2010 ITEM EMC Test Design Guide

TM
2010
EMC Test &
Design Guide
technologies
Filters .....................................................................46
Lightning, Transients & ESD ..........................55
Shielding...............................................................62
Testing & Test Equipment ................................ 8
industries & applications

Design.............................................................46, 74
Military .................................................................... 8
Power .....................................................................74
Telecom .................................................................60
directories
2011 EMC Test Lab Directory.........................20
Consultant Services ..........................................31
Suppliers ...............................................................33
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contents 2010
08 TESTING & TEST EQUIPMENT
1.04m Rod, Antenna Factor and Received Level in MIL-STD
462/461E Compared to MIL-STD 461F Test Set Up .....................8 SPECIAL FEATURE
PAGE 20
DaviD a. Weston, eMC Consulting inC.
Effective EMC Troubleshooting with Handheld Probes............14

terry noe, beehive eleCtroniCs; uDoM vaniCh, paCifiCa
international
Managing EMC Performance of a Product as it Ages .............. 36

2011 EMC TEST
gert greMMen, Ce test; tiM haynes, seleX s&as; ralph MCDiarMiD;
eD priCe, CubiC Defense appliCations; john WooDgate,
LAb dIRECToRy
jM WooDgate anD assoCiates More than 300 EMC Test
Laboratories, arranged by
USB Interface on Laboratory Surge Generators ....................... 42 state, with details of services
jeffrey D. linD, CoMplianCe West usa offered and contact phone
numbers, are presented as
a quick reference guide to
EMC testing services.
46 EMC dESIGN / FILTERS

Clocking Strategies for EMI Reduction ...................................... 46
sassan tabatabaei, sitiMe Corporation
8 18
2 interference technology emc test & design guide 2010
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contents 2010
55 LIGHtnInG, transIents & esd
How Smaller Form Factors Exacerbate ESD Risks and How Foil
Resistors Can Help........................................................................... 55
departments
Yuval hernik, vishaY international inc. Editorial............................. 6
Test Lab Directory.........20
Index of Advertisers .....88
60 teLeCOm
Understanding the Changes to FCC 5GHz Part 15.407
Regulations ....................................................................................... 60
DaviD a. case, cisco sYstems
62 sHIeLdInG
Differential Transfer Impedance of Shielded Twisted Pairs .... 62
michel marDiguian, emc consultant
74
64
pOWer QuaLIty
System Compatibility an Essential Ingredient for Achieving
Electromagnetic Compatibility and Power Quality for Lighting
Control Systems ...............................................................................74
philip keebler, kermit phipps, Frank sharp, epri lighting
laboratorY.
76
InterferenceTechnology—The EMC Directory & Design Guide, The EMC Symposium Guide, and The EMC Test & Design Guide are distributed annually at no charge to qualified
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from the editor
2010 EMC
HOLDING STEADY Test & Design Guide
President
A s the economy gained momentum in late 2009 and early

2010, engineering organizations, like every other business
sector, sensed promise that a strong, self-sustaining recovery
Graham Kilshaw
Publisher
Paul Salotto
was kicking in. Yet, as government spending to stimulate the Editor
economy trailed off and businesses concentrated on rebuilding Sarah Long
their inventories, the growth rated started to slow – a pattern graphic Designer
that continued through the summer. Ann Schibik
Production coordinator
Long-term economic growth rate - trending at about 2.5 percent - is Jacqueline Gentile
not much better, but several market reports released by industry analyst Business Development Manager
NanoMarkets this year indicate that there are indeed some bright spots for the Bob Poust
EMC community. Business Development Executives
EMC materials and components markets had until recently been considered Tim Bretz Leslie Ringe
highly mature, with few opportunities for firms that were not well established Daryl McFadyen Jan Ward
in this field. However, the dramatic increase in the use of radio frequency Administrative Manager
emitters in the recent past has given a boost to the industry. Eileen M. Ambler
circulation Manager
In addition to the most visible drivers for the EMC protection markets such as Irene H. Nugent
the rise of WiFi and 3G mobile communications, less obvious opportunities
Product Development Manager
are appearing, including the spread of wireless-based navigation systems and Helen S. Flood
electric and hybrid vehicles in the automotive industry, and EMI/RFI and Administrative Assistant
electromagnetic pulse concerns in military electronics. (Smartphones generated Karen Holder
46% of traffic in May 2010, up from 22% two years ago, and 24% of traffic in the Publisher Emeritus
U.S. came over Wifi, according to mobile advertising marketplace AdMob. U.S. Robert D. Goldblum
handset-based navigation usage rose to 24% in 2010 vs. 19% in 2009).
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EMI engineers can take heart in their industry’s resiliency. E-mail: m-toshima@tuv-ohtama.co.jp
Sarah Long ITEM PublIcaTIonS endeavors to offer accurate

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omissions. Information published herein is based on the
latest information available at the time of publication.
Furthermore, the opinions contained herein do not
necessarily reflect those of the publisher.
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EMC Guide are distributed annually at no charge to engineers and managers who are engaged in the application, selection, design, test, specification
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6 interference technology emc Directory & Design guiDe 2010

testing & test equipment MIL- S T D 462/461E C o M pa r E D T o MIL- S T D 461F TE S T S E T U p
1.04m rod, antenna Factor and received

Level in MiL-std 462/461e compared to
MiL-std 461F test set up
metal sheet with the same width as the
monopole counterpoise, as specified in
david a. Weston MIL-STD-461E. One of the two configura-
emc consulting inc. tions tested and reported in this paper was
merrickville, ontario, canada with a metal sheet bonding strap connecting
the antenna counterpoise to a ground plane
on the table top. MIL-STD-461F categori-
i. introduction cally states “For rod antenna measurements,
T
his paper shows that the antenna factor electrical bonding of the counterpoise is
of the receiving rod antenna and the prohibited” and this was the second con-
E field incident on it, from a standard figuration tested. This paper shows that
source of radiation, both change when the measurements made with the counterpoise
counterpoise of the rod is either isolated bonded versus not bonded results in very
from the ground plane on the table (new different received levels. MIL-STD-461F
MIL-STD-461F set up), or connected, as also modifies the rod antenna height so that
per MIL-STD-461E and earlier. the center point of the rod is 1.2m above the
The antenna factor (AF) in dB is defined floor ground plane.
as 20 log the incident E field in V/m divided
by the received level in volts 20*log(E/V). ii. MeasureMent set up
Reference 1 and Reference 2 discuss the In all measurements the receiving rod
measured antenna factor (AF) of the 41 inch antenna cable was loaded with 28 material
(1.04m) receiving antenna with buffer. The cores. This provides a high impedance and
measurements were made using different reduces common mode currents on the
sources, such as a vertical transmission antenna cable.
line and a second passive 1.04m monopole. The E field incident on the rod antenna,
It wa s est abl i shed measured with the rod removed is made
that both the inci- using a 10cm long bow tie antenna. This is
dent E field and the connected to a low noise differential input
AF depends on the buffer amplifier with an input resistance
t ype of source and of 2 Megohms and an input capacitance of
on the connection of approximately 3pF. The wiring from bow tie
the monopole coun- to differential input adds approximately a
terpoise to ground. further 2.2pF of capacitance. The differen-
M IL-STD-4 62 a nd tial input is converted to a single sided signal
MIL-STD-461D and and applied to a detector with a logarithmic
E show the counter- response. The detector allows a very high
poise extended and dynamic range. The output of the detector is
connected to the table connected to an A/D converter the output of
via a bonding strap. which is translated to a digital data stream
Figure 1. Photo of test set up. This strap is often a which is the input of a fiber optic driver.

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III. MeasureMents
Many commercially available 1.04m rod antennas are
not calibrated but rely on a purely theoretical value based
on antenna and buffer input capacitances. A test method
useful from 0.01 to 5MHz, which simulates far field con-
ditions using a plate antenna is described in Reference 1.
The results using the plate antenna with a commercially
available buffered rod antenna correspond well with the
manufacturers published data. However when the source
of radiation is a vertical transmission line, a second rod
antenna or the enclosure in a MIL-STD-461 RE102 test set
up the measured AF is very different from the far field and
dependent on the source.
We measure both the E field incident on the rod antenna
with and without bonding the counterpoise to the table as
well as the AF of the rod antenna with and without counter-
poise bonded. The most significant data for manufacturers
of equipment is the received level with the same input signal
level applied to the same source measured with and without
Measurement without counterpoise bonded bonding the counterpoise to the table. Here we assume that
Measurement with counterpoise bonded the manufacturer uses the same published far field AF of
the rod antenna regardless of the test set up.
Figure 2. Measured AF of monopole with and without counterpoise Figure 2 shows the AF measured both with and without
bonded and with a simulated EUT as the source. the counterpoise bonded to the table. As seen in Reference
2 the variation in AF below 20MHz is much greater with
The electronics and battery are contained in a 6cm x 6cm the counterpoise not bonded. From 20MHz to 30MHz the
x 2.5cm shielded box and the only connection to the box AF with the counterpoise not bonded is 6dB higher and
is the non-conductive fiber optic cable. The 10cm bow tie this is also seen in the Reference 1 test results. Reference
is connected to the box using 13cm long thin wires. Thus 1 provides the AF calibrated on a free space range and the
the perturbation in the measured E field by the measuring large variations seen in Figure 2 below 20MHz are missing
antenna cable and equipment is kept to a minimum. The indicating that these are due to the anechoic chamber.
bow tie is calibrated under a strip line antenna. Reference The E field incident on the rod antenna is higher with
1 describes the test set up in more detail. the counterpoise bonded at most frequencies and this is
The source is a 0.44m x 0.38m metal box, representing shown in Figure 3.
the Equipment Under Test (EUT). The box is insulated from Using the same buffered rod antenna the received level
the ground plane and connected to the center conductor of with the monopole counterpoise bonded is up to 18dB
an N type connector mounted in the table top ground plane. higher than with the counterpoise not bonded and this is
The front edge of the box is 10cm from the front edge of the shown in Figure 4.
table in a typical MIL-STD test set up. A photo of the test Reference 4 describes a traditional (MIL-STD-461E)
set up is shown in Figure 1. The signal is injected between monopole antenna set up in five different chambers with
the box and ground plane which simulates an EUT with an different types and amounts of absorber. It also describes
RF potential between the enclosure and ground plane. This measurements made with a MIL-STD 461F set up. The
potential is often the result of common mode currents on source of radiation was either a vertical rod above the table
cables connected to the EUT. Even with the EUT enclosure top ground plane or a horizontal rod above the table top
bonded to the ground plane via a bonding strap, the RF ground plane. From Reference 4 these resonances are at-
potential may be developed when sufficient current flows tributable to “ RF current loops between the counterpoise,
to ground in the strap. ground plane, ground plane to chamber connection point
The measurements were made in a damped anechoic (wall to floor), chamber floor and the capacitive coupling
chamber to simulate a typical MIL-STDRE102 test. This back to the antenna counterpoise causes resonant condi-
chamber also contains localized ferrite tiles as well as tions”. However, in Reference 2 the measurements with the
absorber loads and is described in Reference 3 page 581. counterpoises uncoupled on a free space range with no un-
Although well damped above 50MHz the chamber does derlying ground plane shows exactly the same dip followed
exhibit resonances below 50MHz. Reference 4 describes by peak in AF with approximately the same magnitude as
the chamber to chamber deviations for five different cham- References 4 and 5.
bers. These range from one containing the MIL-STD-461F The power cords to the signal generator and spectrum
minimum absorber requirements to one containing hybrid analyzer in the Reference 2 measurement were the only
absorber in a CISPR 25 compliant chamber. connection to ground and the transmit rod and receive

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Signal
Integrity...
Measurements with rod removed and without

bonded counterpoise. 10cm bow tie
Measurements with rod removed with
counterpoise bonded. 10cm bow tie
Figure 3. Measured E field incident on the antenna counterpoise with the rod removed.
rod cables were covered in 28 material Whereas Reference 5 shows the

ferrite. This means that some other theoretical received level to be 10dB
mechanism may at least contribute to higher for MIL-STD-46E versus MIL-
the dip and peak. STD-461F set up. Also Reference 2
The measurements described in shows the AF to be 21dB higher at
Reference 4 showed the resonance 16MHz for the MIL-STD-461F set up
effects to be greater from 10MHz to i.e. 30dB (with delta in E field from
GORE® Microwave/ 30MHz in the MIL-STD-461E set up Figure 4 ) – 8dB from Figure 2 = 21dB.
RF Cable Assemblies compared to MIL-STD-461F whereas This means that the received level may
our measurements showed the reso- be 21dB lower for the MIL-STD-461F
nances to be greater in the MIL-STD- versus MIL_STD-46E test set up. The
Gore develops a wide range 461F set up. Reference 5 describes an major difference in the Reference 2 set
of high-performance analysis of the MIL-STD –461E and up was that the measurements were
cable assemblies. MIL-STD-461F using a bare room made on a free space range with and
without absorber. Here the predic- without ground planes under a trans-
gore.com/microwave
tion is that the resonant frequencies mitting rod antenna and a receiving
change but the amplitudes remain the rod antenna.
same when comparing MIL-STD 461E This report shows 18dB higher
GORE® Phaseflex 110 to F. The same paper shows the room received level for the MIL-STD-461E
GHz Assemblies resonances with only 10cm absorber set up.
foam but no resonances from 3MHz Reference 2 also showed the re-
to 30MHz with 100cm foam exhibit- ceived level from a vertical wire 10cm
ing only 9.5dB attenuation at 30MHz. above a vertical ground plane was
Reference 4 shows the received higher in the MIL-STD-461E versus
level for a vertically oriented source MIL-STD-461F test set up. The verti-
in a well damped chamber to be from cal test set up simulated cables routed
5 to 8dB higher for MIL-STD-461F down a 18 inch rack. The vertical test
and 5-10dB higher for the horizontally set up simulated cables routed down a
oriented source. 18 inch rack.

WESTon testing & test equipment
IV. ConClusIons
References 2, 5 and this report (above 20MHz) show the
output level from a 1.04m rod antenna to be higher with
a MIL-STD-461E test set up than MIL-STD 461F. From
this report and , depending on the source of radiation, we
see it may be up to 18dB lower in the MIL-STD-461F test.
This is important information for EMI test personnel and
manufacturers of equipment as it means that an EUT which
fails RE102 from 10kHz (2MHz) to 30MHz in earlier MIL-
STD-461E (and lower) measurements may now pass using
the MIL-STD-461F test set up.
reFerenCes
• [1]. D. A. Weston Calibration of the 41 inch (1.04m) receiving mono-
pole. Available on the EMC Consulting web site http://www.emcco-
nsulting.com/docs/1mMono.pdf, Feb 22 2009
• [2]. D. A. Weston. High frequency calibration of the 41 inch (1.04m)
receiving monopole with and without connecting counterpoises and
with different sources. EMC Europe. Wroclaw Poland Wed. 15/09/2010
• [3]. Electromagnetic Compatibility Principles and Applications: D. A. Measurement without counterpoise bonded
Weston, Marcel Dekker 2000 Measurement with counterpoise bonded
• [4]. Improving Monopole Radiated Emission Measurement Accuracy;
RF Chamber Influences, Antenna Height and Counterpoise Grounding
(CISPR 25 & MIL-STD-461E vs MIL-STD-461F) Craig W Fanning. Figure 4. Received level from the buffered monopole from the same
Elite Electronic Engineering Inc. © IEEE EMC Symposium on EMC source with and without the antenna counterpoise bonded to the table
2009. ground plane.
• [5]. Analysis of MIL-STD-461E and MIL-
STD-461F RE102 Test Setup Configura-
tions below 100MHz, D. D. Swanson.
Lockheed Martin ©IEEE Symposium on EMI, RFI, EMC &
EMC 2008
RadaR TuRnTablEs
David A. Weston is principle EMC Engineer Custom Engineered Antenna and Radar Profiling Positioning Equipment
at EMC Consulting Inc., Merrickville, Ontario
• Indoor and outdoor applications
Canada. A member of IEEE and NARTE, Weston
• systems ranging up to 60’ in diameter
has worked full time in EMC for the last 30
years. He is author of the book “Electromagnetic • 100–ton capacities
Compatibility: Principles and Application,s” • Variable speed control capabilities
as well as numerous papers and reports, and positioning accuracy of ±0.001°
many of which are available at emcconsult • dozens of military and private
inginc.com. He studied at Croydon Technical contractor installations
College from 1960 to 1965. n
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interferencetechnology.com interference technology 13

testing & test equipment E f f E c t i v E EMc tr o u b l E s h o o t i n g w i t h h a n d h E l d P r o b E s
effective emc Troubleshooting with
handheld Probes
Terry Noe design engineer brings the product back

Beehive electronics to the lab and tries to isolate the source of
sebastopol, cA the problem. Using measurements, rules of
thumb, and intuition, he makes modifica-
Udom VaNich tions to the design. These changes might
Pacifica international include adding shielding to problem cir-
rohnert Park, cA cuits, adding filtering to I/O lines, or other
modifications.
The product is then returned to the EMC
iNTrodUcTioN test site, and the tests are repeated. If the
E
MC testing is an unavoidable part of product fails, this cycle is repeated again,
the development cycle for electronic as many times as necessary:
products. As clock frequencies con- Each iteration through the loop delays
tinue to increase, radiated emissions get product shipment, costs money, and adds
harder to control. In an ideal world, the R&D to frustration.
engineer would test the emissions from his To break this loop, we need to be able to
product early in the design stage and retest do two things: To make radiated emissions
frequently as design changes were made, measurements on the bench, and to be able
just ass he tests whether his product meets to establish correlation between measure-
its other design requirements. ments in the lab and measurements at the
Unfortunately, practical constraints test site.
make this difficult. Regulatory requirements
dictate that radiated emissions be tested esTablishiNg lab-TesT siTe
at open sites or in shielded rooms. Most correlaTioN
companies don’t have the equipment to do The lab engineer can measure emissions
this testing, and subcontract it to outside from his product in the R&D lab using
test houses. Even if a company has its own handheld EMC probes. The ideal probes
test facilities, these may be booked well in have the following characteristics:
advance, making testing difficult. Either • Handheld
way, the end result is that EMC testing fre- • Repeatable
quently is not done until late in the project • Compact
development cycle. As a result, designers do • Flexible
not discover EMC failures until late in the • Wide frequency response
development cycle, when schedule pressures • Sensitive to magnetic or electric fields
are at their highest. The probes in the Beehive Electronics
101A EMC probe set have all these char-
The TesT-Tweak cycle acteristics. Unlike homebrew probes, their
When a product fails EMC testing, the sensitivity is known and specified. The

Fully Automated EMC Testing
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AR’s new SW1007 software performs Radiated Susceptibility and Conducted Immunity tests automatically. So that’s one less thing you have
to worry about. Actually, it’s a lot less things – including test accuracy and customized test reports.
New features include:
• New user interface that’s easier to navigate • Improved report control
• Tracking/notification of equipment calibration dates • More calibration options:
• Ability to control more equipment The SW1007 comes with standards built in:
• Updated test set-up screen IEC/EN, DO160, MIL-STD-461. GR1089, ISO/Automotive. You can change
the test standards with just one click; and adding test standards is simple.
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To request your free SW1007 EMC test software, complete the form at www.ar-worldwide.com/SW1007.
Or ask your AR sales associate for a free hard copy. It’s easy to use. It’s accurate and it’s free. That’s a win/win/win. Unless, of course,
you really enjoy spending all that time running tests manually.
To learn more, visit www.ar-worldwide.com or call us at 215-723-8181.
ISO 9001:2008
Certified
Copyright © 2008 AR. The orange stripe on AR products is Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM. Off.
"The Test-Tweak Cycle” probe set con-

tains both magnetic- and electric-field
probes, with individual probes opti-
mized for different frequency ranges.
Since the probes use push-on SMB con-
nectors, cables won’t kink when twist-
ing the probes to reach tight corners.
With repeatable probes, it is pos-
sible to establish correlation between
measurements on the lab bench and
measurements at the EMC test site.
The lab bench and test site readings will
then be related by a simple frequency-
dependent offset. Although it is difficult
to predict this offset in advance, it is
easy to calculate it in practice with data
from both locations.
aN examPle of sUccessfUl
TroUbleshooTiNg
The following example shows how these
principles have been successfully used
in practice to solve EMC problems by
one of the authors.
The product in question underwent
radiated emissions testing to CISPR 11
specifications. After testing in the semi-
anechoic room (Figure 2), the device un-
der test (DUT) failed the specification
at a frequency of 100 MHz (Figure 3,
100 MHz peak marked with red arrow).
In the graph of Figure 3, the dashed
red line represent the pass-fail limit for
testing in this particular semi-anechoic
room. The 100 MHz emissions were
approximately 22 dB beyond the speci-
fication limit. This was an alarming
problem. Experience suggests that it is
very difficult to improve emissions by
over 20 dB without significant design
changes.
A problem of this magnitude will
usually require several design changes
to improve the emissions enough to
meet the specification. The typical ap-
proach would be to make a number of
design changes to improve the emis-
sions. After each change, the DUT
would be returned to the semi-anechoic
room and radiated emissions testing
would be repeated. This process is both
time-consuming and expensive. In this
case, the project schedule would not
allow the weeks that might be required
to solve the problem.
For this reason, it was necessary to
Figure 1. The Test-Tweak Cycle. take a different approach. Rather than

