Arcade Video Game Stress Test

Hi!  Before an arcade video game is ready for shipment or delivery to a customer, it must first pass one last test - my arcade video game stress test.

You have never heard of a game stress test?  Well, that is okay. 

This particular type of extensive game stress testing is entirely my creation.  It is not offered by anyone else.

Whenever I repair a customer's game in my shop, or sell a game, the stress test is included as part of the total package of work.

Here is how the stress test is applied: 

The game cabinet is enveloped in a clear plastic bag.  Then, the bag is cinched near the bottom of the game cabinet.

The game is then allowed to run continuously for a period of not less than 8 hours.  During this time, the game, while still enveloped, will be played and observed.

While observing the game play, the game will also be forcefully rocked side to side, and back and forth.  This helps to detect any loose or broken connections or components.

This is a photo of a game that is ready for shipment, but first undergoing its stress test.

The principal goal is to test the game's electronics over a significant period of time while under a significant external load.  The external load is the elevated operating temperature caused by the enveloping bag, which restricts air flow.

Heat is the chief foe of all electronic components.  In this way, all of the game's electronic components - monitor, power supply, and printed circuit board - are simultaneously tested while under adverse operating conditions.  This gives any defects or weaknesses a chance to show themselves.

The results of stress testing:

The stress test helps to assure that the game will perform in your home as expected, and trouble free for a long time. 

There is hardly anything worse, after having spent lots of money to purchase or repair a game, than to get it home, and watch it crash after a few hours of play.

The stress test allows me to confidently offer a 30-day parts and labor warranty for every game I repair or sell locally.

For more info, just send me an email:  [email protected]

----------------------------------------------

The following definitions offer some insight into the concept, execution, and importance of product performance testing.

 

Definitions provided by Wikipedia: 

Stress testing is a form of testing that is used to determine the stability of a given system or entity. It involves testing beyond normal operational capacity, often to a breaking point, in order to observe the results. Stress testing may have a more specific meaning in certain industries, such as fatigue testing for materials.

 

Soak testing involves testing a system with a significant load extended over a significant period of time, to discover how the system behaves under sustained use.

For example, in software testing, a system may behave exactly as expected when tested for 1 hour. However, when it is tested for 3 hours, problems such as memory leaks cause the system to fail or behave randomly.

Soak tests are used primarily to check the reaction of a subject under test under a possible simulated environment for a given duration and for a given threshold. Observations made during the soak test are used to improve the characteristics of the subject under test further.

In electronics, soak testing may involve testing a system up to or above its maximum ratings for a long period of time. Some companies may soak test a product for a period of many months, while also applying external stresses such as elevated temperatures.

Performance testing covers a broad range of engineering or functional evaluations where a material, product, system, or person is not specified by detailed material or component specifications: rather, emphasis is on the final measurable performance characteristics.

Performance testing can refer to the assessment of the performance of a human examinee. For example, a behind-the-wheel driving test is a performance test of whether a person is able to perform the functions of a competent driver of an automobile.

In the computer industry, software performance testing is used to determine the speed or effectiveness of a computer, network, software program or device. This process can involve quantitative tests done in a lab, such as measuring the response time or the number of MIPS (millions of instructions per second) at which a system functions. Qualitative attributes such as reliability, scalability and interoperability may also be evaluated. Performance testing is often done in conjunction with stress testing.

___________________________________________________________________________________