and/or the new instrument or set of instruments. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the new instrument or set of instruments is able to interact with peripheral system hardware elements or software applications test programs of the automated test system or automatic test equipment without risk and in the same manner as they interacted with the obsolete instrument or set of instruments. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing the plurality of instructions for the new instrument or set of instruments in correspondence with the plurality of instructions for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments to thereby form an instruction repository in the translator module occurs in a preparatory stage and the steps of translating the instruction for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments into an instruction or procedure for the new instrument or set of instruments 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 occur in an operational stage that takes place after the preparatory stage. 8. In an automated test system including a plurality of instruments, a hardware data conduit for connecting the instruments together, and test program sets executable for those instruments, wherein the automated test system comprising: a new instrument whose instructions and/or procedures are not executable by the test program sets, the new instrument being a replacement for an obsolete one of the plurality of instruments or obsolete set of the plurality of instruments executable by the test program sets and being capable of similar functions as the obsolete instrument or set of instruments; anda translator module that translates instructions for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments into the instructions and/or procedures for said new instrument whereby said new instrument thus functions in the same manner as the obsolete instrument or set of instruments when the test program sets are executed on the automated test system,said translator module comprising an instrument instruction translator having stored the instructions and/or procedures for said new instrument in correspondence with instructions for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments to thereby form an instruction repository in the translator module and being configured to use the instruction repository to provide, in response to receiving an identified one of the instructions for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments, an instruction and/or procedure for said new instrument that corresponds to and is a substitute for the received instruction of the obsolete instrument or set of instruments. 9. The automated test system of claim 8, wherein said translator module further comprises a communications interface analyzer that identifies instructions for the obsolete instrument or set of instruments and implements an interface of said new instrument for required communications protocol. 10. The automated test system of claim 9, wherein: said instrument instruction translator provides the instruction and/or procedure for said new instrument that corresponds to and is a substitute for the received instruction of the obsolete instrument or set of instruments to said communications interface analyzer such that there is bi-directional communications between said instrument instruction analyzer and said communications interface analyzer, andsaid communications interface analyzer directs the instruction and/or procedure for said new instrument received from said instrument instruction translator to said new instrument. 11. The automated test system of claim 8, wherein said translator module is interposed between said new instrument and the data conduit. 12. The automated test system of claim 8, wherein said new instrument is able to interact with peripheral system hardware elements or software applications test programs of the automated test system or automatic test equipment without risk and in the same manner as they interacted with the obsolete instrument or set of instruments. 13. A method for enabling continued use of a test program set executed for a first set of instruments when at least one instrument of the first set is obsoleted and replaced by a new instrument to thereby form a second set of instruments, comprising: identifying a plurality of instructions for the obsoleted at least one instrument utilized in the test program set;determining a plurality of instructions or procedures for the new instrument that correspond to and substitute for the identified instructions for the obsoleted at least one instrument;storing the identified instructions for the obsoleted at least one instrument with the corresponding instructions or procedures for the new instrument in a translator module to thereby form an instruction repository in the translator module;determining when the test program set generates an instruction for the obsoleted at least one instrument; andwhen the test program set generates an instruction for the obsoleted at least one instrument, mapping the instruction using the instruction repository in the translator module to obtain an instruction or procedure for the new instrument and directing the instruction or procedure to the new instrument. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising interposing the translator module between a data conduit connecting the new instrument to the remaining instruments. 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising reconfiguring the instruction repository dependent on the obsoleted at least one instrument and/or the new instrument. 16. The method of claim 13, further comprising: controlling the instruments via a control system;directing the control system to monitor a data conduit connecting the instruments together to detect a new instrument; andwhen a new instrument is detected, configuring the instruction repository dependent on the detected new instrument. 17. The method of claim 13, wherein the new instrument is able to interact with peripheral system hardware elements or software applications test programs without risk and in the same manner as they interacted with the obsoleted at least one instrument. 18. The method of claim 13, wherein the steps of identifying a plurality of instructions for the obsoleted at least one instrument, determining the instructions for the new instrument that correspond to the identified instructions for the obsoleted at least one instrument, and storing the identified instructions for the obsoleted at least one instrument with the corresponding instructions for the new instrument in a translator module to thereby form an instruction repository in the translator module occur in a preparatory stage and the steps of determining when the test program set generates an instruction for the obsoleted at least one instrument and mapping the instruction using the instruction repository in the translator module occur in an operational stage that takes place after the preparatory stage. 19. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of identifying a plurality of instructions for the obsoleted at least one instrument comprises analyzing the test program set to determine which instructions for the obsoleted at least one instrument are utilized therein.