If you are developing prototype electrical devices and need to evaluate
the EMI performance of your new designs and devices, Agilent’s
N6141A/W6141A EMC measurement application for its X-Series signal
analyzers can help complete your compliance testing successfully. It is
the only pre-compliance test solution that enables you to reduce test
margins while ensuring your device meets all regulatory limits.
Reduce test margins with superior measurement

accuracy
• Identify low-level signals with excellent sensitivity from
The concept of getting a new product to market on time and within
X-Series signal analyzers
budget is nothing new. Recently, manufacturers have realized that
electromagnetic interference (EMI) compliance testing can be a • Ensure more precise signal measurements
costly bottle neck in the product development process. To help Easily identify out-of-limit device emissions
ensure successful EMI compliance testing, pre-compliance testing
• See device emissions typically hidden in the noise floor
has become an important addition to the development cycle. The
• Differentiate between ambient and DUT signals using signal
basic premise is to measure the conducted and radiated emissions
list features
performance of a product during the development phase to identify
problems early and thereby solving them before moving on to the • Identify intermittent signals using Strip Chart features
next phase of development. Maximize signals and compare against commercial
and MIL-STD limits
Conducted and radiated EMI emissions
• Meet test requirements with built-in commercial and MIL-STD
Many manufacturers use EMI measurement systems to perform
compliant bandwidths, detectors and presets
conducted and radiated EMI emissions evaluation prior to sending
• Compare measured emissions with pass/fail and delta indicators
their product to a test facility for full compliance testing. Conducted
and radiated emissions testing focuses on unwanted signals that • Use frequency scan to identify, measure and store results
are on the AC mains generated by the equipment under test (EUT).
Pre-compliance testing
The frequency range for conducted commercial measurements is
from 9 kHz to 30 MHz, depending upon the regulation. Radiated
emissions testing looks for signals broadcast for the EUT through
space. The frequency range for these measurements is between
30 MHz and 1 GHz and based upon the regulation, can go up to To learn more about EMI testing, request the free application note
6 GHz and higher. These higher test frequencies are based on the Making Radiated and Conducted Emissions Measurements at
highest internal clock frequency of the EUT. This preliminary www.agilent.com/find/emc-int
testing is called pre-compliance testing.
The source was quickly

identified as the DUT’s LAN
cable.
Next, the DUT’s cov-
er was then removed and
further probing was done
inside the box. Using the
probe, it was easy to identify
the source of the emissions.
The 100 MHz emission was
the 5th harmonic of the 20
MHz microprocessor clock
in the system. This was cou-
pling into the LAN circuitry
and, from there, coupled
onto the LAN cable.
With the source of the
problem identified, the next
step was to use the probe to
evaluate the effectiveness
of design changes. When
‘sniffing’ for radiated emis-
sions, repeatability will be
improved if the probe loca-
Figure 2. Radiated emissions testing in the semi-anechoic room. tion is held constant. For
this reason, the probe was at-
tached directly to the LAN cable with cable ties (Figure 4).
The probe output was monitored on a spectrum analyzer.
The spectrum analyzer was tuned to a center frequency
of 100 MHz, and the level of radiated emissions was read
using the spectrum analyzer’s markers. Several changes to
the design were made. After each design change, the level
of the 100 MHz emission was recorded.
Three changes were identified that made significant
improvements in the level of radiated emissions:
• Ferrites were added to the transmit and receive lines
between the LAN transformer module and the RJ45
connector.
• The LAN transformer was changed to a model with a
built-in EMI suppressor.
• The LAN cable that ships with the product was changed
Figure 3. Results of initial testing.
to one that had a ferrite core around it. Although this
evaluating each design change in the semi-anechoic room, was effective, it raises difficult issues. Even if the product
each design change would be evaluated on the benchtop in is shipped with the special LAN cable, there’s nothing
the R&D lab using a small magnetic field loop probe. The to prevent the customer from using an ordinary cable
improvement in radiated emissions would be measured for in the field.
each design change. Only when lab measurements showed Benchtop measurements predicted that the first two
that the improvements were sufficient to enable the DUT to modifications, taken together, would reduce emissions by
pass spec would the DUT be returned to the semi-anechoic the required 22 dB. The third fix, changing the LAN cable,
room for additional (and hopefully final) testing. If the should not be necessary. The DUT was returned to the semi-
correlation between benchtop and test site measurements anechoic room with the first two changes, and the CISPR
was good enough, only one more pass through the semi- 11 test was repeated. The results are shown in Figure 5 (100
anechoic room would be necessary. MHz peak marked with red arrow).
Back in the lab, the first step was to identify the source of As can be seen from the graph, emissions at 100 MHz
the emissions. A small magnetic field loop probe was used were reduced enough to meet the CISPR 11 specification.
to find the location of the strongest 100 MHz emissions. Despite the fact that over 20 dB improvement in 100 MHz
emissions was needed, the first test of those improvements

noE testing & test equipment
Figure 4. Lab measurement of radiated emissions.
Figure 5 (left). Radiated emissions

after design changes.
design. He is president of Beehive

Electronics, which produces a line of
EMC test equipment. He also pro-
vides consulting and custom design
services in the fields of EMC, RF elec-
tronics, and transceiver design. He
received a BSEE from Virginia Tech
in 1985 and a MSEE from Stanford
University in 1989.
Udom Vanich received a bach-
elor’s degree in Electrical Engineer-
ing from San Jose State University
and a master’s degree in Electrical
Engineering from Colorado State
University in 1987. He was co-founder
of Pacifica International, LLC from
2003 to 2006. He is currently an RF
application engineer for CSR. n
resulted in success. Because radiated emissions could be MORE ON OUR wEbsitE

measured effectively on the lab bench, the test-tweak cycle Handheld probes are just one solution to EMC troubleshooting.
had been broken. Get information on the latest news and products on the
Testing Channel at www.interferencetechnology.com.
TERRY NOE has worked for 25 years in the fields of EMC, RF, and analog

2011 emc test lab directory
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City Company name ContaCt
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2011 emC test Laboratory Directory
Common sense teLLs us that most engineers and designers prefer to use local testing facilities. We have created
an easy-to-use directory of labs and their services grouped alphabetically by state and city, so that our readers can identify
those labs closest to them. We have endeavored to make this directory as accurate as possible; however, we realize that
we have not found every lab or listed every service offered. If you own or work for an EMC test lab and we have missed
you or omitted one of your services, please let us know. You can add a listing or update your current listing by logging onto
www.interferencetechnology.com and following the easy step-by-step instructions. You can also e-mail your addi-
tions, revisions, and suggestions to slong@interferencetechnology.com.
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62
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aLabama
Huntsville EMC Compliance (256) 650-0646 • • •
Huntsville NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (256) 544-0694 • • • • • •
Huntsville Redstone Technical Test Center (U.S. Army) (256) 876-3556 • • • • • • • • • • •
Huntsville Wyle Labs (256) 837-4411 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
arizona
Ft. Huachuca EPG Blacktail Canyon Test Facility (520) 533-5819 • • • • •
Phoenix Compliance Testing, LLC (480) 268-9712 • • • • • • • • • • •
Phoenix Compliance Testing, LLC, aka Flom Test Lab (480) 926-3100 • • • • • • • • • •
Phoenix Sypris Test & Measurement (602) 395-5911 •
Scottsdale General Dynamics Decision Sys. EMC Lab (480) 441-5321 • • • • • • • • • • • •
Tempe Lab-Tech, Inc. (480) 317-0700 •
Tempe National Technical Systems (480) 966-5517 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Tucson RMS EMI Laboratory (520) 794-5972 • •
CaLifornia
Agoura Compatible Electronics, Inc. (818) 597-0600 • • • • • •
Anaheim EMC TEMPEST Engineering (714) 778-1726 • • • • • • •
Brea CKC Laboratories, Inc. (714) 993-6112 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Brea Compatible Electronics, Inc. (714) 579-0500 • • • • • • • • •
Calabasas National Technical Systems (NTS) (800) 270-2516 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Chatsworth CKC Laboratories, Inc. 818-678-4362 • • • • • • • • • •
China Lake NAWCWD EMI Lab (760) 939-4669 • • • •
Chino Robinson’s Enterprise (909) 591-3648 • •
Costa Mesa Independent Testing Laboratories, Inc. (714) 662-1011 • • • • •
E. Rancho Dominguez Liberty Bel EMC/EMI Services (310) 537-4235 • • • • • • •
El Dorado Hills Sanesi Associates (916) 496-1760 • • • • • • •

u n i t e d s tat e s & canada
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ESD HTNIN
NVL 461/4
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MIL 188/
TEM ING EF
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200
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El Segundo Wyle Laboratories (310) 322-1763 •
Escondido RF Exposure Lab, LLC (760) 737-3131 • •
Fremont CKC Laboratories, Inc. (510) 249-1170 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Fremont Compliance Certification Services (510) 771-1000 • • • • • • • •
Fremont Elliott Laboratories (408) 245-7800 • • • • • • • •
Fremont Elma Electronics, Inc. (510) 656-3400 •
Fremont EMCE Engineering, Inc. (510) 490-4307 • • • • • • • • • • •

Fullerton DnB engineering, inc. (800) 282-1462 • • • • • • • • • •
Gardena Parker EMC Engineering (910) 823-2345 • • • • • • • • • •
Garden Grove Semtronics (714) 799-9810 • •
Gilroy Scientific Hardware Systems (408) 848-8868 •
Irvine Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America Inc. (949) 465-6206 •
Irvine Northwest EMC (888) 364-2378 • • • • • •
Lake Forest Compatible Electronics, Inc. (949) 587-0400 • • • • • • • • • • •

Lake Forest intertek testing Services (949) 448-4100 • • • • • • • • •
Los Angeles Field Management Services (323) 937-1562 •
Los Gatos Pulver Laboratories, Inc. (408) 399-7000 • • • • •
Mariposa CKC Laboratories, Inc. (209) 966-5240 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

menlo park intertek testing Services (650) 463-2900 • • • • • • • • • • •
Milpitas CETECOM, Inc. (408) 586-6200 • •
Mountain View EMT Labs (650) 965-4000 • • • • • • • •
Mountain View EMC Compliance Management Group (650) 988-0900 • • • • • • • • • • • •
Mountain View Wyle Labs (650) 969-5500 • • • • • • •
Norco Wyle Labs (909) 737-0871 • • • • • • • • • • • •
North Highlands Northrop Grumman ESL (916) 570-4340 • • • • • • • •
Oakland ITW Richmond Technology (510) 655-1263 •
Orange G & M Compliance, Inc. (714) 628-1020 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Pico Rivera Stork Garwood Laboratories, Inc. (562) 949-2727 • • • • • • • • • • •
Pleasanton MiCOM Labs (925) 462-0304 • • • • • •
Poway APW Electronic Solutions (858) 679-4550 • • •
Rancho St. Margarita Aegis Labs, Inc. (949) 454-8295 • • • • • • •
Redondo Beach Northrop Grumman Space Tech. Sector (310) 812-3162 • • • • • • • • • • •
Riverside DnB engineering, inc. (800) 282-1462 • • • • • • • •
Riverside Global Testing (951) 781-4540 • • • • • • • •
Sacramento Northrop-Grumman EM Systems Lab (916) 570-4340 • • • • • • • •
San Clemente Stork Garwood Laboratories, Inc. (949) 361-9189 • • • • • • • • • •

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San Diego Lambda Electronics (619) 575-4400 • • •
ca San Diego NEMKO (858) 755-5525 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
San Diego TÜV SÜD America, Inc. (858) 678-1400 • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Santa Clara Montrose Compliance Services, Inc. (408) 247-5715 • • • •
San Jose ArC Technical resources, Inc. (408) 263-6486 • • • • • • • • • • •
San Jose ATLAS Compliance & Engineering, Inc. (408) 971-9743 • • • • • • •
San Jose Safety Engineering Laboratory (408) 544-1890 • •
San Jose Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (408) 754-6500 • • • • • • • • • •
San ramon Electro-Test, Inc. (925) 485-3400 • • • •
Santa Clara MET Laboratories, Inc. (408) 748-3583 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Santa Clara Montrose Compliance Services, Inc. (408) 247-5715 • •
Santa Clara Wyle Labs (408) 764-5500 • • • • • • • • • • • •
Silverado Compatible Electronics, Inc. (949) 589-0700 • • • • • • • • •
Sunnyvale Bay Area Compliance Labs. (408) 732-9162 • • • • • • • • • • •
Sunnyvale Elliott Laboratories, Inc. (408) 245-7800 • • • • • • • • •
Sunnyvale Sypris Test & Measurement (408) 720-0006 •
Sunol ITC Engineering Services, Inc. (925) 862-2944 • • • • • • • • • •
Torrance Lyncole XIT Grounding (310) 214-4000 • •
Trabuco Canyon rFI International (949) 888-1607 • • • • •
Union City MET Laboratories, Inc. (510) 489-6300 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Van Nuys Sypris Test & Measurement (818) 830-9111 •
Colorado
Boulder Ball Aerospace & Technology Corp. (303) 939-4618 • • • • • • • •
Boulder Percept Technology Labs, Inc. (303) 444-7480 • • • • • • • •

Boulder intertek testing Services (303) 786-7999 • • • • • • • • • • •
Colorado Springs INTErTest Systems, Inc. (719) 522-1402 • • • • • • • • • • •
Lakewood Electro Magnetic Applications, Inc. (303) 980-0070 • • • • •
Littleton Sypris Test & Measurement (303) 798-2243 •
Longmont EMC Integrity, Inc. (888) 423-6275 • • • • • • • • • •
rollinsville Criterion Technology (303) 258-0100 • • •
ConneCtiCut
East Haddam Global Certification Laboratories, Ltd. (860) 873-1451 • • • • • •
East Haddam Turnkey OATS Construction, LLC (860) 873-8975 • • • • • • • • • •
Middletown Product Safety International (860) 344-1651 • •
Milford Harriman Associates (203) 878-3135 •
Newtown TÜV rheinland of North America, Inc. (203) 426-0888 • • • • • • • •
Norwalk Panashield, Inc. (203) 866-5888 • • • • • •
Stratford Total Shielding Systems (203) 377-0394 • • •
diStriCt of ColumBia
Washington American European Services, Inc. (202) 337-3214 • • • •

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ESD HTNIN
NVL 461/4
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Florida
Boca Raton Advanced Compliance Solutions, Inc. (561) 961-5585 • • •
Boca Raton Jaro Components (561) 241-6700 •
Cocoa Beach Elite Electronic Engineering Company (800) ELITE-11 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Dade City Product Safety Engineering, Inc. (352) 588-2209 • • • • • • • •
Dade City TÜV SÜD America, Inc. (352) 588-1033 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Jupiter East West Technology Corporation (561) 776-7339 • • •
Lake Mary Test Equipment Connection (800) 615-8378 •
Largo Walshire Labs, LLC (727) 530-8637 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Melbourne Rubicom Systems, Division of ACS (321) 951-1710 • • • • • • • •
Newberry Timco Engineering, Inc. (888) 472-2424 • • • • • • • • •
Orlando Sypris Test & Measurement (800) 839-4959 • • • • • •
Orlando Qualtest, Inc. (407) 313-4230 • • • • • • • • •
Palm Bay Harris Corporation EMI/TEMPEST Lab (321) 727-6209 • • • • • • •
GeorGia
Alpharetta EMC Testing Laboratories, Inc. (770) 475-8819 • • • • • • • • • • •
Alpharetta U.S. Technologies, Inc. (770) 740-0717 • • • • • • • • • • • •
Buford (Atlanta) Advanced Compliance Solutions, Inc. (770) 831-8048 • • • • • • • • • • •
Lawrenceville Motorola Product Testing Services (770) 338-3795 • • • • • • • •
Peachtree Panasonic Automotive (770) 515-1443 • • •
idaho
Plummer Acme Testing Company (360) 595-2785 • • • • • • • • • • •
illinois
Addison Sypris Test & Measurement (630) 620-5800 •
Downers Grove Elite Electronic Engineering, Inc. (630) 495-9770 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Montgomery E.F. Electronics Co. (630) 897-1950 • • • • • • • • • • • •
Mundelein Midwest EMI Associates, Inc. (847) 918-9886 • • • •
Northbrook Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (847) 272-8800 • • • • • • • • • •
Palatine Trace Laboratories–EMC (847) 934-5300 • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Peoria EMC Testing Inc., A Caterpillar Company (309) 578-1213 • • •
Poplar Grove LF Research EMC Design & Test Facility (815) 566-5655 • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Rockford Ingenium Testing, LLC (815) 315-9250 • • • • • • • • •
Romeoville Radiometrics Midwest Corp. (815) 293-0772 • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Wheeling d.l.s. electronic systems, inc. (847) 537-6400 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Woodridge Zero Ground LLC (866) ZERO-GND • • • • • • •
indiana
Crane Naval Surface Warfare Ctr., Crane Div. (800) 798-2204 • •
Fort Wayne Raytheon (260) 429-4335 • • • • •
Indianapolis Raytheon Technical Services Co., EMI Lab (317) 306-8471 • • • •
Kokomo Delphi Delco Electronic Systems (765) 451-5011 • • • •

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NG
M I L G ST r
ESD HTNIN
NVL 461/4
IFIC
Pro A2L A A
CB/ E/TEL
rS0 Z TESTI
MIL 188/
TEM G EF
200
IMM 68
E M P NS
ErT
LI GH Y
TN I N
T
N
T
T
/LI G
SSIo
r
D uC
uNI
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PAr
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-STD
-STD
I
AP/
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HA
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BEL
ia iowa
Cedar Falls Wyle Labs (319) 277-9083 • • • • • • • • • • • •
Kimballton Liberty Labs, Inc. (712) 773-2199 • •
Elk Horn World Cal, Inc. (712) 764-2197 • •
Kansas
Louisburg Rogers Labs, Inc. (913) 837-3214 • • • • • • •
KentuCKy
Lexington Lexmark International EMC Lab (606) 232-7650 •

Lexington intertek testing services (859) 226-1000 • • • • • • • • •
Lexington dBi Corporation (859) 253-1178 • • • • •
maryLand
Annapolis Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems (410) 266-1700 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Baltimore MET Laboratories, Inc. (410) 354-3300 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Beltsville Antenna Research Associates (301) 937-8888 •
Columbia DRS Advanced Programs (410) 312-5800 •
Columbia PCTest Engineering Lab (410) 290-6652 •
Damascus F-Squared Laboratories (301) 253-4500 • • • • • • • • • • •
Elkridge ATEC Industries, Ltd. (443) 459-5080 • • • • • • • •
Gaithersburg Washington Laboratories, Ltd. (301) 216-1500 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Hunt Valley Trace Laboratories–East (410) 584-9099 • •
Patuxent River Naval Air Warfare Ctr., Aircraft Div. (301) 342-1663 • • • • • • • • • • •
Rockville P.J. Mondin, P.E. Consultants (301) 460-5864 • • • •
Rockville Spectrum Research & Testing Laboratory, Inc. (301) 670-2818 • • • • • •
Salisbury Filter Networks (410) 341-4200 • •
Westminster Electrical Test Instruments, Inc. (410) 857-1880 •
massaChusetts
Billerica Quest Engineering Solutions (978) 667-7000 •
Billerica Sypris Test & Measurement (978) 663-2137 • •

Boxborough intertek testing services (978) 263-2662 • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Boxborough National Technical Systems (NTS) (978) 266-1001 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Danvers TUV SUD America Inc. (800) TUV-0123 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Foxboro N.E. Product Safety Society, Inc. (508) 543-6599 •
Gloucester Euroconsult, Inc. (978) 282-8890 • • • •
Lexington Design Automation, Inc. (781) 862-8998 • • • • • • • •
Littleton Curtis-Straus LLC, subsidiary of Bureau Veritas (978) 486-8880 • • • • • • • • • • •

ESS
TS
rAD T SAFE oVED

FEC
IVEN
TEr
EMI /TCB DIA
FCC T 15 & NS
o N
G EF
ATIo
AIr/ V/ME
Cor
I KE
PP r
I
18
PES FECT
125
A Do LIBrAT
62
TY
NG
M I L G ST r
ESD HTNIN
NVL 461/4
IFIC
Pro A2L A A
CB/ E/TEL
rS0 Z TESTI
MIL 188/
TEM ING EF
ELD 0
200
IMM 68
6
E M P NS
A
ErT
LI GH T Y
-1
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TN I N
T
T
/LI G
SSIo
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D uC
uNI
PAr
PAr
C AB
-STD
-STD
AP/
3>
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LCo
HA
Eur
rEP
FCC
rTC
BEL
SHI
Littleton intertek testing Services (978) 486-0432 • • • • • • • • • • •
Mansfield Motorola Test Lab Services Group (508) 851-8484 • • •
Marlboro IQS, Div. of The Compliance Management Group (508) 460-1400 • • • • • • • • •
Marlboro The Compliance Management Group (508) 281-5985 • • • • • • • •
Milford Test Site Services, Inc. (508) 634-3444 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Newton EMC Test Design, LLC (508) 292-1833 •

pittsfield Lightning technologies, inc. (413) 499-2135 • • • • •
Wilmington Thermo Fisher Scientific (978) 275-0800 • • • • • • • • • •
Woburn Chomerics, Div. of Parker Hannifin Corp. (781) 935-4850 • • • • • • •
Woburn NELCO (781) 933-1940 •
miChigan
7233 Retlif ITEM EMC Half_4c
Auburn Hills TÜV SÜD America, Inc. 4/30/09
11:28 AM Page 1
(248) 393-6984 •
Aerospace • Automotive
Aviation • Consumer Electronics
Homeland Security • Maritime
Medical • Military • Rail
Retlif has touched many worlds for many years.
We are proud to have supported our clients at the
highest levels with full Electromagnetic Interference
and Environmental Simulation testing services.
Retlif’s engineering and educational services

have added tangible value both technically and
cost-effectively for over 30 years. We seamlessly guide
your products through complex regulatory structures…
domestic, international and military…with expertise
that expedites the process. And we’re proud to
continually offer the industry’s best lead time
scheduling.
Retlif is independent…and proud of it…

a field leader for over 30 years.
Put us to the test and
see why for yourself.
795 Marconi Avenue, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 USA

Tel: (631) 737-1500 • Fax: (631) 737-1497
www.retlif.com • E-mail: sales@retlif.com
Additional locations in New Hampshire,
North Carolina, Pennsylvania & Washington D.C.

