A new probing mechanism and an active compliance control algorithm have been developed for the in-circuit test of a PCB( printed circuit board ). Commercially available robotic probing devices are incapable of controlling contact force generated through rigid probe contacts with a solder joint, at high speed. The uncontrollable excessive contact force often brungs about some defects on the surface of the solder joint, which is plastically deformable over some limited contact force. This force also makes unstable contact motions resulting in unreliable test data. To overcome these problems, we propose that a serially connected macro and micro device with active compliance provide the best potential for a safe and reliable in-circuit test. This paper describes the design characteristics, modeling and control scheme of the newly proposed device. The experimental results clearly show the effectiveness of the proposed system.