Smoke testing (mechanical)

Smoke testing or smoke testing is a term from English, common in the artisanal sector ( eg in plumbing, electronics, or the construction of woodwind instruments ) as well as in software development. It refers to the first test run after a repair or the first implementation of a new algorithm to make sure that the device or program function not already fails in approach. After the smoke test shows that the pipes do not leak, the circuits do not burn out or the program crashes are not equal, the apparatus can be further explored.

• When plumbers smoke is led by newly laid pipes to see if any leaks before water is let into the pipes.

• When repairing woodwinds earlier one end of the instrument was plugged and also blown smoke to find holes or cracks in the material.

• In the electronics of the smoke test for the first time that the circuit is connected to a voltage source. This can sometimes produce smoke when serious failure in cabling were made.

• In programming, smoke testing denotes the first fundamental test run the software able to disclose simple problems that are serious enough to revise the program again and to thwart a possible release.

Smoke test for sanitary facilities

Smoke tests in the household, but also in chemical factories, are used to find the points at which liquid can escape. In drainage systems this is done, to see where groundwater or rainwater from entering the pipes. The non-toxic smoke is emitted from leaks. Smoke testing is particularly useful where a complete, permanent sealing of the entire system is undesirable or absurd, such as aerated wastewater systems.

When smoke test of sanitary facilities, it is helpful to isolate the part to be tested the system, for example with sandbags, which are let into the manhole and then placed in position. A complete blockage of all pipes, however, could cause a jam of residual water, which in turn may prevent the smoke from escaping.

Large fans are attached to open channel slots, each of both ends of the pipe section to be tested. Then smoke is sucked from a smoke bomb or liquid smoke over the fans in the pipes either. If all siphons work in connected households, the smoke should escape via other manhole covers or through the ventilation shafts of the sewage pipes. Defective drains or dry traps but let the smoke go into the house.

When clouds of smoke appear elsewhere than in the sewage vents of the houses or on the edges of manhole covers, these points are marked, measured, recorded and possibly photographed.

Checks in the repair of woodwind instruments

When smoke test one end of the wind instrument is closed and smoke, usually tobacco smoke blown into the other. Escaping smoke is a sure sign of unclean set flaps or bad connectors. After this test, the instrument is cleaned to remove residues such as smoke nicotine. Of course, this practice is harmful for the repairer and the player, and the method is not used much since the beginning of the century.

Tests in the electronics and engineering crafts

The terms smoke test or power on test to be used in the English- electronics when a Direction is located in the developmental circuit is first connected to a power source. This can certainly be done before the work is completed, just to make sure that no major mistakes were made that would make all other work useless. For higher ratings (with SMD components can meet a few watts ) may actually arise smoke in a faulty circuit, such as when blowing resistors.

Smoke testing in software development

Smoke testing is performed by the developers before a first release, or by testers before accepting a build for further testing.

In general, a smoke test from a collection of tests that must pass through new or repaired software. These tests are sometimes already done automatically, for example from the development system, which compiles the software. In this context, smoke testing is therefore the review of changes in the source code before they enter into the official repositories.

A smoke test, a little more formal and build verification test, is a superficial review of the program functions. The tester goes through the whole program and tried things like " Can this function ever use? ", " This opens a window here? ", " Do all the buttons on this window something? ". Once a fundamental question like this can be answered here is "no ", need not be further tested. The program is unfinished or broken, that further testing would be nonsensical. This data is recorded tests can take place manually or automatically. The automatic test procedures are usually performed directly after compilation and although usually in the form of unit tests.

Origin of the term

The term " smoke test " comes from the hardware technique, more precisely from the electrical engineering. You build a new circuit and turns on the power. Then, when smoke rising, one needs not only to test on.