ESS
TS
rAD T SAFE oVED

FEC
IVEN
rTC CALIB TEr
EMI /TCB DIA
FCC T 15 & NS
SHI -160 oN
G EF
ATIo
AIr/ V/ME
Cor
I KE
PP r
I
18
PES FECT
125
A Do rAT
62
TY
NG
M I L G ST r
ESD HTNIN
NVL 461/4
IFIC
Pro A2L A A
CB/ E/TEL
rS0 Z TESTI
MIL 188/
TEM G EF
200
IMM 68
E M P NS
ErT
LI GH Y
TN I N
T
N
T
T
/LI G
SSIo
r
D uC
uNI
PAr
PAr
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-STD
-STD
I
AP/
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ELD
HA
Eur
rEP
FCC
BEL
Belleville Willow Run Test Labs, LLC (734) 252 9785 • • • •
mi Burton Trialon Corporation (810) 341-7931 • • • •
Detroit National Technical Systems (800) 946-2687 • •
Grand Rapids intertek testing Services (800) WoRLDLaB • • • • • • • • •
Holland TÜV SÜD America, Inc. (616) 546-3902 •

Milford Jacobs Technology, Inc. (248) 676-1101 • • • • • •
Novi Sypris Test & Measurement (248) 305-5200 •
Novi Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (248) 427-5300 • • • • • • • • •
Plymouth TÜV SÜD America, Inc. (734) 455-4841 • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Saginaw Delphi Steering EMC Lab (989) 797-0318 • • •
Sister Lakes AHD EMC Lab (269) 313-2433 • • • • • • • •
Warren Detroit Testing Laboratory, Inc. (586) 754-9000 • • •
minneSota
Brooklyn Park Northwest EMC, Inc. (888) 364-2378 • • • • • •
Glencoe International Certification Services, Inc. (320) 864-4444 • • • • • • • • • • •
Maple Grove TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc. (763) 315-5012 • • • • • • •
Millville TÜV SÜD America, Inc. (507) 798-2483 • • •
Minneapolis Alpha EMC, Inc. (763) 561-4410 • • • • • • • • •
Minneapolis Environ Laboratories, LLC (800) 826-3710 • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Minneapolis Honeywell (612) 951-5773 •
New Brighton TÜV SÜD America, Inc. (651) 631-2487 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
New Hope Conductive Containers, Inc. (763) 537-2090 • •

oakdale intertek testing Services (651) 730-1188 • • • • • • •
Rochester IBM (507) 253-6201 • • • •
St. Paul 3M (651) 778-4577 • • • • • • • •
Taylor Falls TÜV SÜD America, Inc. (651) 638-0297 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
miSSouRi
St. Louis Boeing-St. Louis EMC Lab (314) 233-7798 • • • •
neBRaSka
Lincoln NCEE Labs (402) 472-5880 • • • • • • • • •
nevaDa
Minden PolyPhaser Corp. (775) 782-2511 • •

ESS
TS
rAD T SAFE oVED

FEC
IVEN
TEr
EMI /TCB DIA
FCC T 15 & NS
o N
G EF
ATIo
AIr/ V/ME
Cor
I KE
PP r
I
18
PES FECT
125
A Do LIBrAT
62
TY
NG
M I L G ST r
ESD HTNIN
NVL 461/4
IFIC
Pro A2L A A
CB/ E/TEL
rS0 Z TESTI
MIL 188/
TEM ING EF
ELD 0
200
IMM 68
6
E M P NS
A
ErT
LI GH T Y
-1
C
TN I N
T
T
/LI G
SSIo
r
D uC
uNI
PAr
PAr
C AB
-STD
-STD
AP/
3>
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LCo
HA
Eur
rEP
FCC
rTC
BEL
SHI
new HampsHire
Goffstown retlif testing Laboratories (603) 497-4600 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Hudson Core Compliance Testing Services (603) 889-5545 • • • • • •
Sandown Compliance Worldwide, Inc. (603) 887-3903 • • • • • • •
new Jersey
Annandale NU Laboratories, Inc. (908) 713-9300 • • • • • •
Bridgeport Analab, LLC (800) analab-X • • • •
Bridgewater Lichtig EMC Consulting (908) 541-0213 •
Camden L-3 Communications East (856) 338-3000 •
Clifton NJ-MET (973) 546-5393 • •
Edison Metex Corporation (732) 287-0800 •
Edison TESEQ, Inc. (732) 417-0501 •
Fairfield SGS U.S. Testing Co., Inc. (800) 777-8378 • • • • •
Farmingdale EMC Technologists, A Div. of I2R Corp. (732) 919-1100 • • • • • • • •
Hillsborough Advanced Compliance Laboratory, Inc. (908) 927-9288 • • • • • • •

ESS
TS
rAD T SAFE oVED

FEC
IVEN
rTC CALIB TEr
EMI /TCB DIA
FCC T 15 & NS
SHI -160 oN
G EF
ATIo
AIr/ V/ME
Cor
I KE
PP r
I
18
PES FECT
125
A Do rAT
62
TY
NG
M I L G ST r
ESD HTNIN
NVL 461/4
IFIC
Pro A2L A A
CB/ E/TEL
rS0 Z TESTI
MIL 188/
TEM G EF
200
IMM 68
E M P NS
ErT
LI GH Y
TN I N
T
N
T
T
/LI G
SSIo
r
D uC
uNI
PAr
PAr
C AB
-STD
-STD
I
AP/
3>
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LCo
ELD
HA
Eur
rEP
FCC
BEL
Holmdel Global Products Compliance Laboratory (732) 332-6000 • • • • • •
NJ Lakehurst Naval Air Warfare Ctr., Aircraft Div. (732) 323-2085 • • •
Lakewood BAE Systems (732) 364-0049 • • • • • • • • • •
Lincroft Don HEIRMAN Consultants (732) 741-7723 • •
Piscataway Telcordia Technologies, Inc. (800) 521-2673 • • • • • • • • •
Rutherford SGS International Certification Services, Inc. (800) 747-9047 •
Sayreville Sypris Test & Measurement (732) 721-6116 •
Thorofare NDI Engineering Company (856) 848-0033 • •
Tinton Falls National Technical Systems (NTS) (732) 936-0800 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Wayne Sypris Test & Measurement (973) 628-1363 • • • • • • •
new mexiCo
Albuquerque Advanced Testing Services, Inc. (505) 292-2032 • • •
White Sands USA WSMR, Survivability Directorate (575) 678-6107 • • • • • • • • •
new york
Bohemia Dayton T. Brown, Inc. (800) TEST-456 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
College Point Aero Nav Laboratories, Inc. (718) 939-4422 • • • • • • • • • •
Deer Park MCG Surge Protection, Inc. (800) 851-1508 •
Deer Park Universal Shielding Corp. (631) 667-7900 •
Groton Diversified T.E.S.T. Technologies (607) 898-4218 • • • • • • • • •
Groton Source 1 Compliance (315) 730-5667 • • • • • • • • •
Johnson City BAE Systems Controls, Inc. (607) 770-3771 • • • • • • •
Johnstown Electro-Metrics (518) 762-2600 •
Liverpool Source1 Solutions (315) 730-5667 • • •
Medford American Environments Co. (631) 736-5883 • • • • • • • • • • • •
Medina TREK, Inc. (585) 798-3140 •
Melville Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (631) 271-6200 • • • • • • • • • •
Northport Mohr, R.J., Assoc., Inc. (631) 754-1142 • • • • • • • • • •
Owego Lockheed Martin Federal Systems (607) 751-2938 • • • • • • • •
Poughkeepsie IBM Corp. Poughkeepsie EMC Lab (607) 752-2225 • •
Rochester Chomerics, Div. of Parker Hannifin (781) 939-4158 • • • • •
Rochester Spec-Hardened Systems (585) 225-2857 • • • • • • • • • •

ronkonkoma retlif testing Laboratories (631) 737-1500 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
north CaroLina
Cary CertifiGroup (800) 422-1651 • • • •
Fayetteville Partnership for Defense Innovation R&D Lab (910) 307-3000 • • • •
Greensboro Electrical South, LP (800) 950-9550 •
Greenville Lawrence Behr Associates (LBA) (252) 757-0279 • • • •
New Bern iNARTE, Inc. (252) 672-0111 •
Raleigh MicroCraft Corporation (919) 872-2272 • • • • • • • • •
Res. Triangle Pk. Educated Design & Dev., Inc. (ED&D) (919) 469-9434 • • • •
Res. Triangle Pk. IBM RTP EMC Test Labs (919) 543-0837 • • •
Res. Triangle Pk. Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (919) 549-1400 • • • • • • • • • •

ESS
TS
rAD T SAFE oVED

FEC
IVEN
TEr
EMI /TCB DIA
FCC T 15 & NS
o N
G EF
ATIo
AIr/ V/ME
Cor
I KE
PP r
I
18
PES FECT
125
A Do LIBrAT
62
TY
NG
M I L G ST r
ESD HTNIN
NVL 461/4
IFIC
Pro A2L A A
CB/ E/TEL
rS0 Z TESTI
MIL 188/
TEM ING EF
ELD 0
200
IMM 68
6
E M P NS
A
ErT
LI GH T Y
-1
C
TN I N
T
T
/LI G
SSIo
r
D uC
uNI
PAr
PAr
C AB
-STD
-STD
AP/
3>
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LCo
HA
Eur
rEP
FCC
rTC
BEL
SHI
Youngsville Flextronics International EMC Labs (919) 554-0901 • • • • • • • • • • • • •
ohio
Brooklyn Heights Sypris Test & Measurement (216) 741-7040 •
Burton F-Squared Laboratories, Inc. (877) 405-1580 • • • • • • • • • • •
Chesterland EU Compliance Services, Inc. (440) 918-1425 • • • • • • •
Cleveland CSA International (216) 524-4990 • •
Cleveland NASA GRC EMI Lab (216) 433-2533 • •
Cleveland Smith Electronics (440) 526-4386 • • • • •
Fairborn Sypris Test & Measurement (937) 427-3444 •
Mason L-3 Communications Cincinnati Electronics (513) 573-6809 • • • • • •
Springboro Pioneer Automotive Technologies (937) 746-6600 • • • • • •
oklahoma
Tulsa Integrated Sciences, Inc. (918) 493-3399 •
oregon
Beaverton tektronix (407) 551-2738 • • •

Hillsboro Cascade TEK (503) 648-1818 • • •
Hillsboro ElectroMagnetic Investigations, LLC (503) 466-1160 • • • • • • • •
Portland Northwest EMC, Inc. (888) 364-2378 • • • • • • • •
Portland TÜV SÜD America, Inc. (503) 598-7580 • • • •
Tillamook ElectroMagnetic Investigations, LLC (503) 466-1160 •
pennsylvania
Annville CHAR Services, Inc. (717) 867-2788 • • •
Boalsburg Seven Mountains Scientific, Inc. (814) 466-6559 • • •
Glenside Electro-Tech Systems, Inc. (215) 887-2196 • • •
harleysville retlif testing laboratories (215) 256-4133 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Hatfield Laboratory Testing, Inc. (800) 219-9095 •
New Castle Keystone Compliance (724) 657-9940 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Norristown LCR Electronics, Inc. (610) 278-0840 • • • • • • •
Pottstown BEC Inc. (610) 970-6880 • • • • • • • •
W. Conshohocken Alion Science & Technology/R&B Lab (610) 825-1960 • • • • • • • • •
Willow Grove Nelson Design Services (215) 784-9600 • •
tennessee
Knoxville Global Testing Labs LLC (865) 525-0137 • • • •
Knoxville Southern Testing Services, Inc. (865) 966-5330 •

ESS
TS
rAD T SAFE oVED

FEC
IVEN
rTC CALIB TEr
EMI /TCB DIA
FCC T 15 & NS
SHI -160 oN
G EF
ATIo
AIr/ V/ME
Cor
I KE
PP r
I
18
PES FECT
125
A Do rAT
62
TY
NG
M I L G ST r
ESD HTNIN
NVL 461/4
IFIC
Pro A2L A A
CB/ E/TEL
rS0 Z TESTI
MIL 188/
TEM G EF
200
IMM 68
E M P NS
ErT
LI GH Y
TN I N
T
N
T
T
/LI G
SSIo
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D uC
uNI
PAr
PAr
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-STD
-STD
I
AP/
3>
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LCo
ELD
HA
Eur
rEP
FCC
BEL
tX texas
Austin Austin EMC (512) 219-6650 • • • • •
Austin BAE Systems IDS Test Services (512) 929-2410 • •
Cedar Park TDK RF Solutions, Inc. (512) 258-9478 • • • • • • •
Euless Ronald G. Jones, P.E. (817) 267-1476 • •
Houston DNV Certification (281) 721-6600 •
Lewisville Nemko USA (972) 436-9600 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Plano National Technical Systems (NTS) (972) 509-2566 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

plano intertek testing services (972) 202-8800 • • • • • • • •
Richardson Sypris Test & Measurement (972) 231-4443 •
Round Rock Professional Testing (EMI), Inc. (512) 244-3371 • • • • • • • • • • •
San Antonio Southwest Research Institute (210) 684-5111 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Utah
Coalville DnB engineering, inc. (435) 336-4433 • • • • • • • •
Ogden Little Mountain Test Facility (LMTF) (801) 315-2320 • • • • • • • •

ESS
TS
rAD T SAFE oVED

FEC
IVEN
TEr
EMI /TCB DIA
FCC T 15 & NS
o N
G EF
ATIo
AIr/ V/ME
Cor
I KE
PP r
I
18
PES FECT
125
A Do LIBrAT
62
TY
NG
M I L G ST r
ESD HTNIN
NVL 461/4
IFIC
Pro A2L A A
CB/ E/TEL
rS0 Z TESTI
MIL 188/
TEM ING EF
ELD 0
200
IMM 68
6
E M P NS
A
ErT
LI GH T Y
-1
C
TN I N
T
T
/LI G
SSIo
r
D uC
uNI
PAr
PAr
C AB
-STD
-STD
AP/
3>
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LCo
HA
Eur
rEP
FCC
rTC
BEL
SHI
Salt Lake City Communication Certification Laboratory (801) 972-6146 • • • • • • • • •
Salt Lake City L3 Communication Systems–West (801) 594-2560 • • • • •
Vermont
Essex Junction Huber & Suhner (802) 878-0555 • •
Middlebury Green Mountain Electromagnetics, Inc. (802) 388-3390 • • • • •
Virginia
Falls Church Raytheon Prototype Services (703) 849-1562 • • •
Fredericksburg Vitatech Engineering, LLC (540) 286-1984 • • • • • • • •
Herndon Rhein Tech Laboratories, Inc. (703) 689-0368 • • • • • • • • • •
McLean American TCB (703) 847-4700 • • • • • • •
Reston TEMPEST, Inc. (VA) (703) 709-9543 • • • • • • • • • •
Richmond Technology International, Inc. (804) 794-4144 • • • • • •
Washington
Acme Acme Testing Company (360) 595-2785 • • • • • • • • • •
Bothell CKC Laboratories, Inc (425) 402-1717 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Sultan Northwest EMC, Inc. (888) 364-2378 • • • • • •
WisConsin
Butler Emission Control, Ltd. (262) 790-0092 •
Cedarburg L.S. Research (262) 375-4400 • • • • • •
genoa City D.L.s. electronic systems, inc. (847) 537-6400 • • • •
Jo
Pr
Lic
97
Br
US
+1
FA
JF
ww
N2
628 LeVander Way

S. St. Paul, MN 55075

ESS
TS
rAD T SAFE oVED

FEC
IVEN
rTC CALIB TEr
EMI /TCB DIA
FCC T 15 & NS
SHI -160 oN
G EF
ATIo
AIr/ V/ME
Cor
I KE
PP r
I
18
PES FECT
125
A Do rAT
62
TY
NG
M I L G ST r
ESD HTNIN
NVL 461/4
IFIC
Pro A2L A A
CB/ E/TEL
rS0 Z TESTI
MIL 188/
TEM G EF
200
IMM 68
E M P NS
ErT
LI GH Y
TN I N
T
N
T
T
/LI G
SSIo
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D uC
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PAr
PAr
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-STD
-STD
I
AP/
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ELD
HA
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rEP
FCC
BEL
Milwaukee Curtis Industries/Filter Networks (414) 649-4200 • • •
Neenah International Compliance Laboratories (920) 720-5555 • • • • • • •
Canada
alberta
airdrie electronics test Centre - mpb technologies (403) 912-0037 • • • • • • • • •

Calgary EMSCAN Corporation (403) 291 0313 • • •
Calgary National Technical Systems (NTS) (403) 568-6605 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Medley Aerospace Engrg. Test Establishment (DND) (780) 840-8000 • •
british Columbia
Abbotsford Protocol EMC (604) 218-1762 • • • • • • • • • • • •
Kelowna Celltech Labs, Inc. (250) 765-7650 • • • • • • • •
Pitt Meadows Tranzeo EMC Labs Inc. (604) 460-4453 • • • • •
Richmond LabTest Certification, Inc. (604) 247-0444 • • • • • • • • • • •
ontario
Kanata electronics test Centre (613) 599-6800 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Merrickville EMC Consulting, Inc. (613) 269-4247 • • • • • • • • • •
Missisauga Intertek ETL Semko (905) 678-7820 • • • •
Nepean APREL Laboratories (613) 820-2730 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Nepean Multilek Inc. (613) 226-2365 • • • • •
Oakville Ultratech Group of Labs (905) 829-1570 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Ottawa ASR Technologies (613) 737-2026 • • • • • • • •
Ottawa Nemko (613) 737-9680 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Ottawa Power & Controls Engineering Ltd. (613) 829-0820 • • • • •
Ottawa Raymond EMC Enclosures Limited (800) EMC-1495 • •
Scarborough Vican Electronics (416) 412-2111 • • • • • • • • • •
Toronto CSA International (866) 797-4272 • • • • • • •
Toronto Global EMC Inc. (905) 883-8189 • • • • • • • • • • •
QuebeC
Montreal Centre de Recherche Industrielle du Quebec (514) 383-1550 • • • • •
Quebec Comlab, Inc. (418) 682-3380 • • • •
Quebec FISO Technologies (418) 688-8065 • • • • • •
The listings above— Interference Technology’s “2011 EMC Test Lab Directory”—are our effort to provide our readers with
accurate and current information on the vast number of testing capabilities available. We also realize that events move swiftly
in the testing sector and that new services are added on a regular basis. If, after reading the Directory, you notice an inaccurate
inclusion or omission, please join the effort for accuracy by forwarding the details to slong@interferencetechnology.com.

