I suppose anything can be negotiated.  We sometimes have customers that waive electrical test on very simple boards.  They usually don't want to pay (or wait) for a test fixture to be built.  You can in theory use a flying probe tester to avoid fixture costs and lead times, but these testers are relatively slow and increase the amount of time at test. 

I can imagine that in the case of a relatively simple prototype where speed was of the essence, one might forego a fixture and flying probe test a single board.  This would save time and money.  But I consider this very unusual and certainly not something you want to do on an ongoing basis.  The time and money savings are only good until the first inevitable failure occurs and unfortunately, you are now seeing the results and no longer saving neither time nor money. 

  
Mike McMaster
RF Product Engineer
Merix Corporation
503-992-4263



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