FADOS XI Advanced VI Analyzer

The FADOS XI Advanced VI Analyzer is the latest and most capable circuit board diagnostic system from CBT Electronic (ProT Ar-Ge), building on the proven FADOS9F1 platform with two breakthrough capabilities: a non-contact short circuit detection sensor and step-by-step frequency scanning with 3D VI curve visualisation.

FADOS stands for FAult Detector OScilloscope, a multi-functional instrument that combines VI curve tracing, oscilloscope, DC power supply, IR thermal sensor, equivalent circuit diagram generation, and component value measurement into a single portable device. The FADOS XI adds short-circuit tracing and frequency-domain analysis to this already-comprehensive toolkit.

Non-Contact Short Circuit Detection: FADOS XI Exclusive

The short circuit finder is the FADOS XI’s signature capability. A directional current sensor traces the path of current along a short-circuited conductor without physical contact. The technician connects the probe ground to the board chassis, applies a signal via the probe tip to one side of the shorted conductor, and the sensor follows the current flow to the exact short-circuit point.

The sensor is directionally sensitive: it produces a colour-coded signal (red and blue) that indicates the direction of current flow. When the red line is upward, move the sensor toward the red side of the probe; when the blue signal dominates, move toward the blue side. The point where the signal reaches its maximum is the short-circuit location.

This feature eliminates the tedious process of visually inspecting traces, cutting traces, or using thermal cameras to find shorts, the sensor leads the technician directly to the fault in seconds.

Step-by-Step Frequency Scanning: 3D VI Curve Analysis

The frequency scan feature shows how components at a test point respond to frequency changes across the 50–1250 Hz or 100–2500 Hz range. The FADOS XI sweeps through frequencies in controlled steps and builds a 3D visualisation of the VI curve evolution, the shape of the VI curve changes as frequency varies, revealing capacitors, inductors, and frequency-dependent faults that a single-frequency VI test would miss.

Changes in the 3D shape are most visible at points where capacitors are present, the elliptical VI curve expands, rotates, and distorts as frequency sweeps through the capacitor’s impedance curve. This helps technicians:

• Determine the effective capacitance at a test point
• Identify dried-out or degraded electrolytic capacitors that behave differently at frequency
• Distinguish capacitive from inductive behaviour on complex nodes
• Verify that replacement components match the original’s frequency response

Dual-Channel VI Curve Tracing and Comparison

Both the FADOS9F1 and FADOS XI support dual-channel simultaneous testing: Channel 1 (reference / known-good board) and Channel 2 (test / suspected-faulty board) are displayed side by side. Any difference in the VI curves between the two channels immediately indicates a fault at that test point.

The software calculates a percentage difference between the two channels and classifies each test point as:

• Harmonious (0% difference, perfect match)
• Attention (small discrepancy, marginal component)
• Disharmony (significant difference, fault confirmed)

Audio feedback reinforces the visual: matching points produce one sound, non-matching points produce a different sound, so the technician can focus on probing speed without watching the screen.

Equivalent Circuit Diagram and Automatic Component Measurement

One of the features unique to FADOS is the automatic equivalent circuit diagram: at every test point, the software generates a schematic showing the equivalent circuit (resistor, capacitor, inductor, diode networks) with measured values displayed alongside the diagram. This means the technician doesn’t need to calculate anything from the raw VI curve, the resistance (R), capacitance (C), inductance (L), and diode forward voltage (D) are read directly from the screen.

This is a fundamental advantage over a standard multimeter: a multimeter will not correctly read the capacitance of a capacitor that has a parallel resistor path (the parasitic leakage defeats the measurement). FADOS shows both the capacitor value AND the parallel resistance in the equivalent circuit, giving the technician the complete picture.

Power Supply and IR Temperature Test

The FADOS XI includes an adjustable DC power supply that energises the board under test and generates a real-time DC V-I graph: the technician can see how much current the board draws at each voltage step. A faulty board that draws excessive current compared to the reference immediately shows on the graph.

The non-contact IR temperature sensor measures the surface temperature of individual components while the board is powered. A component drawing excessive current heats up, the IR sensor locates it before the technician even touches the board with the VI probe.

FADOS9F1 vs FADOS XI Advanced: Feature Comparison

Feature	FADOS 9F1	FADOS XI Advanced
Dual Channel VI Test	✓	✓
Power Output – IR Temperature Test	✓	✓
Automatic Equivalent Circuit Diagram	✓	✓
Multi-component Measurement (R/C/L/D)	✓	✓
Comparison from Memory	✓	✓
Automatic Voltage, Current, and Frequency selection	✓	✓
Oscilloscope, Square Wave, Analog Outputs	✓	✓
Automatic 1V VI display	✓	✓
Fault Reporting in Excel and JPG	✓	✓
Non-contact Short Circuit Detection Sensor	-	✓
100–2500 Hz Frequency Scan (3D)	-	✓

Usage Areas

The FADOS XI is used across every industry where populated circuit boards need to be diagnosed and repaired:

• Automotive: ECU repair, body control modules, infotainment boards, instrument clusters
• Industrial: servo and stepper motor driver boards, PLC I/O modules, inverter control boards
• Medical: patient monitor boards, imaging system controllers, infusion pump electronics
• Defence and aerospace: legacy avionics repair, radar system PCBs, communication equipment
• Consumer electronics: laptop and desktop motherboards, television and display driver boards
• Textile and production machinery: machine controller electronics, sensor interface boards

Buy FADOS XI Advanced VI Analyzer in India

GSAS Micro Systems is the authorized CBT Electronic engineering partner for India, supplying the full FADOS product family, FADOS9F1, FADOS XI Advanced, and FADOS MUX multiplexer, with INR invoicing under GST, local stock, application training, and on-site commissioning support. Whether you run a PCB repair depot, a warranty return centre, an industrial maintenance workshop, or a defence electronics overhaul facility, the FADOS XI gives your technicians the fastest path from symptom to fault location on any populated circuit board without schematics, without test fixtures, and without powering up.

Contact our applications team in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi NCR, Mumbai, or Pune for a hands-on demo.