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Cpi (Communications & power industries) Canada inc.;

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instruments for industry; Ronkonkoma, NY; 631-467-8400

www.ifi.com Radius power inc.; Orange, CA; 714-289-0055
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Schurter inc.; Santa Rosa, CA; 707-636-3000

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aH Systems; Chatsworth, CA; 818-998-0223
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Suppliers of Shielding
Suppliers of Conductive materials
magnetic Shield Corporation; Bensenville, IL; 888-766-7800

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Dontech incorporated; Doylestown, PA; 215-348-5010
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Swift textile metalizing LLC; Bloomfield CT; 860-243-1122 Spira manufacturing Corporation; N. Hollywood, CA
www.swift-textile.com 818-764-8222; www.spira-emi.com

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testing & test equipment EMC P E r f o r M a n C E o v E r a L i f E t i M E
emc performance of a product
over its lifetime
gert gremmen, tim haynes, changing properties that at first sight do not

ralph mcdiarmid, ed price, impact EMC properties, such as enclosures
john woodgate of which radiation patterns and resonance
properties may change and have a bigger
impact on EMI as initially assumed.
E
MC performance of a product is likely Ultimately, it is impossible to maintain
to vary with age as the physical charac- EMC properties over a long time, and there-
teristics change, e.g. caps dry out and fore a definition of the lifetime of a piece of
metal junctions oxidize, etc. Obviously, the equipment is required. Very little work has
product is designed with the intention of been done on the calculation of lifetime
consistent compliance over the life of the for electronics in general, but a lot of data
product, but are there any requirements or on failure rates is available, for example, in
guidance relating to preventing or control- soldered contacts, and individual compo-
ling this change in EMC performance over nents. I have been involved in developing
time? a simple method of creating a lifetime
This question posed recently on a prod- expectation based on collected statistical
uct safety forum garnered some interesting data for component lifetimes, but that does
responses from EMC and product safety not include many relevant aspects, such
experts. Interference Technology delved a as enclosure lifetime under miscellaneous
little deeper and asked a panel of experts (hards) conditions.
their thoughts on the topic:
PrICe: In the military product area, most
products don’t live long enough for aging to
Can environmental factors that jeop-
be as important as the (usually) very hostile
ardize EMC over a product’s lifetime
physical environment. One further specific
result in performance, reliability and
instance is damage to cable / backshell junc-
even safety implications?
tions due to abuse by users and/or vibration
gremmen: Yes, but it will need a risk and shock.
analysis in the design phase to identify the
risks associated with aging. That risk analy- Haynes: Expanding only slightly, corro-
sis should include the whole spectrum of sion can reduce screening at interfaces of
aging aspects, from components, to solder- boxes, cables, connectors etc., gaskets can
ing techniques, contact properties related to deteriorate, components can age and affect
oxidation, moisture, vibration, but also need EMI performance.
to incorporate equipment properties that
are not expected to “age”, such as software. Can lifetime reliability be better as-
The analysis also needs to consider sured by simulating product aging

in t E rf E r E nC E t E C Hn oL o G Y testing & test equipment
before EMC testing is done? How can lifetime EMC to environmental testing specialists, and start collecting
integrity be assured when equipment is still gener- events, and try to couple this to EMC properties. A knowl-
ally tested only once? edge base may be created that allows designers to identify
potential risks.
Woodgate: It depends on how realistic the simulation
is, given that no simulation can be wholly realistic. mCdIarmId: In my brief experience in private industry
[Lifetime EMC integrity can be assured] by careful (since 1983) I can recall only one legitimate complaint
selection of components, operating them well below their concerning radio interference from a product. It’s my ex-
maximum stresses and careful overall design (e.g., assure perience that EMC problems during operational service
continued integrity of seams in enclosures). of a product designed and verified through type testing to
comply with the applicable standards is a rare thing, even
Haynes: Some requirements (possibly customer require-
over its operational lifetime. It may be that most products
ments in defence/aerospace) need environmental testing
functionally fail and are removed from service before they
(heat cycling / vibration) to be completed before EMC tests
become an EMC nuisance.
are undertaken. No “repairs” are allowed between environ-
Many companies control the configuration of their prod-
mental and EMC testing.
ucts by keeping a list of EMC critical components, much like
PrICe: In a Qualification test scenario, it is our practice a list of safety critical components for use in UL and CSA
to run the temp cycling, vibration, humidity types of tests compliance. If a component, like a power MOSFET, needs
before the system goes to EMC. True, some tests (high-G to change manufacturer, then all the specifications are
shock, blowing rain, transportation shock, high-G centri- carefully checked and an EMC retest (at least for emissions)
fuge) are often done on a separate system. may be performed before qualifying the alternate source.
If a product complies with the applicable RF emission and
gremmen: I am not aware of simulation software with immunity standards, it will likely never be a problem dur-
a view on EMC related to aging. I think that in order to ing its lifetime.
incorporate aging as a factor in EMC, we need to lend a ear

Are there any regulatory requirements to artificially

age a product prior to EMC testing? If so, are the GErt GrEmmEn is a senior test engineer in EMC and product safety
requirements industry specific? for electronic and electrical products, director of ce-test qualified
testing bv in the Netherlands and an expert in CE marking.
Woodgate: Not for commercial products in Europe,
as far as I am aware.
Direct controls of performance are not appropriate for
safety-critical applications. Each product has its require- tim haynES, electromagnetic engineering
ments set by following a procedure, which is described in specialist at SELEX S&AS, has worked on
the multi-part standard IEC 61508. space systems, avionics, marine and sub-
marine equipment for the defense industry
Haynes: There may be some implicit requirements, such and has employed forensic techniques in
as in section 6 of the UK Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act resolving problems, in particular EMC issues
1974 - Duties Towards Articles Used At Work. There may during design and development of hardware.
be other such requirements in legislation (possibly in the
Provision and Use of Work Equipment?). There may also be
requirements in Joint Airworthiness Requirements (JARs)
that require a ground-based “golden sample” aircraft to be
exposed to more hours of simulated flying than the worst- ralph mcDiarmiD, aSct, has 12 years ex-
case flight-cleared aircraft of the type. This is to identify perience in power electronics circuit design
fatigue failures in the ground-based model before they can and simulation - converers and inverters to
happen in the flight-cleared aircraft. 3kW - and 10 years experience with regula-
tory international product approvals, includ-
PrICe: USA military procurements are controlled by a ing CSA, UL and CE.
strict and extremely specific list of contractually obligating
“Line Items”, so this is all defined by the contract.
gremmen: There are no such regulations I am aware

of. At least there are no such for ordinary commercial and
ED pricE, a NARTE certified EMC engineer,
residential equipment, not even for high-end laboratory
has worked in the Electromagnetic Compat-
equipment.
ibility Lab at Cubic Defense Applications in
San Diego, Calif. since 1993.
Can a well-defined maintenance schedule help en-
sure regular surveillance of components that will
affect the EMC performance of a product?
Woodgate: Possibly: Some EMC characteristics can
be checked simply enough for inclusion in a maintenance
schedule (e.g. low-frequency conducted emissions), while John WooDGatE of J.M. Woodgate and
others cannot (e.g. high-frequency immunity). Some might Associates has a background in the consumer
think that ESD immunity could be checked in a mainte- products and sound reinforcement sectors of
nance process, but this raises safety issues in itself. the electronics industry, as well as product
management and marketing of audio, high
Haynes: Yes - but only where there is a conscientious
fidelity and video products. He became an
maintainer. This may be much more important in respect of
independent consultant in 1984.
vehicle maintenance (screening of the engine management
unit, braking control, etc.), than it would be to have annual
maintenance on your TV or washing machine. However, * Participants’ comments do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.
how many garage mechanics would be trained in “EMC”?
PrICe: Military systems have several levels of mainte-

nance, with the first line generally not going beyond “pull gremmen: Applications that require tight control of
that box that doesn’t work and put in a new one.” First level EMC properties during a defined lifetime definitely need
people are usually not opening boxes, fixing cables or doing adequate service. Maintenance has traditionally been
other intrusive things. At the depot level, a manufacturer focused on functional parameters only, even in aerospace
should specify if EMC items should be replaced as part of and aviation technology. Many EMC-related components
maintenance (perhaps a particular EMI gasket is good for can get defective without even being noticed in functional
only a few open/close cycles). testing, so additional testing has to be defined in order to
recognize potential failures of this kind. While emission

in t E rf E r E nC E t E C Hn oL o G Y testing & test equipment
properties may be quickly established using, for example, gremmen: Many EMC properties of equipment are
a tabletop spectrum analyzer on a comparative basis (com- undefined in the design phase. If a problem during initial
pared to a new piece of equipment), immunity problems testing is found, remedial measures such as filters may help
will remain unnoticed until a full test suite for immunity controlling emissions. However, the source of the problems
has been carried out. As many EMC components have a is not under control. A change of manufacturer for a mi-
function towards common mode phenomena, traditional croprocessor, for example, may change emission levels to a
test techniques that use differential mode signals are not high degree, even if the component is pin and specification
capable of detecting failures in such components. A surge compatible. The EMC properties of such a component are
suppressor, for example, may be connected to the enclosure in general not specified in a datasheet. A newer process on
and not to system signal ground, and may look connected chip level, or even change of location of manufacture may
to nothing from the point of view of traditional automated impact those properties. The manufacturer is not bound
test sets. In addition to that, commercial test setups for to notice their customers, as EMC properties go undocu-
components operate on PCB level, and not on equipment mented. I lately witness a large number of SMPS related
or even system level. problems in EMI where just the ongoing progress in FET
developments results in much faster switching times as
Even with regulatory and contractual compliance before, creating substantial interference problems in the
established at the outset, could changes be made 30-200 MHz range. The manufacturers of the switchers,
to a product that may compromise its EMC per- confronted with the problem, told us that they had updated
formance? their switching FETS as older (tested) models quickly
became obsolete and the FET manufacturer provided
Woodgate: If you mean ‘changes during life’, the answer them with equivalents and pin compatible models with a
must be ‘yes’. [This can be avoided by] total encapsulation, faster switching time. Even software can have an impact
making the product unrepairable. But then how can the on EMC; simple changes in firmware (updates) can create
heat be dissipated? Heat pipes? Such ‘heroic’ measures are sudden changes in emissions or immunity behavior that
hardly justified. are completely outside the view of the software designers.
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Given the fact that modern software development heavily Woodgate: It’s far too LATE at the onset of testing.
depends on external modules and libraries, such changes These requirements must be applied at the outset of DE-
may even be unnoticed to the manufacturer of the product. SIGN, where they pay a dividend of around 1000%.
Again, EMC properties of the building blocks of electronic
are most of the time undocumented. Haynes: There is much greater benefit to be obtained
And yes, during testing it is too late. Too many definite by considering ALL environment and EMC requirements
choices have been made at that point already. that will apply during the product lifecycle at the very
beginning - at the concept stage of the product/project.
Haynes: A rack of equipment installed in an EMC
cabinet passes the required tests with the doors closed. The PrICe: I think everybody says it’s good to plan ahead.
customer can use the equipment with the doors closed but
gremmen: Yes, if EMC is recognized to have a substan-
they are always open because he wants to see the flashing
tial impact on reliability and safety, taking in consideration
lights and alpha/numeric displays to ensure the equipment
all these aspects will create benefits for both manufacturers
is working ...
as well as consumers.
To limit customer-based changes - design products that
are actually fit-for-purpose - or should that be fit-for-the-
users-purpose. Otherwise implement measures to prevent Do you have any anecdotal examples that illustrate
EMC features being “overridden”. the above points or would be helpful to fellow
engineers?
PrICe: Keep close to your customer so they can acciden- Haynes: Some radio equipment was EMC tested af-
tally show you all the new and exciting things they do with ter vibration and thermal testing had been successfully
your product. You will learn the most interesting things.
completed. The equipment failed EMC on emissions and
immunity. The cause was “cracked” semi-rigid coax / con-
Is there a benefit to considering environmental nector joints where either vibration or thermal expansion
and EMC requirements at the outset of testing a had caused the connector to cable-sheath interface to
product? crack, causing the transfer impedance to increase and allow
signals into / out of the coax cable. If the equipment had
not been vibration / thermal tested before the EMC - this
failure would not have been found.
PrICe: Same scenario; this time finding connector nuts

that were improperly torqued and allowed the connectors
to loosen. n
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testing & test equipment U S B I n t e r f a c e o n L a B o r at o r y S U r g e g e n e r at o r S
USB interface on Laboratory
Surge Generators
Jeffrey D. LinD screen for operator convenience, or for basic

compliance West, usA housekeeping information, in which the
del mar, cA computer is updated by the test equipment
regarding its actions. In this case, the speed
A
s any laboratory engineer knows, advantages of the USB interface are not
harsh, noisy lab environments of- realized, but the convenience of connection
ten result in data loss and/or resets still makes the USB interface a good choice.
of test equipment or host computers. A In many cases, operators who are rushed
potential solution to this challenge is the for time may not investigate a non-USB
successful implementation of mains power connection because these non-swappable
distribution in the lab, and an isolated se- interfaces require research or reboot, taking
rial/USB design for laboratory computer valuable time. If an operator is presented
systems. This will allow the lab to utilize with the USB interface, which is a known
the strengths of both the computer’s USB commodity, he may be more willing to plug
interface and the laboratory equipment's it in and enjoy the conveniences that were
existing serial interface technology. written into the interface.
The advent of USB controlled devices In addition, the serial ports on comput-
in the laboratory has been a boon in many ers are no longer standard. In most cases,
ways. “Plug and play” devices make installa- the serial and parallel ports which used to
tion easy, and ubiquitous USB connectivity be supplied have been deleted in favor of
on modern laptops and desktop comput- more USB ports to connect to keyboards,
ers allow powerful data processing to be printers, monitors, thumb drives and most
available easily. The speed of modern USB everything else. So, in addition to the con-
connections, USB 2.0 and above, allow real- veniences of the USB interface, there is a
time data collection. The hot-swappable practical requirement to use USB connec-
feature allows technicians to change setups tions because other connection protocols
at will without worrying about restarting are simply disappearing from personal
the computer. computers.
USB connectivity does not always need With this set of features and convenienc-
to be used for real-time data collection. es, as well as the issue regarding disappear-
The convenience lends itself to other uses ing alternatives, the USB interface should
as well. For simpler installations, the inter- be making RS-232 and GPIB installations
face between the test equipment and the obsolete. However, this is not the case at
personal computer is used only for control many laboratories and these older installa-
of the test equipment, to provide test equip- tions are still the norm.
ment status for display on the computer As can be seen from Table 1, the exist-

LInd testing & test equipment
ing laboratory interface protocols all

Interface Advantages Disadvantages
suffer from disadvantages which af-
fect their usefulness in a laboratory • 115 kbs max speed
environment. USB can offer distinct • Serial interface not
advantages but is not robust. The USB RS-232 • More noise-resistant
available on many
reset can exhibit loss of communica- personal computers
tion between the test equipment and
the computer, or in some cases a reboot • 115 kbs max speed
of the personal computer connected to • Setup difficult
it. These conditions would preclude the Parallel • User Familiarity • Parallel interface ports
USB interface from consideration in a disappearing from
laboratory environment, if the advan- personal computers
tages were not so great. The usefulness
of the USB interface certainly merits • Large installed base • Interface Card Required
work toward making the interface GPIB • Fast • Expensive
more robust, so it can be used with • Error-Resistant • Proprietary setups
interference-causing equipment such
as surge generators, hipot testers and • Fast
other similar equipment. • Plug and Play
• Available on Personal Computers • Reset-Prone
USB
DeSiGn ConSiDerationS • Hot Swappable • Noise susceptibility
Serial interfaces use positive and • Easy Set Up
negative voltages for data transmission, • Cheap
so the effects of changes in ground
potential are negated. This is a larger Table 1. Overview of interface protocols used in laboratory environments.
problem for USB, because the data
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testing & test equipment U S B I n t e r f a c e o n L a B o r at o r y S U r g e g e n e r at o r S
as noise in the laboratory increased.

USB communication has many
protocols, and many incorporate er-
ror checking, which should have been
a boon to communication in noisy
environments such as laboratories.
Unfortunately, USB communica-
tion design presents challenges for
interface designers and users. Since
the difference between a binary zero
(+0.3 V maximum) and binary 1
(+2.8V minimum) is only 2.5V, and
the because the zero is approximately
ground referenced, the USB interface
is more susceptible to disconnects
and resets, which could result in a
complete hardware collapse, where
communication between the test
equipment and the computer is totally
Figure 2. The proper method of connecting mains power to a computer-controlled surge lost. This will result in loss of control
tester. The surge tester and the computer are provided with individual paths to ground. of the tester, and loss of data across
the link. In general, the designer of
the USB interface of the equipment
must select a protocol that will detect
a disconnect, reconnect the interface,
and make sure the USB connection
was recovered. Further, its design
must include optical interface(s) to
prevent varying voltage levels from
causing data loss. Some interfaces use
a dedicated microprocessor in order
to allow even more isolation between
the computer and the test equipment.
GroUnDinG of teSt
eqUipment anD CompUterS
Even the most isolated design will
still have to deal with the equipment
grounding conductor, or ground lead.
In the case of a powerful surge genera-
tor, the ground plane can be displaced
Figure 3. Improper mains connection method. The surge tester and the computer share by as much as a few volts, which could
a grounding path. If the ground voltage rises due to the surge tester output, the USB cause interface disconnection and
connection may suffer a reset, and the computer could be damaged. data loss. This happens because the
surge tester can deliver thousands of
transmission uses a positive voltage shifting ground voltage had little ef- amps in a few microseconds and this
and ground only. Therefore, noise and fect on RS-232 communications. RS- energy needs to be dissipated to the
ground potential changes have a great- 232 did not have any error checking building ground. Any high resistance
er effect, and this is the reason that USB protocols but because of the robust connections within the test setup or in
interfaces have to be more carefully hardware solution, it was not needed to the building grounding system itself
implemented for a good result. make reliable connections. However, can cause a rise in potential of the
In the days of RS-232 interface even with this robust signal communi- grounding lead for a short time while
communications, there was 6 volts cation, a shielded cable was required, the energy is dissipated.
minimum swing between binary zero as external noise could overpower the To combat this problem, it is
(-3V maximum) and binary one (+3V RS-232 communication. Clearly, a necessary to make sure the building
minimum). Since the voltage has to more sophisticated protocol with er- grounding system and the test setup
swing through ground potential, a ror checking was going to be needed ground leads are all in working order

Lind testing & test equipment
and firmly connected together. This mains voltage of the computer, in ac- JEFFREY D. LIND, president of Compliance
step will solve many data loss and reset cordance with Figure 2 of this article, West, USA, has 33 years of extensive electrical
problems between computers and gen- NOT Figure 3. In addition, an isolated engineering expertise. Lind launched his career
eral test equipment, but in the case of hybrid interface consisting of RS-232 in the electrical product safety industry working
surge test equipment, we recommend protocol at the test equipment end at Underwriters Laboratories (UL) from 1976-
separation of the power lines (mains) of and USB protocol at the computer end 1982, doing project engineering and follow up
the computer and the test equipment, should also be employed. The isolated services management. He then lent his skills to
as shown in Figure 2. This step allows interface should be located as close Atari™ as a product safety engineer for a year.
the ground current to flow separately to the computer end of the cable as Shortly after moving to San Diego in 1983 to work
from the test equipment to building possible. with Sega Gremlin™, Lind decided to branch out
ground, and not influence the ground on his own and launched Compliance West. n
potential of the computer. A separate
ground for the test equipment will
solve most USB reset problems. In
order to clearly illustrate the point, Electronics Test Centre
Figure 3 presents an incorrect mains
implementation, which has a greater The Electronics Test Centre brings ETC Service Highlights
chance of causing resets in the USB compliance, certification services, • EMI/EMC Testing & Consultation
interface. customized test and engineering to
• HIRF [greater than 200 V/m]
• Lightning [up to Level 5 & Beyond]
the Automotive, Medical, Military, • Pin, SS, MS, MB
USB-Serial interfaceS
and Commercial industries. • Surge and Customized Transients
In many cases, it is not possible to • T-PEDS
run separate mains circuits to labora- • RF Site Surveys
tory test equipment to prevent resets • Shielding Effectiveness
of the USB interface. There is another • Transmissivity Testing
• Safety
method which has solved problems, • Training Courses
and that is to employ a hybrid inter-
face, consisting of a RS-232 serial Lab Highlights
interface on the test equipment with • NARTE Certified Technicians, E3
a proprietary circuit which changes Technologists & Electrical/Mechanical
Engineers
the protocol from RS-232 to USB
• 5 Anechoic Chambers
before presented to the computer. • HIRF Test Facilities
This allows all the benefits of the USB • High Voltage Lab
interface to be used by the personal • Mechanical Engineering & Design
computer, and also allows the robust • Engineering and analysis of
materials and components
RS-232 interface to be used on the • Custom Fabrication
test equipment.
• Machining, MIG, TIG Welding
Location of the protocol change is
important. Because of the strength Compliance Testing
of the RS-232 communication, the Aeronautical
DO-160, Airbus, Boeing
change to USB should be done as
Automotive
close to the computer end of the cable SAE, CISPR, ISO E-Mark
as possible. In addition, optoisolation Commercial
CISPR, CE Mark, ANSI
of the interface change is impera- Military
tive. This unfortunately leaves most MIL-STD, DEF-STAN
commercial solutions out of consid- Medical
CISPR
eration, as their unisolated interface Nuclear
changer is located at the RS-232 end NUREG
Rail
of the cable. EN for EMC & Surges
Space
SolUtion IEEE
Telecom
recommendationS Telcordia, FCC, IC
We have found that to be abso- Wireless
FCC, Industry Canada,
lutely sure the USB interface will be European, ETSI
robust, it is necessary to implement
separate mains voltage sources for 302 Legget Drive, Unit 100 | Kanata | Ontario
the test equipment, away from the 613-599-6800 | etc-mpb.com | inquiries@etc-mpb.com

emc design / filters C l o C k i n g S t r at e g i e S f o r eMi r e d u C t i o n
Clocking Strategies for EMI Reduction
SASSAN TABATABAEI Transmission line theory is well-established

sitime corporation in the electronics industry, so we will not go
sunnyvale, cA into that detail in this paper.
The main reason for EMI radiation is
lack of signal return path in transmission
I. INTRODUCTION lines. This typically occurs when there is
E
lectronic devices have to operate in a discontinuity in the ground or signal
close proximity, whether it is in the return plane underneath the clock and
home, office, industrial establishment, signal traces. The EMI energy is typically
or outdoors. Each of the devices may radiate concentrated at the clock frequency and its
electromagnetic energy, which can interfere harmonics. The energy at higher harmonics
with the operation of the rest of the devices. depends on the clock signal shape. Because
To avoid such harmful interference, govern- most clock signals have near square-wave
ments and industry bodies limit the amount shape with finite slew rate, the harmonics of
of energy that any device can radiate. Envi- the signal do play an important role in EMI.
ronmental compliance standards such as Generally, faster slew rates and overshoots/
FCC Class A and B specify these limits for undershoots due to inadequate termination
different categories of equipment, based on result in larger EMI at the frequencies of
the location of end use. the harmonics.
One of the key sources of electromag- The main EMI reduction techniques are
netic interference (EMI) energy is the as follows:
clock tree. Good design and layout of the 1. Shielding
clock tree ensures that the system not only 2. Using solid ground or signal return path
performs well without major timing issues, for high-speed signals
but also ensures the system passes environ- 3. Signal filtering
mental compliance standards. Careful con- 4. Reducing rise/fall time
sideration must be given to the following: 5. Using spread-spectrum clocking
• The clock source and associated traces (SSC) modulation
• The circuits that are the driven with Shielding requires enclosing the system
the clock. These circuits may consist of in a grounded conductive box to block the
a number of discrete devices, but more radiation of energy to the outside. In many
often than not, it includes a small num- consumer and computing applications, such
ber of large integrated circuits (ICs) that enclosures are costly or are impractical due
perform most of the key functions for to the physical constraint of the system. The
that application. use of a solid ground is a recommended de-
• The I/O circuitry and traces that ex- sign practice for not only reducing EMI, but
change data from one IC to another or also for maintaining good signal integrity
to external systems. in high-speed signal paths. However, small
Each trace (clock or data) can be con- amounts of energy will radiate even in the
sidered a transmission line and different presence of a solid ground from the top side
kinds of traces have varying characteristics. of the trace. In some high density boards,

