that are already assembled in packages or on assembly boards in some cases the memory may be omitted for example if the circuits integrated in the wafer are of the bist type and include a dedicated memory for the test without departing from the principles of the invention the battery housing may be substituted or added by a connector for receiving an external supply in this case the cartridge has to be maintained connected to the external supply for the entire duration of the test for example said external supply may be provided by the ac mains when the cartridges are stored in the warehouse or by a generating set when the cartridges are transported on vehicles furthermore the triggering of the test phase i e the triggering of the generation of the stimulus signals may occur both in an automatic way as previously described and in response to an external signal although it has been explained that both the stimulus generator and the probe card are detachable the cost of the single test cartridge may be significantly reduced if the cartridge and or the probe card are fixed and not detachable an alternative embodiment although less effective leaves the task of sensing the.