This paper describes procedures adopted for the development of microtesters, including microtensile and microfatigue testing systems. Small structures are known to exhibit superior mechanical properties attributed to their finer microstructure. This includes stress-life response at low and high cycle fatigue. The fatigue life of small structures involves crack initiation and crack propagation stages. While the crack initiation stage is known to be a significant component of fatigue life, experimental verification of its impact has not been performed. Using the compliance response of small LIGA Ni structures in load control mode and under cyclic loading conditions, the contributions of crack initiation and propagation to fatigue life were quantified. Instrumentation details of the development of microtesters, including the use of PID functions of Labview ® , IMAQ Vision ® , a piezoelectric actuator, and the results of fatigue tests will be discussed.