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III. EMI REDUCTION THROUGH

RISE/FALL TIME CONTROL
Reducing rise/fall time for single-
ended clocks and signals is an effec-
tive way of reducing harmonic EMI.
Figure 1 shows the amplitude of clock
harmonics as a function of rise/fall
time (rise and fall times are assumed
to be the same). All the rise times are
selected to maintain the peak-to-peak
clock signal to its maximum value.
As this figure shows, most harmon-
ics can be reduced by 20dB or greater
while maintaining the peak-to-peak
clock swing. As such, the rise/fall time
reduction provides better harmonic
EMI reduction than RC filters without
sacrificing the voltage swing.
Figure 1. Clock signal harmonic amplitude decreases as the rise/fall time increases.
Most single-ended drivers, such as
Rise times are normalized to the clock period.
LVCMOS, consist of push-pull circuits.
it may be difficult to guarantee a solid suitable for reducing EMI at high har- In such circuits, the maximum drive
ground or return path for all signals monics; for example, it provides 20dB capability of the driver and the effec-
without adding extra ground layers, attenuation at the 11th harmonic of tive load capacitance define the rise/fall
which increases the board cost. a clock signal. It is possible to design time. Therefore, there are two ways to
The following sections discuss the more complex filters, such as second increase the rise/fall time:
remaining three techniques in greater order ones to attenuate higher har- • Increase the load capacitance. This
detail. monics even more, but they are more method has the disadvantage of
bulky and expensive. increasing current consumption.
II. SIGNAL FILTERING FOR EMI Filtering technique has the follow- • Decrease the output current drive.
REDUCTION ing disadvantages: This method does not increase
EMI may radiate from the signal 1. The board designer has to place the the current consumption, but re-
output pins and traces. Typically, filters at the dominant EMI signal quires the clock device output
much of such radiation is from the outputs, but it is often difficult to drive strength to be programmable.
board traces because the board traces identify those signals. In designs Some clock devices and output
are longer than the clock device pins where one clock source is driving buffers in the large ICs allow drive
or internal IC traces. In some cases, one or two main ICs, placing the strength adjustment. Examples
the short traces in the large IC pack- filter on the clock signal may be ef- include programmable oscillators.
ages can dominate the EMI at rela- fective solutions. The main disadvantages of this EMI
tively high frequencies (greater than 2. Low pass filters do not offer much reduction method are:
500 MHz). EMI reduction at the main clock • It only reduces clock harmonic
Using low pass filters at the high- frequency and first two or three EMI, and
speed clock and data outputs effec- harmonics. • It may not be possible to reduce the
tively attenuates the signal frequency 3. The filters present resistive and ca- rise/fall time sufficiently for high-
content, especially at high harmonics. pacitive load to the output drivers, speed clocks and signals.
Typically, simple RC-based low pass which in turn increase the power
filters are used due to their simplic- consumption. The resistive current IV. EMI REDUCTION USING
ity, low cost, and small board space can be estimated by dividing the SPREAD-SPECTRUM CLOCKING
requirement. A RC filter is a single pole signal DC level by the equivalent (SSC)
filter with 3dB attenuation at its cutoff resistor at the output. The capacitive Waveform shaping methods, such
frequency and 20dB/dec attenuation current is computed as CVF, where as filtering and rise/fall control are
for frequencies above that. The cutoff C is the equivalent capacitance at the ineffective for reducing the EMI gen-
frequency has to be approximately output, V is the voltage swing, and F erated at the main harmonic from the
twice that of the clock frequency to is the clock frequency. clock traces. Additionally, they do not
avoid reducing the signal swing too 4. The RC filters take board space and decrease EMI from the chipsets and
much; otherwise the signal swing increase the cost. This is especially traces that are driven by buffers with-
may violate the logic threshold of the true if separate filters have to be used out filters or rise/fall time adjustment.
receiver digital circuits. This filter is for multiple signals traces. In addition to the clock traces, the data

Ta b aTa b a e i emc design / filters
lines may also radiate energy. Such energy is attenuated

by the random nature of the data signals, but it may still
exceed acceptable levels because there are typically many
EMC SINE wave output filters
more data signals in a system than clock ones.
Board designers use slew rate control and proper
transmission line design to reduce EMI, but due to large
number of sources, the residual EMI at main frequency
and its harmonics may still be high. In such cases, spread
spectrum clocking is an effective system-wide EMI reduc-
tion solution.
SSC is implemented by modulating the clock signal with
a low rate frequency modulation. The modulation spreads
the clock energy over a larger bandwidth, which reduces
the maximum power for a given spectral bandwidth. The
most common spectral bandwidth for measuring the peak
EMI is 100 kHz, as defined by the federal communication
commission (FCC). The SSC modulation rate in most ap-
plications is 32 kHz to provide fairly flat response in the
region over which the carrier frequency is spread.
The most commonly used modulation profiles is the
triangular one, as shown in Figure 2b. This profile effec-
tively distributes the carrier frequency energy uniformly
over the modulation range and provides a fairly flat spec-
trum at the clock frequency and its harmonics. Sinusoidal
modulation does not provide the same flatness due to A)its A) B) B)
non-uniform frequency distribution. Figure 2c shows
Hershey-Kiss shaped modulation profile, which offers U U
U
U
U U
optimally flat carrier spectrum. This profile offers 1.5dB

--->
less peak EMI than triangular modulation, but it is more I I
complex to implement. I
I I
I
Assuming that the clock frequency is modulated by
a given percentage, SSCpercentage, and that the percentage www.schurterinc.com/new_emc
harmonic spectrum is fairly flat after SSC nodulation,
the peak energy reduction can be approximated as below:
where, ASSC(i) is the amplitude of the clock i-th harmonic You don’t have to know everything about sinusoidal
amplitude after SSC modulation, f SSC _range is the frequency filters to select the best solution for your motor drive
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modulation, Aclk (i) is the clock i-th harmonic amplitude wave forms produced by your system’s PWM
before SSC modulation, and RBW is the bandwidth for frequency converter:
measuring EMI energy. The f SSC _range is computed as f SSC _
= fclk (i).SSCpercentage. Therefore, - operating voltage: 3x500/288 VAC
range
the EMI reduction at the i-th harmonic can be com- - rated currents: 4, 8, 12 & 16A
puted as below: - motor power: 1.5 – 7.5 kW
ASSC(i)(dB) = Aclk(i)(dB) −10log10(SSCpercentage. fclk(i)/ RBW ) - motor frequency: 0-200 Hz
This equation indicates that the larger the clock fre- - switching frequency: 2-20 kHz
quency, the larger the EMI reduction. Also, the EMI at - FMAC SINE for cable length <=200 m; FMAC SINE
the higher harmonics of the clock are reduced more than with DC Link for cable length <=1000 m
- screw-on mounting; screw clamp terminals
the lower ones.
The SSC modulation profile can be centered on the
non-SSC clock frequency, or be less than the non-SSC
clock frequency. The former is called center-spread, and
the latter down-spread. The down-spread ensures that the
SSC modulation does not cause periods shorter than those

The center-spread guarantees more

accurate average frequency, but leads
to short periods. For center-spread
modulation, the user has to ensure
that the processor and state machines
are rated for the maximum frequency
of the clock with SSC. The advantage
is easier buffer management in the I/O
systems.
Figure 3 and Figure 4 show the
EMI reduction for the measured main
harmonic of 12 MHz and 125 MHz
clocks, respectively. The modulation
range is 2% and modulation profile is
triangular in both cases. These figures
Figure 2. SSC modulation profiles. clearly show that the higher the clock
frequency, the larger the EMI reduc-
tion. Figure 5 and Figure 6 show the
of the clock without the SSC modula- down-spread, however, leads to an EMI reduction for the first, third, fifth,
tion. This is especially important for average frequency that can vary over a and seventh harmonics of a 100 MHz
processor applications to ensure that large range, e.g., a few hundred parts clocks with 2% down-spread triangular
that clock period does not violate the per million (ppm). Such large average modulation. They indicate that the EMI
critical path timing in the internal frequency variation may result in buf- at higher harmonics are reduced more
state machines of the processor. The fer overflow in some I/O systems. than that of lower harmonics.
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SSC is used widely in certain ap-

plications, such as printers and micro-
controller applications because it offers
the following advantages:
1. Reduced cost:
a. No need to use expensive
shielding techniques.
b. Recued ground layers. It may be
difficult to ensure that all data
and clock signals have uninter-
rupted ground plane underneath,
which lead to EMI radiation from
some traces. One solution is to
add ground plane layers, but that
adds board cost. SSC technique
can reduce EMI and save addi-
tional ground planes.
2. Flexibility: A system may be de-
signed with non-SSC clocks. If the
EMI testing shows EMI issues, the Figure 3. Main harmonic spectrum for a 12 MHz clock with and without 2% down-spread
oscillator can be replaced with SSC triangular SSC modulation.
ones to reduce EMI without chang-
ing anything else in the system. the impact on the system timing filtering, waveform shaping, ground
Also, the SSC percentage may be margins. plane continuity, and shielding
adjusted to the minimum needed to 3. System-wide EMI reduction. Other reduce EMI at the specific places
meet EMI goals. This will minimize EMI reduction approaches, such as where this techniques are used. In
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contrast, adding SSC to the clock,

reduces EMI from all signals that are
synchronous with that clock regard-
less of their locations.
SSC modulation, however, is not
always a solution to EMI problems in
the following situations:
1. SSC modulation increases period
jitter. For example, in 100MHz clock
with 1% SSC modulation, the peak-
to-peak period jitter increase by 1%
of the clock period, or 100ps. When
center-spread is used, some periods
are shorter than the ones without
SSC, which may violate the critical
path timing in digital circuits. To
avoid this issue, down-spread is of-
ten the preferred SSC type because
it guarantees that no clock period
becomes shorter than the ones with-
out SSC.
2. Deeper I/O buffers and more com-
Figure 4. Main harmonic spectrum for a 125 MHz clock with and without 2% down-spread plex buffer management required.
triangular SSC modulation. Many systems use two different
clocks at the data source, e.g., a
processor, and data sink, e.g., pe-
ripheral device. Since the clocks are
not synchronous, the sink needs
to buffer received data and avoid
loosing data. Also, the sink has to
include some type of buffer man-
agement protocol to ensure it can
adjust for the rate difference between
its clock and the source one. When
SSC is used, the buffer depth and
management protocol has to be able
to accommodate significant variable
difference between source and sink
clock rate. For example, the sink may
ignore or insert some bits between
transmission packets to adjust the
rate difference dynamically. The I/O
Fair-Rite manufactures a comprehensive line of ferrite components for EMI
Suppression, Power Applications, Custom Cores, Ferrite Machining and
standard that allow such protocols
Antenna/RFID Applications. We have an experienced team of engineers to assist optionally include DDR2, DDR3,
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Please visit www.fair-rite.com to view our online catalog and find a variety of new DIMM). The more recent USB3.0
help tools and search features. You can also easily contact applications standard includes SSC as a manda-
engineers, sales representatives, and local distributors. Be sure to bookmark our tory feature. Using SSC modulation
website as your source for ferrite information.
for other types of I/O that do not
include specific buffering features is
generally not recommended.
SSC clock jitter performance is
often specified using the concept of
PO Box 288, 1 Commercial Row, Wallkill, NY 12589 USA cycle-to-cycle jitter. C2C jitter is de-
(888) FAIRRITE (324-7748) / (845) 895-2055 / Fax (845) 895-2629 fined as the variation of one cycle of
ferrites@fair-rite.com /www.fair-rite.com
a clock signal relative to its adjacent

cycle. Because the SSC modulation

rate is typically very low, the impact of
the SSC on two adjacent cycles is very
similar, and hence their difference is
very insensitive to the SSC modulation.
It can be shown that the SSC-induced
phase modulation is filtered with a
filter response that has a 3dB corner
frequency and ¼ of the clock frequency
and attenuation rate of 40dB/dec at
low frequency offset [1]. This ensures
that C2C capture the jitter at higher
frequency offsets and excludes SSC-
induced jitter. As such, it captures the
impact of clock jitter in terms of critical
path timing more effectively.
V. CONCLUSIONS
EMI radiation may result in sig-
nificant interference of one electronic
system to other systems close by. To
ensure multiple systems can operate
properly in close proximity, EMI ra-
diation from each system has to meet
Figure 5. First and third harmonic spectrum for a 100 MHz clock with and without 2% limits defined by industry or govern-
downspread triangular SSC modulation. ment bodies. Major EMI reduction
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www.captorcorp.com © 2007 Captor Corporation

techniques include:
1. Shielding
2. Signal filtering
3. Using solid ground or signal return path
for high-speed signals
4. Reducing rise/fall time
5. Using spread-spectrum clocking (SSC)
modulation
The shielding can be costly, and sometimes
difficult to accommodate due to the physical
constraints of the system. Signal filtering
requires additional board space and compo-
nents, and can also increase power consump-
tion. Ensuring solid ground is an effective
method, which should be followed as a good
board layout design practice. However, it is not
always a practical solution because it can lead
to more ground plane layers, which increases
cost. Rise/fall time reduction is a very effective
method for reducing EMI at high harmon-
ics without increasing power consumption
or requiring additional board components.
However, such method is only possible if the
Figure 6. Fifth and seventh harmonic spectrum for a 100 MHz clock with and without clock and data buffers and I/Os provide rise/
2% downspread triangular SSC modulation. fall time adjustment.
All the methods above are localized to the
specific traces. In contrast, SSC modulation
reduces EMI system-wide because the modulation is distrib-
uted to all the signal that stem from the SSC clock, regard-
less of where that are located. It also reduces EMI at both
main harmonics and high harmonics. The main drawback
of SSC modulation is that its use is limited to system that
use I/O interfaces that include buffer management features
required for handling the dynamic rate variations caused
by the SSC modulation. For example, it cannot be used for
Ethernet and high-speed USB2.0 I/Os.
REFERENCES
• [1] Office of Engineering and Technology, “Understanding the FCC
regulations for low-power, non-licensed transmitters”, Federal Com-
munication Commission, OET Bulletin, No. 63, October 1993.
• [2] K. Harding, R. A. Oglesbee, F. Fisher, “Investigation into the inter-
ference potential of spread-spectrum clock generation to broadband
digital communications”, IEEE Transaction on Electromagnetic
Compatibility, Vol. 45, No. 1, February 2003.
• [3] H. Skinner, K. Slattery, “Why spread spectrum clocking of com-
puting devices is not cheating”, IEEE International Symposium on
Electromagnetic Compatibility, 2001.
SASSAN TABATABAEI has held the position of Director of Strategic

Applications at SiTime Corporation since 2008. Prior to that, he held
executive and technical management positions at Guide Technology,
Virage Logic, and Vector12.
He received his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia, Van-
couver, BC, Canada in Electrical Engineering in 2000. n

H E RNIK lightning, transients & esd
How smaller Form Factors
Exacerbate Esd Risks and
How Foil Resistors Can Help
YUVAL HERNIK
Vishay Precision group
Malvern, PA
F
or most of us, electrostatic discharge manufacturing to service. For many years
(ESD) and static electricity are little it was thought that semiconductor compo-
more than the shocks received when nents such as diodes and transistors were
touching a metal doorknob after walking particularly susceptible to ESD, but now
along a carpeted floor, or when opening a we know that passive components such as
car door. The level of the voltage produced resistors can sometimes be more sensitive
depends on a number of factors, such as to ESD than active components. Unless spe-
the affinity of the two bodies and the air cific precautions are taken, a wide range of
humidity. Even so, these “harmless” shocks electronic components can be damaged by
can reach values over 25,000 V. ESD. The most common cause of ESD dam-
ESD can be defined as a rapid transfer of age is direct transfer of an electric charge
charge between bodies at different electrical from either a human body or a charged
potentials - either by direct contact, arcing, material to an ESD-sensitive (ESDS) device.
or induction - in an attempt to become
electrically neutral. The human threshold REsIstoRs ANd Esd
for feeling an ESD is only around 3000 V, so In resistors, ESD sensitivity is a function
any discharge that can be felt is above this of size, value, physical construction and
voltage level. Because the duration of this thickness. The smaller the resistor, the less
high voltage spike is less than a microsec- space there is to spread the energy caused by
ond long, the net energy is small compared an ESD pulse. When this energy is concen-
to the size of the human body over which trated in a small area of a resistor’s active ele-
it is spread. From the human body’s point ment, and in particular where there is a high
of view, ESD does no harm. But when the current density or “hot spot,” the resistive
discharge is across a element may heat up to the point of sustain-
small electronic de- ing irreversible damage. With the growing
TABLE 1 - ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATIONS
trend of miniaturization, electronic devices,
OF FOIL AND THIN FILM CHIPS vice, the relative energy
density is so great that including resistors, are becoming smaller
RANGE OF OHMIC many components can and smaller, causing them to be more prone
PRODUCT BEST TCR,
VALUES, ALL CHIP be damaged by ESD at to ESD damage. Resistance changes due to
TECHNOLOGY MIL. RANGE
SIZES levels as low as 3000 V ESD damage, like load-induced changes,
or even 500 V. are permanent and can either increase
Bulk Metal Foil 0.2 ppm/°C 5Ω to 150 kΩ
ESD damage can oc- or decrease the device’s resistance value
cur at any stage of a depending upon the resistor’s design and
Thin Film 10 ppm/°C 30Ω to 3 MΩ
component’s life, from technology.

lightning, transients & esd H o w S m a l l e r F o r m F a c t o r S e x a c e r b at e e S D r i S k S
Three CaTegories of esD Damage The three most common resistor technologies are Thin

• Parametric Failure: Parametric failure occurs when the Film, Thick Film, and Bulk Metal Foil. Each has specific
ESD event alters one or more device parameters (resis- characteristics related to ESD sensitivity.
tance in the case of resistors), causing it to shift from its • Thin Film resistors are composed of a metal layer that is
required tolerance. This failure does not directly pertain only a few hundred angstroms thick. This severely limits
to functionality; thus a parametric failure may be present the device’s capability to withstand the energy that is
even if the device is still functional. For example, if a 10 passed through it during an electrostatic discharge, caus-
kΩ resistor with a 1 % tolerance undergoes an ESD event ing it to be very sensitive to ESD damage. As a result, Thin
that changes its resistance to 11 kΩ (a 10 % deviation), Film resistors are sensitive to energy and can experience
the device would still be able to function as a resistor. But value changes of up to 5 % before the ESD causes the film
now its parameters have been altered, and it is no longer to rupture or to melt.
suitable for its original function. The consequences of • Thick Film resistors are comprised of a random disper-
such changes may not be immediately apparent but rather sion of conducting metal particles within a non-conduct-
may manifest themselves only during circuit tempera- ing particulate medium, usually ceramic; hence they are
ture excursions, thermal shocks, load life, or any other also known as “cermet” resistors. Current through the
parametric-shifting influence that would normally be resistor follows along the random contacts formed among
accommodated through error-envelope planning for net the metal particles. Power surges cause breakdowns in
accumulated shift limitations. some of the inter-particulate isolation, thereby reducing
• Catastrophic Damage: Catastrophic damage has oc- resistance by establishing new additional current paths.
curred when the ESD event causes the device to im- Thus, ESD surges almost always cause a reduction in re-
mediately stop functioning. This may occur after one sistance. This fact is so well established that Thick Film
or a number of ESD events with diverse causes, such manufacturers use controlled power surges to tune the
as human body discharge or the mere presence of an resistors to the required resistance and tolerance, which
electrostatic field. typically ranges from 5% to 20%. The susceptibility to
• Latent Damage: Latent damage has occurred when the change does not stop at manufacture and the resistor is
ESD event causes moderate damage to the device, which subject to similar changes every time the resistor experi-
is not noticeable, as the device appears to be functioning ences an ESD event. ESD-induced changes while in service
correctly. However, the load life of the device has been can cause resistance changes up to 50%, which is easily
dramatically reduced, and further degradation caused sufficient to cause a malfunction.
by operating stresses may cause the device to fail during • Bulk Metal Foil resistors have a number of character-
service. Latent damage is the source for greatest concern, istics that make them superior to both Thin and Thick
since it is very difficult to detect by re-measurement or by Film when it comes to withstanding ESD. Bulk Metal
visual inspection, since damage may have occurred under Foil resistors are comprised of a single layer of special
the external coating. metal alloy rolled into a foil and mounted on a high
thermal conductivity ceramic substrate with maximum
resisTor TeChnologies anD esD sensiTiviTy foil-ceramic interface contact for maximum eduction of
Different resistor technologies exhibit various levels heat. As a foil, the molecular structure of the resistance
of sensitivity to ESD damage. Damage to an ESDS device element is the same as the base alloy and therefore has
depends on the device’s ability to dissipate energy and the same metallurgical stability and the same ability to
withstand the energy of the voltage levels involved, and in withstand power surges and long-term drift. The foil is
resistors is generally exhibited by a change in the electrical 100 times thicker than Thin Film, and therefore the heat
resistance of the device. This is especially crucial in resistors capacity of the resistive foil layer is much higher compared
requiring high precision and reliability. to the Thin Film resistive layer.
TABLE 2 - CHIP RESISTOR STYLES, ASSIGNED ESD TEST VOLTAGE AND ENERGY DENSITY
STYLE ESD TEST

