Flexstar Technology Expands Product Line-up with a Low Cost Tester Designed for RMA and Failure Analysis

Fremont, California. August 12, 2008 - Flexstar Technology, Inc. (Flexstar) the worldwide leading supplier of storage test systems, today announced the Flexstar Ambient Test System (ATS) tester for SSD and HDD drives. This new design combines industry standard Flexstar test software and hardware in a scalable 19-inch rack mounted chassis that holds up to eight or twelve 3.5” or twelve 2.5” or smaller form-factor drives.

The storage industry is seeing dramatic growth in the integration of both SSD’s and HDD’s drives into non-computer applications such as digital music players and video recorders, security systems, automotive products and handheld devices. Manufacturers of these products need to be able to verify the quality of these critical components to protect their customers, manage failed units economically and be able to articulate failure modes back to the drive manufacturers.

“This is a great development for SSD and HDD manufacturers and their customers to quickly identify problems in the field and correlate the results back to the manufacture”, said Timothy Beck, Vice-President of Marketing and Major Account Sales for Flexstar, “The Flexstar Ambient Test System (ATS) delivers the full capability of Flexstar’s industry-standard testing in a smaller, low cost system that can grow as test volumes increase”.

The unique design of the Flexstar Ambient Test System (ATS) enables customers to easily scale their testing capabilities as business requirements change. Test slots are easily reconfigured to support different form factors or interfaces. As with all other Flexstar systems, the test scripts are entirely customizable, with no programming experience required. Each test port can be operated independently, enabling different tests to be run concurrently. The testers can be specified with nominal power or full voltage margining providing extremely precise voltage and current measurements. Multiple testers can be networked together to form a single virtual tester and managed from a central location. Remote access can be enabled for drive diagnostics and test script management from anywhere engineering staff have network access. Advanced security can be enabled via a USB key.

The Flexstar Ambient Test System (ATS) delivers the accuracy, flexibility and repeatability that Flexstar is known for, enabling SSD and HDD manufacturers to test with the confidence that the drive vendors will be able to correlate findings in a standardized test environment.

Flexstar Ambient Test System (ATS) pricing starts at $15,000 depending on options and are immediately available for delivery.

About Flexstar Technology

Founded in 1981, Flexstar Technology has established itself as an industry innovator by becoming the first non-captive supplier of storage test systems.  Since introducing the industry’s first commercially available HDD tester in 1985, Flexstar has continued to be at the forefront of innovating advanced testing solutions for the data storage industry, providing storage manufacturers and their customers with standardized and repeatable testing and qualification processes and delivering over 350,000 test ports.

Flexstar’s product line includes ambient, burn-in, environmental, and altitude test equipment with advanced yet easy-to-use software. All industry standard interfaces and form factors are supported, and a modular design approach ensures products are field upgradeable, providing flexibility and investment protection. All products are backed by support offerings and Flexstar’s uncompromising commitment to customer service.

For more information, please visit www.flexstar.com or email sales@flexstar.com

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