RE: ESD Testing Does Not Test EMC Susceptibility

gervasi — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:14:23 GMT

I do my crude EMC test to protect againt a different peril. I once had an independent tester certify a product, and then it failed in apps testing. In this case, the certification testing clearly should have caught the problem. Maybe the test house felt like they were doing me a favor by going easy on it and helping me get it pushed through without any fuss. Now I like to see at least some crude testing with my own eyes and not completely trust the test lab because ultimately I need to be responsible for the product.

RE: ESD Testing Does Not Test EMC Susceptibility

DAB — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:44:25 GMT

To find a devices true emissions and suseptability, you need to use an anechoic chamber with very sensitive instruments.

You need to determine what comes out of the device and then you want to expose it to strong levels of various frequencies to see how they affect its operation.

It was a real eye opener for me when we took a box in to see if it passed aviation safety rules. It did not, but we found that a quick consulting agreement enabled the testers to show us what was wrong and how to fix it.

Then next time we took it in, we passed.

So get an independent tester to look at your devices. They know what they are doing and they can help you make your device compliant.

If you do not deal with these issues everyday, you just do not know how current components react in a high EMI environment.

DAB