RESISTIVE LAYER’S LAYER’S ESD ENERGY ENERGY DENSITY
VOLTAGE [2]
DIMENTIONS[1] (mm) AREA (mm 2 ) [EmJ] (E mJ/mm 2 )
METRIC INCHES (V)
RR1005M RR0402 0.5 x 0.5 0.25 500 0.019 0.076
RR1608M RR0603 1 x 0.8 0.8 1000 0.075 0.094
RR2012M RR0805 1.4 x 1.2 1.7 1500 0.169 0.100
RR3216M RR1206 2 x 1.6 3.2 2000 0.300 0.094
RR5025M RR2010 4 x 2.5 10 3000 0.675 0.068
NOTES: [1] Approximate dimensions of the part of chip’s surface occupied by the pattern, in mm [2] Per draft Iinternational Standard prEN140401-801:200X

TesTing ResisToRs foR esD foil, rolled to a thickness between 2 and through particle deposition processes
sensiTiviTy 10 microns, to a ceramic substrate. Thin (evaporation or sputtering), while foil is
Manufacturers test for ESD sensitiv- Film chip production involves deposi- a bulk alloy with a crystalline structure
ity (ESDS) per customer request, but tion (by evaporation, sputtering or sim- created through hot and cold rolling of
usually do not publish ESDS specifica- ilar methods) on a ceramic substrate the melt. Tests show that Bulk Metal
tions in their data sheets. However, the of a film, mainly nickel-chromium or Foil chip resistors can withstand ESD
ESD of precision chip resistors depends Tantalum Nitride. A typical thickness events above 25 000 V, while Thin Film
on the following: of the Thin Film layer is about 1/100 of chip resistors have been seen to un-
• Resistive material the Bulk Metal Foil. dergo catastrophic failures at electric
• Production technology (Thick Film, Table 2 represents chips which are potentials as low as 3000 V and para-
Thin Film, or Foil) made in standardized sizes, in rectan- metric failures at even lower voltages. If
• Chip size gular shapes. In the middle of the rect- the application is likely to confront the
• Ohmic value angle is a pattern formed in the resistive resistor with ESD pulses of significant
• Resistive layer’s thickness layer of foil or Thin Film, connected on magnitude, the best resistor choice is
• Resistor’s construction two sides to two termination pads. Bulk Metal Foil.
• Design of the resistive pattern Tables 3, 4, and 5 show the results
In testing the influence of above fac- of ESD tests on Thin Film, Thick Film, ConClusions
tors, the results depend also on the test and Foil resistor chips. The superiority • When it comes to withstanding ESD,
method used. of Bulk Metal® foil precision resistors Foil resistors have a clear advantage
Table 1 shows typical specifications over Thin Film, when subjected to ESD, over Thin Film chips.
for two main technologies used in is attributed mainly to their greater • Foil chips can handle an order of
production of high precision surface thickness (foil is typically 100 times magnitude more ESD energy than
mounted chip resistors: Bulk Metal Foil thicker than Thin Film), and therefore Thin Film chips without experienc-
and Thin Film. the heat capacity of the resistive foil ing a change in their resistance.
Bulk Metal Foil chips are produced layer is much higher compared to the • The standard for ESD protection in
by cementing a nickel-chromium alloy Thin Film layer. Thin Film is created chip resistors ranges from 1 kV to
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lightning, transients & esd H o w S m a l l e r F o r m F a c t o r S e x a c e r b at e e S D r i S k S
TABLE 3 - 2kV ESD DISCHARGE - COMPARISON OF DEVIATIONS, FOIL VS. THIN FILM
DISTRIBUTION OF 20 CHIPS BY % OF DEVIATION AFTER ESD DISCHARGE
TYPE AND VALUE >0.5 % 0.2% to 0.5 % 0.1% to 0.2 % 0.05% to 0.1 % 0.02% to 0.05 % 0.01% to 0.02 % <0.01 %
FOIL 30 Ω 0 0 0 0 1 6 13
TF1, 30 Ω 12 8 0 0 0 0 0
TF2, 30 Ω 0 1 1 2 8 4 4
FOIL 1000 Ω 0 0 0 0 0 0 20
TF1, 1000 Ω 20 0 0 0 0 0 0
TF2, 1000 Ω 20 0 0 0 0 0 0
FOIL 30 Ω 0 0 0 0 1 8 11
TF2, 30 Ω 4 10 3 2 1 - -
FOIL, 1000 Ω 0 0 0 0 0 0 20
FOIL, 30 Ω 0 0 1 1 14 3 1
FOIL, 1000 Ω 0 0 0 0 0 0 20
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3 kV, but Bulk Metal Foil resistors test (DUT) with a discharge resistor in our case the tested chip. As a re-
can handle ESD pulses up to 24 kV of 330 Ω connected in series. sult, the following voltage VDUT and
with no significant shift in resistance • The ESD exponential waveform energy EDUT are applied to the chip:
(measured shifts were less than 0.1 % which was calibrated with a dis- • VDUT = V x RDUT /(330 + RDUT)
for a 30-Ω resistor and less than 0.01 charge resistance of 330 + 2 Ω will • EDUT = E x RDUT /(330 + RDUT)
% for a 1000-Ω resistor) have a time constant which is twice
• Thin film chips from different sourc- as long when the DUT is a resistor of rEfErENCES
es and with different values show 332 Ω and much longer with a high • [1] Thiet The Lai: Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Sensi-
non-uniform behavior with respect ohmic value DUT. Test voltages are tivity of thin-Film Hybrid Passive Components. IEEE
to ESD. This may be due to a pattern listed in table 2. The limit of allowed Transactions on Components, Hybrids, and Manu-
design that was not optimized for change of resistance is set for all chip facturing Technology, Vol.12, No. 4, December 1989.
ESD, or a non-uniform film deposi- stability levels at 0.5 % + 0.05 Ω. • [2] International Standard EN 140401-801:2002
tion process, or a substrate material • RC time constant = (330 + 2) x 150 x • [3] F. Zandman et al.: Resistor Theory and
that was not of the best quality. 10-12 Ω x (s/Ω) = 49.8 x ns (compared Technology, SciTek Publishing, Inc. 2002
to 150 ns, per ANSI standard). • [4] Technical Note “ESD Sensitivity of Preci-
APPENDIX sion Chip Resistors Comparison between Foil
Standards for ESD Testing Of Chip ENErgy of ESD AbSorbED and thin Film Chips” By Joseph Szwarc, 2008
Resistors by A rESIStor ChIP • [5] Vishay Technical Note “Resistor Sensitiv-
• The international standard IEC • The ESD is simulated by charging a ity to Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)” By Yuval
61340-3-1 describes the testing of capacitor of C = 150 pF to a specified Hernik 2007
electronic components for ESD com- voltage V.
patibility by using the Human Body • The stored energy E = 0.5 CV2 is dis- YUVAL HERNIK holds a B.Sc in electrical
Model (HBM). charged into two resistors connected engineering from the Technion (Israel Institute
• A test simulator generates an adjust- in series: discharge resistor RDIS of of Technology). He has been a director of appli-
able voltage ESD pulse by discharging 330 Ω representing the resistance of a cation engineering at Vishay Precision Group—
a 150 pF capacitor to the device under human body and RDUT - of the DUT, Bulk Metal Foil resistors—since 2008. n
Lightning Technologies, Inc.

Over its 27 years of
aerospace lightning-
protection services,
Lightning Technologies,
Inc. has been involved
in the certification of
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Lightning Protection
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photo © 2002 peter menzel

telecom MIL- S T D 462/461E C o M pa r E D T o MIL- S T D 461F TE S T S E T U p
understanding the Changes to

fCC 5 Ghz part 15.407 Regulations
As of October 15, the FCC has

turned on the certification process for
david a. CaSE systems that operate in the 5GHz DFS
cisco systems bands and operate outdoors. Additional
richfield, oh information can be found in the FCC
KDB 443999.
I
n July of 2003, the International Tele-
communications Union – Radio adopted
Recommendation 229, allocating the be granted for these systems.
5150-5350 MHz and 5470-5725 MHz bands Interference was to the TDWRs from
to mobile service, including RLAN systems . RLAN operating in the 5600-5650 MHz
The following year the FCC updated its band specifically, as well as some interfer-
Part 15.407 regulations to include the 5470- ence from systems operating on the chan-
5725 MHz band, as well as require changes nels adjacent to this band.
for devices that operate in the 5250-5350 It was discovered that, in some cases, the
MHz band. As part of sharing the bands users could select different country settings
with other services on a non-interference and actually turn off DFS; in other cases, the
basis, the RLAN systems are required to device could only detect the very specific
use TPC (Transmitter Power Control) and waveforms of the test procedure.
DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection), both
Cognitive Radio Techniques . intERim Solution
An ad-hoc industry workgroup was
REpoRtEd pRoblEmS in formed by interested parties and after a se-
thE fiEld ries of discussions with member companies.
During discussions on CRS /SDR is- Since the systems causing the interference
sues at WP5a in late 2008, there was some were outdoor systems, based on discus-
discussion on RLAN possibly interfering sions with members of the industry, the
with radar systems despite DFS. However, FCC released in October 2009 an interim
nothing concrete was presented at these procedure for approving master devices
meetings. In April of 2009, it was reported operating in these bands indoors.
that the FCC was holding up applications for The requirements for the indoor systems
new grants for 5GHz systems specifically in operating in the 5470-5725 MHz are as fol-
the DFS bands. lows per FCC KDB 443999:
In discussions with the FCC lab, the 1) The device must not be able to operate
problem told to industry was that there on the 5600–5650 MHz band
were a number of FAA Terminal Doppler 2) The device must be marketed and sold
Weather Radars that were being interfered for indoor use only
with by RLAN systems and that until the 3) The information on indoor use only in
investigation was complete and a possible the 5470-5725 MHz needs to be in the
solution found, no further approvals would manual or on a label on the device

CaSE telecom
Frequency band TDWR >35 km TDWR <35 km • Devices must meet all of the other requirements speci-
fied in Section 15.407, and no configuration controls
5600-5650 MHz 5600-5650 MHz (e.g. country code settings or other options to modify
5470-5725 MHz
band off band off DFS functions) may be provided to change the fre-
Registration Register in quency of operations to any frequency other than those
5470-5725 MHz
not required Database specified on the grant of certification for US operation.
• All applications must clearly show compliance with
4) The end user cannot have access to controls set to other all of the technical requirements under worse case
regulatory domains or country settings nor be able to parameters under user or operator control based on
turn off DFS frame rates, listen/talk ratios and user data transfer
The above FCC KDB allowed the process for indoor-only conditions.
devices to be turned on and then the focus was on outdoor • The next phase will be to develop new radar waveforms
devices. This issue was addressed in a several tier approach. for the DFS testing which would test the ability of the
The first was that the FAA and FCC were investigating the systems to detect these TDWR systems. To this effort
interference and tracking down these systems. In some cases the industry, the FCC and NTIA are meeting to discuss
where either the products were non compliant or that the and review requirements. Further NTIA will be doing
operator made unauthorized changes, fines were assessed. some additional testing of the WLAN systems against
In cases where the systems were compliant, the systems the new radar wave forms.
were set to other frequencies to avoid causing problems. As the issues progresses it is best to check with the FCC
Second, the FCC issued a Public Notice from OET and lab on status of approvals of outdoor systems and also to
Enforcement Bureau asking all manufacturers to reach out keep up to date on changes via possibly new FCC KDB’s.
to their customers and inform them of this issue. As part
of this effort, a voluntary database has been developed DAVID A. CASE, NCE, NCT, is senior regulatory engineer, corporate com-
that allows operators and installers to register the location pliance EMC standards and operations, for Cisco Systems Inc. in Richfield,
information of the UNII devices operating outdoors in the Ohio. He can be reached at davecase@cisco.com. n
5470–5725 MHz band when they are installed within 35 km
of any TDWR location. The manufacturers are conduct-
ing an outreach to their customers as part of this effort
to help resolve the interference issues. (See http://www.
spectrumbridge.com/udia/home.aspx).
The third solution is to work towards a goal to allow
the approvals of outdoor RLAN operating in the 5470-
5725 MHz band to go forward. This is being done in a
multi-step solution. The first is the interim procedure
which is the next revision of KDB 443999. This document
was sent out for comments and the comments are now
being reviewed by the FCC. The proposal is as follows as
extracted from FCC KDB:
1. Devices will not permit operation on channels which
overlap the 5600 – 5650 MHz band.
2. Devices intended for outdoor use will be further re-
stricted, as follows:
• Devices must be professionally installed when operat-
ing in the 5470 – 5725 MHz band,
• Grantees must provide owners, operators and all such
installers with specific instructions in their user’s
manual on requirements to avoid interference TDWR
and information that meet the following instructions:
• Any installation within 35 km of a TDWR location
shall be separated by at least 30 MHz (center-to-
center) from TDWR operating frequency (as shown
in the attached table), 4, and
• Procedures must be provided for the installers and
the operators on how to register the devices in the
industry-sponsored database with the appropriate
information regarding the location and operation of
the device and installer information in that database.

shielding D i f f e r e n t i a l tr a n s f e r i m p e D a n c e o f s h i e l D e D t w i s t e D p a i r s
differential Transfer impedance of
Shielded Twisted Pairs
making of a strong electromagnetic field,

Michel Mardiguian hence a set of RF amplifiers and antennas,
Private emc consultant in a shielded - preferrably anechoic- room.
st rémy lès chevreuse, france Like any radiated EMC measurement, it
is plagued with a substantial uncertainty
( typ. 6 dB), aggravated by the fact that below
T
he concept of Shield Transfer Imped- 50MHz, for 1m antenna distance, the test
ance Zt, introduced by S. Schelkunoff falls in near-field conditions. In such case,
in 1934, is a very convenient pa- the measured SE will depend on the type of
rameter for prediction & control of EMI antenna being used : E-field illumination
coupling through cable shields. Although will give flattering results, while H-field
widely applied to coaxial cables against (loop antenna) will produce overly severe
EMI susceptility problems, the Zt pa- results. Furthermore, test variables like the
rameter can be easily extended to coaxial cable height and its terminating resistors
cables EMI emissions problems, as well are introducing poorly controlled effects.
as to Shielded Twisted Pairs (STP). This In summary, the SE of a same sample,
latter is more specifically addressed here, measured by a radiated method could
through the concept of Differential Transfer vary widely from one test configuration to
Impedance (Ztd). another, leaving the user with a SE figure
which may not be transposable to his spe-
i. Brush-up on Transfer Impedance Zt cific application.
Until a few decades ago, the Shielding Instead of an SE figure which is installa-
Effectiveness (SE) of a cable was defined tion-dependent, the EMC Community has,
more or less in the same manner as for a since long, privileged a parameter that is
Faraday cage or any shielded enclosure, as intrinsic to the cable shield and to nothing
the ratio of the E (or H) field outside to the else. This is accomplished by the Transfer
E (or H ) field inside. More exactly, the field Impedance (Zt), a brilliant concept intro-
that would exist at a given point if the shield duced by Schelkunoff around 1934-38[1].
was not there, to the remaining field when The transfer impedance relates the
the shield is in place. current flowing on a shield surface to the
In practice, with a shielded cable, the voltage it develops on the other side of this
effects of the incident field are measured surface. This voltage is due to a current
instead: that is the voltage (or current) in- coupling through the shield thickness (if the
duced on an unshielded wire illuminated by shield is a solid tube, this diffusion rapidly
a given field, to the voltage (or current) on becomes unmeasurable, due to skin effect,
a shielded version of a similar conductor. as frequency increases) and to the leakage
Although the principle looks sound and inductance through the braid’s holes. The
simple, providing a SE figure in dB, the mea- better the quality of the braid, the less the
surement itself is not so easy, requiring the longitudinal shield’s voltage.

Zt is easy to measure, using a con-

ducted injection set-up, less prone
to errors and unaccuracies than a
radiated test. A current Is (Figure 1)
forced on the shield by a generator or
current clamp inserted in the cable-
to-ground loop. Because of shield
imperfections (shield resistance and
braiding interstices) a small voltage
appears in the inner space between the
center conductor and the shield. This
voltage, or a fraction of it, is measured
at the end of the cable, connected to
a Spectrum Analyzer or Oscilloscope
input.
The result is normalized to a 1 meter
long sample, such as:
Zt (Ω/m) = Vi (Volt) / (Ish x l m) (1)
where.
Vi = longitudinal voltage induced
inside the shield over length
« l », causing a noise current to
circulate in the center conductor
Ish = external current injected into the
shield by the EMI source
Figure 1. The concept of transfer impedance. If the cable is terminated at both
ends in loads R L matched to its char-
acteristic impedance, each end takes
one half of the full induced voltage
Vi. Finally:
Zt (Ω/m) = 2 x V L/ ( Ish x lm )
Typical values of Z t for various
coaxial cables are shown in Figure 2.
If the shield is grounded by pigtails (a
poor practice) the pigtails impedances
must be added to Zt, and to the loop
impedance calculations. Below about
100kHz, Zt remains constant, being
merely the shield’s ohmic resistance.
Above 1 MHz, typically for a single
braid, Zt increases with frequency, due
to the leakage inductance Lt between
the overall braid and the inner conduc-
tor. For a good single layer braid, Lt
ranges around 1nH /m.
So, Zt can be expressed in the fre-
quency domain as:
Zt (Ω/m) = Rsh (Ω/m) + j ωLt
(Henry/m)
ii. uSing Zt in SuScePTiBiliTy
PredicTion for a coaxial
caBle
Initially, Z t was conceived for
susceptibility calculations against
Figure 2. Typical values of transfer impedance, Zt. a known EMI threat, for instance
an ambient field illuminating the

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Figure 3. Principle of coaxial cable driven into radiation.
cable-to-ground loop area. The impedance of this external Vi = (Zt x lm) x Ish (3)
loop, for a single-braid coaxial with an outer diameter in the If the EMI frequency is such as the cable length exceeds
5 to 15 mm range, and at a height of 50 to 500 mm above λ/2, then the physical length « l » should be replaced by λ/2
ground can be approximated by: in the bracket term of Equation 3.
Zext = ( 10 mΩ + j 5 Ω x FMHz) per meter length (2) Example 1:
If the field-to-loop induced voltage is known, this A 4m single braid coaxial cable, installed 0.75m above
ground-loop impedance can be used to calculate the loop ground, is illuminated by an ambient RF field of 10V/m @
current Ish circulating on the shield. Knowing Ish, Zt can 15MHz, causing 9V of open loop induced voltage. What
then be used straightforward to estimate the voltage ap- is the voltage appearing at the receiver end of the cable?
pearing inside the shield : External loop impedance, calculated by Equation 2:
Zext = (0.01 + j 5 x 15 MHz) x 4m = 300Ω
The calculated loop current is:
Ish = 9V / 300Ω = 0.03A
For a single braid coax. like RG58, Figure 2 indicates Zt
Conductive silicone
@ 15MHz = 0.15Ω/m.
The induced voltage on the coax center conductor is:
for EMI-shielding
Vi = Zt x l m x I = 0.15 x 4 x 0.03 = 18mV
Assuming that the cable is terminated in 50Ω both ends,
V L = 18mV x 50 / (50 + 50) = 9mV
If the receiving endwas terminated in a high impedance,
We are offering unique conductive like 5kΩ :
material, fast prototypes and V L = 18mV x 5000 / (5000 + 50) ≈ 18mV
production world wide through our Incidentally, one could grade the reduction factor gained
EMC Production Center network. via the shield as the ratio of the loop bulk voltage to the
voltage appearing internally:
Kr = 9V / 18.10 -3 V = 500, that is 54dB
ii. uSing Zt for PredicTing radiaTed rf
eMiSSionS froM a coaxial caBle
The principle of Zt is perfectly reciprocal and can be ap-
plied to emissions as well. RF signals, baseband video, some
LAN links and other high-frequency signals are carried
over coaxial cables. A very small fraction of the intentional
signal current (typically 0.3 to 0.1 percent above a few
MHz) returns by paths other than the shield itself (Figure
3). This assumes that the shield is at least correctly tied to
the ground references at both ends, and preferably also to
the chassis by the coaxial connectors.
Nolato Silikonteknik AB.
The signal current I0 returning by the shield’s inner side
Tel: +46 582 88900. E-mail: mailto:magnus.johansson@nolato.se. www.nolato.se/silikonteknik is causing an EMI voltage to appear along the outer side.

