When you’re designing like a rock star, and the end is finally within reach, it is beyond frustrating when a bug in the system causes the result to be different from what you planned. Boundary scan solutions can help you find a bug, but what do you do next? How do you turn the buggy device into one that works properly?

How Do You Fix Bugs?

Sometimes bugs are easy to find and fix. When that happens, everyone is happy, and you can return to creating without any tears shed or hair ripped out. That’s not always the case though, and when you encounter a bug that is hard (or very hard) to fix, it is super frustrating. When you are facing a bug that is hard to fix, here are some tips to help you get through it and get back to happily engineering again.

1. Take a break. Physically remove yourself from the situation and give your brain some rest.
2. Create something fun that you enjoy. If you can put something small together that achieves the desired result, it will boost your spirits and make it easier to go back to the problem that is challenging you.
3. Try to remember when the device worked last and then go back to that point. This may make it so you don’t have to run through the whole thing, since the bug is probably in the last batch of changes you made.
4. Only change one thing at a time before retesting. Don’t fall for the temptation to fix other things until you know where the bug is.
5. Print the design out on paper. Sometimes reviewing it in a different format can help your eyes refresh and find the problem.
6. Talk to someone. Sometimes talking to someone who isn’t an engineer can provide a fresh perspective, while talking to someone who is one can help you remember something you’ve forgotten.
7. Walk through your design and explain how each piece is supposed to work out loud.
8. Sometimes, when things get truly horrible, you might have to burn it to the ground and start from scratch. But don’t trash the initial design in a fit of rage! You may realize where the error is while you are rewiring it. You will be grateful to be able to return to the original instead of having to rewire the whole thing.

What do you do when you’re trying to fix a bug in your design? Did any of these tips help?

If you are looking for boundary scan solutions to help ensure your final product is bug-free, onTap is a comprehensive development and programming software toolset. Using this product, which is downloadable on the Flynn Systems’ website, will enable you to have the most accurate fault coverage expediently and affordably.