Hardware Testing

This is a draft of a new or in-progress document, and is likely to have a few people specifically working on it. You may wish to check in on the discussion page to see what the purpose of the document is and who's working on it; then feel free to give this article love and attention if have extra of those things.

---

Hardware Testing is where we... wait for it... test hardware! Most of the bits that get yanked out of the computers in System Eval end up in Hardware Testing where we make sure they're fit to be reused. Below is a listing of the tasks that we perform in HT and links to the how-to pages for those tasks.

Core Components

• CPU Testing - Verifying the processor is within our specifications and making sure it works.
• MotherBoard Testing - Building a basic system around a motherboard and testing for full functionality.
• RAM Testing - Stressing RAM and ensuring it retains data correctly.

Add-ins and Peripherals

• External Hard Drive Testing - Making sure HD enclosures work with pre-tested drives.
• Lcd_monitor_testing - Testing LCD displays for burnout, burn-in, and outright failure.
• Optical_Drive_Testing - Making sure a disc drive can perform all the functions it's labeled with (Now handled in Prebuild)
• Video Card Testing - Installing a video card into a test bed to verify it's functionality and specifications.

Network Devices

• Wireless Card Testing - Making sure a card works under our distro or will at least be useful to someone else.
• Network Testing - Testing network switches, hubs, routers, etc.
• Advanced Network Testing - Testing rack mount switches, Odd devices, Ect.

Others

• Cell Phone Testing - Done rarely by particular volunteers, and only for nicer phones/smartphones/etc.
• Bluetooth headset testing - Generally not done anymore; things that have been in other peoples' ears are possibly too gross to reuse.
• Power Adapters Use & Lore

Staff Tasks

• Hardware Testing Instructor Responsibilities
• Hard Drive Testing - Ensuring hard drives are fully functional and/or all previous data is obliterated.
• SCSI Hard Drive Testing - Sorting & Testing SCSI Hard Drives.
• Specs for Data-Bearing Gizmos - HDs, SSDs, etc.