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This voltage is given by:

Vext = Zt (Ω/m) x l (m) x I0 (4)
= Zt (Ω/m) x l (m) x V0 / ZL
In turn, this voltage Vext is causing an external current
to excite the antenna formed by the cable-to-ground loop,
hence radiating a small field that can be associated with
the quality of the shield and its installation.
For estimating the E and H field from this low-imped-
ance loop (see Figure 4), the external shield current can
be found by:
Iext = Vext / Zext
where Zext is the same as the one calculated for suscep-
tibility case. Eventually, pigtail or connector impedances
have to be incorporated into Zext. Although their contribu-
tion to Zext is usually minimal, they can seriously deteriorate
the shield transfer impedance, since Zt must be hundreds
or thousands of times smaller than Zext, for a good shield.
If the shield is floated from the chassis, the shield be-
comes an electrically driven radiator. The radiated field can
be calculated using monopole or dipole equations, with
Vext, as an input.
When the cable becomes electrically long, Zt (Ω/m) no
longer can be multiplied by the length, since the current is
not uniform along the cable shield. A default approximation
is to consider that the maximum amplitudes of the shield
Figure 4. Equivalent circuit to predict coaxial cable radiation. voltages distributed along the shield are:
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marDiguian shielding
Vext (max) = Iext. Zt (Ω/m) x λ/2 (5) shield-to-ground loop has reached its maximum asymptote.
So, as Zt increases with frequency, the effective length For a same reason, the external loop impedance is
which multiplies Zt decreases with frequency. At the same approaching its maximum, that is the characteristic
time, the cable-to-ground external impedance needs to be impedance :
replaced by ZC, the corresponding characteristic imped- ZC = 60 log n (4 x 30 / 5) = 330 Ω
ance, using the following formula: The internal signal current returning by the shield is:
ZC = 60 logn (4h/d) (6) I0 (45MHz) = V0 /75 Ω = 3.3 / 75 = 44mA
Example 2 The external shield voltage, due to transfer impedance
A 2 meter piece of RG-58 coax is connecting two Zt is :
cabinets, with BNC connectors at both ends. The electrical Vext (45MHz) = I0. Zt(Ω/m) x 2m,
parameters are: where Zt (45MHz) is given by Figure 2 = 0,4 Ω/m
Useful signal: 15 MHz video Vext = 44.10 -3 . 0.4 . 2m = 35. 10 -3 V
Load resistance: 75Ω This voltage, in turn, is driving an external current onto
V0 spectrum amplitudes: the loop:
fundamental (15MHz) = 10 Vpk Iext = Vext / ZC = 35. 10 -3 V / 330Ω = 107.10 -6A
harmonic #3 ( 45MHz) = 3.3 Vpk From this current, the radiated field at 3 m (far field
harmonic #5 ( 75MHz) = 2 Vpk conditions) can be quickly estimated [2] by :
The geometry is: E (µV/m) = [ 1.3 . Acm2 . Iamp . F(MHz) 2 ] 1/D
Cable diameter= 0.5 cm, height above ground = 30 cm E (µV/m) = 560 µV/m , or 55dBµV/m
Calculate the radiated field at 3 m due to harmonic #3. (*Note: Since the whole calculation has been carried
Solution in peak values, 3dB should be subtracted for peak-to-rms
First, we need to determine the area of the radiating loop: conversion, but they are apprximately offset by the ground
A = 2 m x 0.3 m = 0.6 m2 = 6,000 cm2 plane reflection of the CISPR/FCC test set-up.)
For 45MHz, λ = 6.70m, so the 2m length of cable is Although this radiated level is about 500 times lower
already exceeding λ/4 , approaching λ/2. We can consider than if a bare wire were carrying the same current with a
that the radiation efficiency of the antenna formed by the return by the ground plane, FCC Class B limit is exceeded
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by 15 dB @ 45MHz, with other limit violations at 75, 105 shield Zt which is a distributed parameter (Ω/m), Zct is a
MHz and so on. localized element.
Several possibilities exist to reduce the radiated field: Of course, if the shield is grounded by a piece of wire, or
• Select a coaxial cable with a lower Zt, like “optimized” « pigtail » ( a very poor practice), the connecting impedance
braided shields (thicker, denser braid) or double-braid is simply the self-inductance of this wire tail.
shield. The following Table values can be taken for typical
• Slip a large ferrite bead over the cable shield. It will take impedances of one single shield connection:
an added series impedance of about 1,200Ω to achieve
the required attenuation, for instance passing the cable dc to
twice into a large ferrite toroïd. 100mhz 1,000mhz
10mhz
• Reduce the cable height above ground.
Bnc connector 1 to 3 mΩ 10 mΩ 100mΩ
iii. iMPorTance of The Shield connecTionS
As important as a shield with low Zt is its low-impedance n or sma
< 0.1mΩ 1 mΩ 10mΩ
termination to the equipment metal boxes. The connection (threaded)
by which the shield itself is grounded to the equipment box ordinary multipin
(or PCB) has its own impedance, too. connector
This impedance consist of the shield-to-backshell con- (metallic shell,
tact, the connector-to-receptacle impedance (that may just pluggable, 10 to 50 mΩ 10 to 50 mΩ 300mΩ
include some seam leakage inductance) and the receptacle- or non-threaded
to-chassis contact resistance. bayonet style)
This connection impedance Z ct is directly in the
signal current return path, in series with Zt. Therefore, Zct
can increase seriously the voltage Vext, which excites the pigtail, 2.5 cm Z = 1.5 mΩ + j. 0.15Ω x fmhz
cable-to-ground radiating loop. At contrast with cable
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NASA Defense Tech CHO-SEAL.indd 1 9/29/2010 2:36:35 PM

iV. The differenTial TranSfer

iMPedance (Ztd) wiTh Shielded PairS
or MulTiconducTor caBleS
The concept of transfer impedance, used for radiated
susceptibility or emission modeling of a coaxial cable,
is transposable to shielded twisted pairs (STP). However,
there is a noticeable difference: the shield is no longer an
active return conductor.
4.1 Susceptibility prediction using Ztd for a

shielded pair
The induced voltage Vi appearing in the shield (see
Figure 5) due to the loop current is not directly seen as
a differential voltage across the wire pair. Two situations
may arise:
a) General case
If the link is a true balanced one, using differential driv-
ers / receivers and wire pairs, we can start from the voltage
Vi appearing inside the shield due to the loop induced cur-
rent Ish (see Equation 3).
Each wire 1 and 2 is exposed to the same voltage Vi,
such as if the symmetry was perfect, the difference Vi(1) –
Vi(2) would be null. Since there is a certain percentage of
unbalance in the wires resistances, capacitance to shield
and leakage inductance vs the shield, the differential volt- Figure 5. STP equivalent circuit for susceptibility to field coupling and
age will be : its mode conversion inside the shield.
Vdm = Vi . X% . R L / (Rs + R L)
where X% is the unbalance percentage of the pair. De- System EMC specifications require a Bulk Cable
pending on the quality of the balanced link, X may range Injection (BCI) test: 200mA rms, 30MHz – 200MHz
anywhere from 1 to 10 percent, with typical (default) value What will be the differential voltage seen at the
being 5 percent, for high speed data links. receiving end?
Thus, replacing Vi by its expression for a coaxial cable Solution
configuration, we get: Calculations are carried at 100MHz, which is about the
Vdm = [Zt (Ω/m). l (m). I sh] . X% (R L/ (Rs + R L)) (7) worst case frequency region for 0.80m cable length.
We can therefore define a Differential Transfer Imped- 1) Zt for a single braid @ 100MHz (Figure 2): 1Ω /m
ance Ztd that will include the shield Zt times the pair un- Corresponding Ztd for 5% unbalance : 5.10 -2 Ω /m
balance, augmented eventually by the shielded connector Vdm for 0.80m cable ( Equ.7) : Vdm = 0.80 . 1 Ω /m.
Ztc and its own unbalance ( the contacts balance vs the 5.10 -2 x 200mA = 8 mVrms
metallic connector shell is not perfect either and can dete- Since fast digital circuits (receivers, comparators) tend
riorate the whole link symmetry). This new parameter Ztd to respond to the peak value of modulated RF, the actual
will allow a single pass calculation of Vdm, from a given EMI voltage will be:
sheath current. Vdm = 8.√2 = 11 mV, augmented eventually by a modula-
b) Case of unbalanced links using a STP. tion coefficient.
If the associated Transmitter // Receiver circuits are of Thus, based on shield coupling alone, the received volt-
the unbalanced type (single-ended), without Bal.to. Unbal. age is 20dB below the LVDS detection threshold
conversion devices, one wire of the pair will be tied to the 2) The STP is terminated by plastic RJ45 plugs, with
0V reference at both ends and the whole STP behaves as a the shield grounded both ends via 12.5mm ( 0.5’’) pigtails.
pseudo-coaxial link. The only small advantage being that What is the new value of Vdm?
the return wire dc resistance is paralleling the cable shield, The total self-inductance for two pigtails ( typ. value
or that the Electronic Reference ( 0V) could be eventually 1nH/mm) is:
floated from chassis, yet the shield being chassis-grounded. Lp = 2 x 12.5 x 1nH = 25nH
Example 3 Corresponding parasitic impedance added in series to
A high speed differential link is using a STP, with Zt, at 100MHz:
following parameters : Zp = Lω = 16Ω
LVDS Receiver: differential detection threshold: 100mV New value of Vdm, with the contribution of 2 pigtails
STP: 0.80m long, good quality braided shield, pair (taking into account a same 5% unbal. as for the pair)
unbalance ratio: 5% Vdm = [(0.80 . 1 Ω /m . 5.10-2) + 16 . 5.10-2] x 200mA

= 170 mVrms, or 235 mVpk

This is more than twice (6dB) the
LVDS detection threshold. The pigtails
have deteriorated the transfer imped-
ance of a fairly good braid by more than
20 times ( 26 dB). Metallic connectors
insuring an integral shield grounding
are necessary.
4.2 application of Ztd to an
eMi radiated emission case
With true differential links using
differential drivers / receivers and wire
pairs, the current returning by the
shield is only prorated to the percent-
age of asymmetry in the pair. If the
transmission link is balanced with X
percent tolerance, the unwanted share
of current returning by the shield is,
for the worst possible combination of
tolerances, only X% of the total current.
In this case, Equation 4 becomes:
Vext = X% . Zt (Ω/m) x l (m) x
V0 / Z L (8)
Thus, the radiated field is reduced by Figure 6. STP equivalent circuit for radiated emission, reciprocal to susceptibility case of Figure 5.
a factor equal to X percent, compared
to a coaxial cable situation.
To the contrary, if the wire pair is than the coaxial case. 100 Ω STP : 0.80m long, good qual-
interfacing circuits that are not bal- Example 4 ity copper braid shield unbalance
anced (e.g., the signal returns being Using the same high speed differ- ratio: 5%
grounded at both ends), a larger por- ential link as example 3, calculate the cable diameter= 0.5 cm
tion of the signal current will use the field radiated at 3m by the fundamental height above ground = 75 cm
shield as a fortuitous return, like with component of a 100MHz data stream, Solution
case 4.1.b). This portion is difficult with following parameters: 100MHz fundamental voltage, using
to predict. At worst, this unbalanced LVDS Driver , maximum differential usual Fourier series formulas for 50%
configuration cannot radiate more output: 1000mV duty cycle:
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Figure 7. Measured results for good quality STP. The balance is better than -40dB up to 30MHz,
the worst unbalance being – 30dB ( 3%) at 100MHz. (Courtesy of Alain Charoy, AEMC / France)
1000 mVolt x 2/ π = 640mV ing the results. For instance, the Balun
Differential current, assuming transformer, converting the symetrical
matched load at receiving end: 100Ω outpout to the unbalanced 50Ω
640mV / 100Ω = 6.4mA input of the Spectrum Analyzer, must
Corresponding shield external volt- have at least a balance 14 dB better
age, using Ztd (Ztd is taken from than the best pair being evaluated. This
example 3 @ 100MHz): would just grant a < 2dB uncertainty
Vext = Id . Ztd x lm = 6.4. 10 -3 of the results.
(1 Ω /m . 5.10 -2 x 0.8m ) = 260. 10 -6 V
Characteristic impedance Zc of the referenceS
cable, 75cm above ground: • [1]. Schelkunoff, S. Electromagnetic Theory
Zc = 60 Logn (4.h/d) = 60 Logn of coaxial lines and cylindrical shells, Bell
(4 x 75 /0.5) = 380Ω Syst. Technical Journal, 1934
External current driven into the • [2]. Mardiguian, M. Controlling Radiated
cable-to-ground loop by Vext:
Iext = V ext / Zc = 0.7.10 -6 A
Emissions by Design, 2nd Edition, Kluwer
Academics, 2001 GORE® Electronic
Loop area = 80 x 75 = 6000 cm2 Materials
Radiated field at 3m ( see Example 2)
E (µV/m) = [ 1.3 . Acm 2 . Iamp MICHEL MARDIGUIAN, IEEE Senior Mem-
. F(MHz) 2 ] 1/D ber, graduated electrical engineer BSEE, MSEE,
E (µV/m) = 18 µV/m, or 25 born in Paris, 1941. After military service in the Enhance the performance
dBµV/m French Air Force, worked for Dassault Avia- and improve the reliability
This is about 22 dB below the FCC tion, 1965 to1968. Moved to the IBM R&D Lab. in your electronic device
Class B limit. near Nice,France, working in the packaging of with the latest
If the shield grounding was made modems and digital PABXs. EMI shielding materials.
by the same pigtails as example 3, Mardiguian started his EMC career in
their deterioration of Ztd would raise 1974 as the local IBM EMC specialist, having
gore.com/emi
the field to 380 µV/m ( 51.5 dBµV/m) close ties with his US counterparts at IBM/
exceeding the limit by 5 dB. Kingston,USA. From 1976 to 80, he was also
the French delegate to the CISPR Working Grp
V. acTual MeaSureMenTS on computer RFI, participating to what was to EMI GASKETS
reSulTS wiTh good qualiTy become CISPR 22, the root document for FCC
eTherneT STP 15-J and European EN 55022. In 1980, he joined
Figure 5 shows an example of un- Don White Consultants (later re-named ICT )
balance measurements on an Ethernet in Gainesville, Virginia, becoming Director of
type STP. Such measurements require Training, then VP Engineering. He developed the
a rigorous instrumentation set-up to market of EMC seminars, teaching himself more
prevent parasitic effects from obscur- than 160 classes in the US and worldwide. n

power quality A c h i e v i n g eMc, P o w e r Q u A l i t y f o r l i g h t i n g c o n t r o l S y S t e M S
system compatibility: an essential
ingredient for achieving electromagnetic
compatibility and Power Quality for
lighting control systems
PhiliP Keebler high-intensity discharge (HID), induc-

Kermit PhiPPs tion, and LED devices and other advanced
FranK sharP lighting systems. Lighting researchers are
ePri lighting laboratory discovering more ways to optimize lighting
levels in various spaces by incorporating the
use of dimmable light sources and lighting
introduction control systems. Commercial facilities are
F
or years, lighting systems have been probing deeper into new applications for
operating as stand-alone loads with- dimmable light sources and lighting control
out the use of sophisticated lighting systems in efforts to improve energy savings.
controls for energy savings in all types of Some installations are even making better
facilities—residential, commercial, and use of outdoor light as they strive to harvest
industrial. Utilities and end users viewed as much daylight as possible to offset their
lighting controls in the past as, luxury, sys- energy usage for lighting systems. Utilities
tems that were used only when mood or spe- are experimenting with various dimmable
cial effects lighting was needed. Although light sources and various types of lighting
two industries—broadcast and theatrics— control systems through EPRI demonstra-
have relied on dimmable lighting and basic tion and other projects while examining
lighting control systems for years as a part customer perceptions, how much energy
of their stage and set lighting, systems were savings can be achieved without interrupt-
very simple and traditionally dimmed only ing the customers’ business, and verification
incandescent lamps. Other types of light of savings before rebates and incentives are
sources were either not dimmable or did not issued.
provide the color performance needed for The federal government and other sup-
television cameras or live audiences. porters of green initiatives are putting
Today, however, the need to provide pressure on building designers, utilities,
dimmable lighting systems in more types and end users to improve energy savings in
of customer spaces is different today. With various types of facilities. Lighting is one
the help of lighting designers and energy of those load types where energy savings
researchers, end users are finding more ap- is very achievable, and if implemented cor-
plications for dimmable light sources paired rectly, can be employed without introducing
with more sophisticated lighting control lighting and power quality problems into
systems. Dimming is no longer limited to customer facilities. With lighting represent-
incandescent and electronic fluorescent ing as much as 23% of the grid load, with
systems. Dimmable lighting device designs many customer spaces characteristic of
are finding more application in electronic over illuminated conditions, and, to utilize

2011 IEEE International Symposium
on Electromagnetic Compatibility
August 14-19, 2011 • Long Beach Convention Center
CALIFORNIA 210
10
Call for Papers

EMC 2011 is a Technical 110
Symposium. Technical Papers
are the essence of our Technical
Program. Original,
unpublished papers on all 405
aspects of electromagnetic
compatibility are invited.
*Late papers will NOT be accepted.
Important Dates
Preliminary Full Paper Manuscript: November 1, 2010 - January 15, 2011
Acceptance Notification: March 15, 2011
Final Paper and Workshop/Tutorial Material Due: May 1, 2011
www.emc2011.org
daylight to offset the need for electric understanding PQ and EMC barri- when an ‘on’ command is sent
lighting, there is much opportunity to ers that typically occur with lighting • Inability to turn light source off
reduce energy usage and demand with devices and control systems. Past when an ‘off’ command is sent
the use of dimmable light sources and EPRI research in the area of system • Inability to dim light source up
lighting control systems. compatibility has been applied to (increase intensity) when a ‘dim up’
Utilities and customers alike who many types of electronic lighting command is sent
do engage in using dimmable light devices. The application of EPRI's • Inability to dim light source down
sources and lighting control sys- system compatibility concept can be (decrease intensity) when a ‘dim
tems do so today with many res- used for lighting control systems not down’ command is sent
ervations and concerns. They are only to document energy, emissions • Complete malfunction of lighting
aware of some problems that have and immunit y performance, but controller (light sources will not
occurred when pairing dimmable to harden lighting controls systems respond to any end-user initiated
light sources with lighting control and to continue hardening electronic commands)
systems in common everyday electri- lighting devices. • Unstable operation of light sources
cal environments. Several of these (flickering lamps, random turn ‘on’,
problems resulted from compro- comPatibility Problems random turn ‘off’, etc.)
mised lighting device and controls with lighting controls • Complete failure of lighting controller
performance caused by poor power Regardless of the type of commu- The sources of electrical and elec-
quality (PQ) and poor electromag- nication link used to communicate tromagnetic disturbances that can
netic compatibility (EMC). with controllable light sources, their affect lighting controls include many
Utilities and customers expect new networks spread out across a facility types of industry defined waveform
systems to work well together and to and penetrating the electrical and disturbances and random waveform
function properly in their expected electromagnetic environment. disturbances that extend from a
electrical environments regardless of Lighting control systems may use few tens of hertz up to hundreds of
facility type. Lighting control systems various types of communication links megahertz. Such disturbances can
should function properly regardless in essentially all types of lighting be generated from a wide variety of
of what other neighboring loads are devices—fluorescent, HID, and LED: end-use equipment and operation of
used in a facility. When compat- • Hard-wired, low-voltage, 0 – 10 volt electrical equipment inside a residen-
ibility problems occur with lighting DC, analog control tial, commercial or industrial facility.
devices and/or control systems, even • Line-side, line-voltage control Although the number of disturbance
lighting problems can grossly affect • Line-side, low-voltage, three-wire sources is not as many in residential
the customer’s business operations control settings as in commercial and indus-
regardless of which type of lighting • Wireless (e.g., Zigbee) trial settings, the types of equipment
device—fluorescent, HID, or LED— • Line-side, power-line carrier control that can generate these disturbances
is used. Some problems are severe • Hard-wired, low-voltage, DALI in residential settings is increasing
enough to cause facility shutdown (Digita l ly Addressable Lighting as end users acquire more non-linear
until action can be taken to disable Interface) control. electronic loads like high-definition
the lighting control system. These Each method of communication televisions and electronically con-
problems can result in lost downtime requires dedicated electronic circuits trolled appliances including those
and re-installation costs that can add inside the lighting device. Penetration with adjustable speed drives (ASDs).
up to the thousands of dollars. of the communications circuit inside Example sources include the following
The complexity of these systems the lighting device further exposes the • Transients generated by the switch-
and the demand for complete func- other electronics inside the lighting ing ‘on’ and ‘off’ of large loads such
tionality warrants the need for im- device to malfunction and upset. For as heat pumps, refrigerators, ovens,
proving the compatibility between example, when an electrical fast tran- pumps, washers, dryers, etc., and
lighting devices and control systems sient (EFT) is coupled into a lighting even induction cooking appliances
and their electrical environments. control circuit, this voltage anomaly • Conducted noise generated on the
Utilities and end users must endure is carried to the electronic inside the power line by electronic loads in-
increased pressure to improve build- lighting device. cluding electronic lighting devices
ing performance and reduce lighting The electrical and electromagnetic using electronic ballasts and by
energy costs while controlling facility environment can both interact with failing power supplies in comput-
budgets. each of these communication systems ers, audio and video equipment,
This ar ticle seeks out to de- to cause any of the following compat- and in gaming equipment
scribe the importance of achiev- ibility problems, all of which have • Voltage notching generated by the
ing compatibility between lighting been witnessed in the field by EPRI operation of highly-inductive loads
devices and control systems and and various end users. (appliances that contain ASDs and
the electrical environment while • Inability to turn light source on motors)

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Figure 1. Example of lighting control system with multiple circuits.
Figure 2. Electrical and electromagnetic disturbances that can impinge upon a lighting controller.

