Which fixture tier should I choose?

Start with Dev Pro unless one of the cases below clearly applies. Dev Pro unlocks professional testing capabilities — vertical actuation, exchangeable cartridges, dual-side probing, and a 5,000–10,000 cycle lifecycle — at prices traditionally associated with basic development fixtures. It is the recommended starting point for most teams.

For a side-by-side picker with pricing and the full tier comparison, see the fixture tier picker.

Choose Dev if

• You are at the earliest prototyping stage (EVT bring-up rigs, first-pass validation)
• ~1,000 test cycles is plenty for the board's lifetime
• Your board fits 196 × 180 mm (Dev) or 218 × 447 mm (Dev XL)
• Lowest cost matters more than cartridge modularity — Dev fixtures are monolithic, so a board revision means a new fixture rather than a new cartridge

Choose Dev Pro if

• You are anywhere from DVT through PVT — or unsure where you'll end up
• You expect board revisions: the stock base carries forward and revisions only need a new cartridge
• You want options as needs grow: G10 cartridges (~10,000 cycles), the Carbon variant for rigidity and durability, or the Tall variant for extra instrumentation space
• Your board fits 285 × 240 mm or smaller

Choose Production if

• You are running sustained high-volume testing — Production fixtures are built for millions of cycles with cam actuation and stabilized cartridges
• You need ESD-safe or RF-shielded cartridges
• You need advanced mechanical features: side probing (USB, RJ45, DC jack), high voltage protection, or safety interlocks
• Your board is larger than Dev Pro sizes (Production bases span 160 × 100 mm up to 600 × 450 mm)

The upgrade path

You don't have to get this perfect on the first order. Dev Pro and Production share the same modular base-and-cartridge architecture, so moving up reuses your test point selection and design history — and once you own a base, board revisions are cartridge-only orders with reduced NRE. See fixture tiers for the full comparison and lifecycle economics.

Lead times: Dev and Dev Pro deliver in 4 weeks standard (2 weeks expedited); Production in 8 weeks standard (4 weeks expedited with proactive material stocking, subject to capacity). See the fulfillment process for what happens between PO and delivery.

Still unsure? Configure your board in Studio — the fixture config workflow recommends a tier from your actual test point data — or reach out at hello@fixturfab.com.