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Malfunction or Malfunction or Failure with Lighting Controls
Potential Potential Overheating

Electrical or Complete Loss of
Damage to Damage to System of Power Dimming Sensor
Electromagnetic System System
Front End Low-Voltage Lockup Supply Malfunction Malfunction
Disturbance Shutdown Settings
Circuitry Input 1 Component
Interruption
• • •
Sags
• •
Swells
• • •
Distortion
• • • •
Notching
• • •
Transients &
• • • • • • •
Surges 2
Electrical Noise
(Conducted Emissions)
• • • • • •
Table 1. Cross-reference between electrical and electromagnetic disturbances and malfunctions or failures of lighting control systems.
• Voltage distortion generated by increasing penetration Figure 1 illustrates the basic concept of the primary ports
levels of electronic appliances that inject harmonic cur- commonly used on a lighting controller and how they can act
rents into the customer wiring system as entries for electrical and electromagnetic disturbances.
• Electrical noise on the branch circuits generated by The line input port is a line-voltage power port usually
radiated emissions from radio transmitters, wireless rated at 120 volts AC but may also be rated at a universal
devices, etc. voltage (e.g., 120 to 277 Vac) or higher AC line voltage (e.g.,
• Transients (surges) generated by thunderstorms and light- 230 Vac) in European applications. The dimming control
ning strikes and also transients picked up by automatic ports (four shown in Figure 1, other controllers may have
lawn sprinkler systems fewer or more of these ports) are low-voltage ports and usu-
Moreover, with the use of lighting controllers there is ally rated for up to 10 volts DC. These ports deliver a very
another opportunity for control system upset caused by small power to the dimming control circuit of a dimmable
radiated transients and high-frequency radiated emissions lighting device. Most lighting controllers have two or more
that can also be coupled onto any one of the hard-wired sensor ports which may be used to support one or a series
communications links. The thousands of feet, or miles (in of remote sensors located somewhere out in a facility at a
some cases), of control cable is exposed to electric fields considerable distance from the controller. In Figure 1, these
generated by transients and emissions and may cause are the photocell (daylight sensor) port and the occupancy
distortion or corruption of control signals. In almost all sensor port. To operate these sensors, a separate DC supply
cases, these cables are either not shielded or contain the voltage is required—usually 12, 15, or 24 volts DC. The com-
very minimum amount of cable shielding due to the added munications port is also a low-voltage port, but for network
expense of shielded cables. signals where multiple conductors which can be Ethernet,
1
Dimming port, sensor port, or other low-voltage port
2
Includes ring wave, combination wave, capacitor switching, and electrical fast transients (EFTs)

K e e b l e r, P h i P P S, S h A r P power quality
Figure 3. MOV failure caused by thermal runaway and internal Figure 4. MOV failure caused by thermal runaway and internal
equipment fire in a lighting controller. equipment fire in another lighting controller.
RS-232, or RS-485 are used. The wireless port is one that is and failures that may occur with lighting controls. Each one
showing up more on lighting controllers. This port and the of these has occurred in the field as reported by utilities,
network port(s) may be of an open (e.g., Zigbee) or closed various manufacturers and end users. Some of these may
architecture. be resolved with a system reset and some require hardware
replacement. Others may require a circuit enhancement
exPosure to electrical and in the lighting controller to improve the immunity of the
electromagnetic disturbances system to a specific disturbance. Regardless, these present
A lighting controller installed in a facility, whether the
facility is a residential, commercial, or industrial one, is
subject to the same exposure to electrical and electromag- Tri-Mag, Inc. can build standard and custom
netic disturbances as any other piece of networked elec- design EMI filters for any industry:
tronic equipment (e.g. a computer) which also uses control
and signals ports and control cables. Figure 2 illustrates
several scenarios where disturbances can impinge upon MEDICAL, MILITARY & INDUSTRIAL
the hard-wired and wireless ports of any lighting controller EMI FILTERS Single-Phase Filters • Three-Phase
used to control any lighting device—fluorescent, HID, or filters • Power Entry Modules • IEC Inlet Filters
LED. Each port essentially has some susceptibility to these
disturbances, and this susceptibility will, at some level and
frequency, cause the lighting controller to malfunction, be In addition to
upset, or be damaged. The question is “How susceptible are our wide range
lighting controllers to the electrical and electromagnetic of standard
disturbances that commonly occur in the customer’s elec- products and
trical (facility) environment?” The only way to definitively our capabilities
Military Medical
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laboratory environment capable of generating industry
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Failures with lighting control systems built in the USA.
Because of the nature of lighting control systems and the
electrical and electromagnetic disturbances that occur in Medical ROHS Compliance Industrial
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impact which part of a lighting control system and the
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without delay. Table 1 lists various types of malfunctions

problems to the end user that will likely interrupt the nature this. . . . Lightning strikes near a telemarketing facility. The
of their business and function of the lighting control system. uninterruptible power supplies connected to the computer
In some situations, the interruption will present safety issues systems switch on, but some of the computers lock up, dis-
to the facility or its occupants as well. rupting data processing and vaporizing data. The light from
Discussions with manufacturers of lighting controls and the overhead dimmable fluorescent lighting system fades
end users who have installed them in the past several years as about one-third of the fixtures go out. Or perhaps you
have revealed that the nature of compatibility problems as don’t have to imagine if you use magnetic HID ballasts with
listed in Table 1. Compatibility problems are indeed occur- metal halide lamps and have been left in the dark for 15 to
ring and increasing with some communication methods. 20 minutes before the lamps cool down enough to restrike.
The good news is that the performance of lighting control Imagine this type of problem when your lights are con-
systems can be improved with the application of EPRI’s nected to a lighting controller. The lighting controller is in
System Compatibility concept. The increase in compatibility full command of the lights, but the lights cannot be turned
problems among lighting control systems can be attributed back on because the controller already says they are on.
to four causes: 1) the increased complexity of lighting con- Every year, problems with electricity and electrical equip-
trol systems (i.e., more use of electronic microcircuits and ment cost U.S. companies billions of dollars in scrap mate-
more use of low-voltage ports for network, control and signal rial, down time, damaged data, and delayed orders. Every
functions, 2) the increased complexity of the electrical and year, electric utilities produce and deliver almost two billion
electromagnetic environments where systems are installed, cycles of electricity. If just a few of those cycles are disturbed,
3) the increased frequency of use (i.e., end users are using computers in commercial offices may crash, industrial
them more often in applications where lighting control is equipment may shut down, and entire processes may grind
needed or required to meet certain specific energy savings to a halt. Moreover, equipment in one facility may cause
goals) of lighting control systems, and 4) the increased other equipment in the same facility or in a neighboring
development of new electronic lighting devices and their facility to malfunction, even when the quality of delivered
increased use. power is perfect. With lighting controls, which are embed-
One area where failures have increased is in the protec- ded within a facility’s electrical system, these problems be-
tion of the AC power port against voltage surges. In visu- come even more compounded. Each wired port on a lighting
ally inspecting MOV failures in lighting controls, thermal controller is a “door” for an electrical or electromagnetic
runaway has been increasingly observed. Thermal runaway disturbance to enter the controller. With facilities becoming
may occur if an MOV with too low of a maximum allowable more cluttered with electronic equipment, the frequency of
voltage is applied in lighting control equipment in efforts to occurrence for disturbances, their disturbance levels (both
provide protection against voltage surges. In such a case, an low and high frequency) are increasing. As buildings become
MOV’s exposure to a long-term overvoltage may be higher more intelligent, more compatibility problems will surface
than the MOV’s maximum allowable voltage, and thermal and render equipment inoperable.
runaway of the MOV may occur without blowing the line
fuse. Figures 4 and 5 show two examples of MOVs in light- aPPlying Power Quality and
ing controllers, which failed as a result of thermal runaway. comPatibility to lighting controls
In both examples, the MOV ignited and a significant part Power quality is the concept of powering and grounding
of the MOV material was burned by the fire caused by its electronic equipment in a manner that is suitable to the opera-
own thermal runaway. The fire from the MOV damaged tion of that equipment as defined by the IEEE Standard 1100,
other nearby electronic components and the enclosure for The Emerald Book. (Early EPRI research in the area of system
the lighting controller. If investigators discover this type of compatibility provided many contributions to this publica-
MOV failure surrounded by other burned insulation and tion.) Power quality is a concept that was developed to study
electronic components, then thermal runaway can be sus- and improve the quality of electric power as it is generated,
pected. These susceptibilities, or weak links in the design of transmitted, and distributed to utility customers and consum-
these lighting controllers, can be identified through compat- ers by electrical and electronic equipment.
ibility analysis and testing at the EPRI Lighting Laboratory. Manufacturers and consumers often misapply the defini-
tion of power quality. Without even a basic understanding of
system comPatibility and Power Quality power quality, they often think of quality power as power that
What is a power quality problem? Imagine this. . . . The contains absolutely no imperfections. Mistakenly, they apply
fluorescent lights connected to a lighting controller in a the same thinking to lighting controllers as well as electronic
manufacturing facility blink, indicating that the voltage lighting devices. Similarly, an electrical engineer unfamiliar
has briefly dipped. A split second later, the high-intensity with the power quality concept may think of quality power
discharge (HID) lights drop out, adjustable-speed drives with a ‘perfect sine wave’ with no irregular waveshapes or
that control process motors trip, and scrap material gathers distortion whatsoever and a data string as a perfect stream
on the floor of the now dimly lit manufacturing facility. A of zeroes and ones. Both of these are incorrect perceptions
few minutes later, the indoor LED lighting devices begin to of power quality as the input power to lighting controllers
oscillate, causing the illumination to rise and fall slowly. Or and the data they must deliver and receive contain artifacts

data signal and caused the controller

to lockup.
In order to better understand power
quality and system compatibility and
how it can be applied to the charac-
terization of end-use equipment like
lighting controls, EPRI has developed
a detailed concept called system com-
patibility which can be applied to any
electronic device including lighting
controls. A series of system compat-
ibility tests can be applied to a light-
Figure 5. A rising data pulse (going from zero to one) corrupted with conducted noise. ing controller to determine its energy,
emissions, and immunity performance
resulting from the occurrence of electri- everyday electrical environment. One for each power and signal port and the
cal and electromagnetic disturbances in might ask, are these emissions really product as a whole.
customer facilities. common in a commercial or industrial An EPRI test procedure exists which
Figure 5 illustrates a rising data electrical environment where the com- allows each type of electrical and elec-
pulse captured on a port of a lighting patibility problem occurred? All ASDs tromagnetic disturbance to be applied
controller that receives a command produce some conducted emissions on to the proper ports of a lighting control.
from a daylighting sensor. This pulse their input circuitry which travel out The low-frequency disturbances are
is supposed to be a digital zero tra- of the ASD up the branch circuit. The derived from definitions for each type
versing to a digital one (e.g., 0 volts emissions levels among ASDs do vary of voltage variation and disturbance
traversing to 5 volts) in an attempt to with ASD manufacturer and model that occurs on the power system and
activate dimming of a bank of dim- as well as the impedance and length inside customer facilities. These defini-
mable lighting fixtures connected to of the branch circuit and some other tions, which are now standardized and
one of the dimming ports of a light- variables. These emissions were being part of an IEEE standard 1159-1995
ing controller. The pulse contains coupled into the daylight sensor con- (R2001), IEEE Recommended Practice
high-frequency conducted noise. This trol cable as the cable was run in paral- for Monitoring Electric Power Quality,
noise has entered the control cable lel and too close to the branch circuit were in part developed through actual
that runs from the controller to the powering the ASD. One could remove power quality studies conducted at
daylight sensor with timing and am- the problematic lighting controller and EPRI on various power systems across
plitude characteristics limits set by the replace it with one that had the exact the United States in the last 15 to 20
manufacturer. The cable was shielded, same design (i.e., same input power years. Through having developed a
but the shielding material failed. The requirements, same types of lighting thorough understanding of power
shield did not reduce the noise current control channels with the same day- quality, power system engineers and
in the shield that resulted from the in lighting control functions) and this system compatibility engineers (en-
flux of a high-frequency radiated elec- problem may never have occurred. gineers who study the compatibility
tric field present in the building. The The immunity of the daylight sensor between the power system and end-use
electric field was generated by a set of input when used with a specific control electrical and electronic equipment)
input power cables running from an cable and daylight sensor will vary have been able to determine how
electrical panel to the input of a set of among lighting controller. However, in equipment responds to each type of
adjustable speed drives. this case the problematic lighting con- variation and disturbance.
Because these emissions are associ- troller has an immunity low enough to
ated with the electrical branch circuit allow this problem to occur while other what is system
inside a building. The operation of the controllers had a higher immunity to comPatibility?
ASDs (i.e., a non-linear load), created these emissions at these frequencies. When equipment and appliances
the problem on the branch circuit. This The lighting controller was rendered get along in the same electrical en-
is considered to be a system compat- inoperable as a result of this compat- vironment, they are said to be in a
ibility problem. The quality of the ibility problem and was removed from state of system compatibility. System
voltage on this circuit is corrupted by the facility. This indicates a couple of compatibility is defined as the abil-
the presence of these high-frequency major points for concern: 1) the shield- ity of a device, equipment or system,
emissions. ing of the control cable was insufficient generally a load, to function satisfac-
Because the lighting controller is to protect the data signal inside the torily with respect to its power-supply
susceptible to these emissions, the cable from the radiated electric field electrical environment without intro-
controller is deemed to have a com- and 2) the port of the lighting control- ducing intolerable electrical distur-
patibility problem with its common ler could not filter out this noise in the bances to anything in that environ-

tion, the controller may or may not

initiate the request properly. Moreover,
the controller (or a separate monitoring
device) may or may not be able to verify
that the request was actually carried
out. A situation where a request called
for the dimming of certain lights may
actually have occurred, but verification
of that request indicated otherwise.
The converse problem may also occur.
Regardless, compatibility problems
with lighting controllers may leave the
utility (and the customer) in a state of
unknown when it comes to load reduc-
tion and energy savings.
Photometry
Compatibility can also impact the
photometrics of a lighting system.
In lighting control applications, it is
important that a dimmable lighting
device response as intended to a light-
ing control command. A compatibility
problem may cause a lighting control
system to render one of the follow-
ing problems to a dimmable lighting
device.
• Providing an unstable arc (dis-
charge) inside an HID lamp at some
dimming level because the wrong
Figure 6. The design process with integrated system compatibility testing. dimming level was reached
• Providing a sable DC current for an
ment. However, in today’s complex used in heating, air-conditioning, and LED fixture (a driver function)
and diverse electrical environment, ventilation systems. An increasing • Providing an incorrect amount of
achieving system compatibility is of- number of lighting controllers rely foot-candles targeted toward an area
ten a steep challenge for any product on feedback from daylighting sen- where the light is needed
designer, especially for multiport sys- sors spread throughout a facility to • Providing an incorrect color of light
tems like lighting controllers where determine what appropriate levels of where light of a different color is
compatibility must be applied to each light are needed in task areas where needed
port. For example, modern industrial sensors (and windows) are located. • Making an inappropriate adjust-
processes rely on sophisticated elec- There is more to the quality of a ment (too low or too high) light
tronics for precise and continuous lighting system than measuring the levels based on how much ambient
process control, and malfunction and photometrics of the light. A quality light enters a room or space
upset of these electronics can jeop- lighting system includes the following,
ardize process reliability. Industrial some of which are directly influenced safety, compatibility, and
plants that rely on process reliability by a lighting controller. These general Power Quality
also rely on quality lighting control performance requirements are not only Safety must be the first priority
systems. When these plants apply important to lighting controllers but in any facility regardless of the busi-
demand response, utilities will be are also important to demand response ness activity. Reliable and compatible
relying on reliable communication activities. Demand response requests lighting systems play a vital role in
and operation of lighting control sys- will utilize lighting controllers to ini- maintaining safety. Lighting devices
tems to shave load when required to tiate commands to make adjustments and lighting control systems which
ensure power system stability. Com- in lighting loads by turning dimmable are not compatible with the electrical
mercial facilities are characteristic of lighting devices ‘on’ or ‘off’ or change environment will increase the risk of
the same types of disturbances and dimming levels. an accident occurring. Aside from in-
operation of disturbance-generating If disruption to a lighting controller creased efficiency, one of the primary
loads like ASDs more commonly occurs in a demand response applica- benefits of using electronics in lighting

Figure 7. Compatibility concept applied to lighting controller, demand response system, and overall system.
devices is to enhance safety-related ing control systems require a capital adjusted according to customer
performance. However, if the elec- investment. To reap the return on needs or the utility’s desire to reduce
tronic ballast (or driver) is not compat- investment (ROI), projected costs must peak load in future demand response
ible with the electrical environment, be maintained within their estimate applications
then safety-related performance will to avoid stretching out the pay back Each of the above categories involves
likely be compromised. Listed below period. Pay back periods for lighting the use of a lighting control. Considering
are some examples of why lighting is upgrades usually run from about one a few examples, the first two categories
critical to safety. year to as long as three to four years in the above list are centered around
• Keeping the lights on when they depending on a variety of factors. Uti- the lamp and the fixture. The next two
are needed lization of lighting controls typically bullets are related to the performance of
• Minimizing the number of lamp shortens the pay back period. Listed be- the lamp-ballast or LED-driver system.
drop outs low are examples of some cost-related This performance also depends on how
• Maintaining as much lumen output expectations: the lamp-ballast or LED-driver system
for the life of the lamp as possible • Maintaining efficacy (efficiency) for responds to variations or disturbances
– called lumen depreciation – to the expected life of the ballast and in the AC line voltage powering the
avoid light levels that are too low lamp or the driver and LED lighting system.
before lamps reach the end of their • Achieving enough lamp and bal- EPRI research indicates that LED-
expected life last or LED and driver reliability to driver systems combined with lighting
• Avoid i ng l a mp f l icker a s t he achieve a return on the investment controls may be more susceptible to
load inside and outside a facility that the customer has made in pur- common everyday electrical and elec-
changes – f lickering lamps may chasing and installing the modern tromagnetic disturbances than lamp-
cause rotating machinery to ap- lighting system ballast systems combined with the same
pear 'standing still' • Ensuring that the lighting control controls. When the customer makes an
system of an electronic ballast or investment to purchase and install a
compatibility, reliability and electronic driver remains fully op- modern lighting system such as one that
economics erational over the life of the ballast/ uses high-frequency HID or LEDs, that
Electronic lighting devices and light- driver so that lighting load can be customer expects the system to operate

reliably. Reliable operation should last of a magnetic ballast were connected that what may be defined by some
for at least a minimum of the warranty to a fluorescent lamp. The purpose of as a mild lamp flicker will actually
period. The warranty period offered by a ballast is to produce enough energy cause severe headaches, thus prevent-
the lamp, ballast and fixture manufac- to ignite a lamp and then control its ing users from functioning in a work
turer will likely be different. The lighting illumination through either voltage or environment. This is because their
specifier, retrofitter, and/or installer can current control. perception to lamp flicker varies from
help one understand the nature and In magnetic fluorescent lighting person to person. Lamp flicker studies
design of warranties and their periods. systems, the magnetic ballast is a simple have been conducted on many types
A severe electrical event, such as a near core-and-coil type of device with no of incandescent and fluorescent lamps
lightning strike, high voltage distortion, sophisticated electronic components for and ballasts with the results varying
or a larger than expected number of sags controlling lamp performance. These among lamp and ballast models as
may occur during the warranty period. ballasts also respond to various types expected. As more lighting systems
Manufacturers may not honor the war- of steady-state and transient power-line become electronic, lamp flicker stud-
ranty if extreme events occur. Power- disturbances. With vary little voltage ies will continue to gain more atten-
line monitoring of the lighting branch regulation built into a magnetic ballast, tion, especially for systems operating
circuit, a facility power quality audit, the ballast will allow an increase in illu- at higher lamp wattages such as HID
and/or a forensic analysis on a failed mination with an overvoltage or a voltage lamps where a small amount of flicker
ballast (or driver) or lighting control- swell and a decrease in illumination with in a fluorescent lamp may not be very
ler by EPRI may reveal the cause of an a voltage sag. However, the core and coil noticeable as compared to that same
early failure. If the facility environment of a magnetic ballast system have the amount of flicker in an HID lamp that
reaches a high ambient temperature, the distinct advantage of having a more-than- may be more noticeable.
lamp and ballast (or LEDs and driver) acceptable immunity to voltage surges. W hile the human perception-
life may be shortened possibly causing Although this type of immunity related performance issues in lighting
premature failure. helps to increase ballast reliability, end systems can gain much attention from
users often complain about issues other utility customers, professionals in the
Why Apply SyStem than ballast failures such as noticeable lighting industry traditionally focus
CompAtibility to lighting variations in light fluctuations. These on lamp and ballast performance and
SyStemS? fluctuations in light output are called reliability. These professional groups
Traditionally, lighting systems from lamp flicker. All types of lamps and include architects, lighting specifiers,
the days of Thomas Edison were of the lamp-ballast systems have their own facility electrical designers, lighting
incandescent type. No energy conversion characteristic response to various engineers, and lamp and ballast de-
device was needed between the power types of voltage fluctuations—the type signers. Each of these groups strives
system and the lamp, and no lighting of line-side disturbance that causes to provide acceptable lighting systems
controls were used. This does not mean lamp flicker. for their customers that meet their
that disturbances in the power system Lamps and lamp-ballast systems expectations in terms of lamp and bal-
did not affect incandescent lamps. This may act as amplifiers of voltage fluctua- last performance and reliability. Each
simply means that the incandescent lamp tions or they may act as attenuators to strive to 1) provide lighting systems
is under direct influence of disturbances fluctuations. Each component of the that maintain acceptable light output
that occur on the power system. Compat- lamp-ballast system plays a different for the majority of the life of the light-
ibility tests conducted on incandescent role in determining the extent to which ing system and 2) provide lighting
lamps have shown that the reliability the lamp-ballast system acts as an systems that function at an acceptable
of lamp filaments are affected by dis- amplifier or attenuator of fluctuations. level for at least the term of the product
turbances such as voltage sags, voltage When acting as an amplifier, a small warranty.
swells, and voltage surges. With respect fluctuation incident on the AC input of Manufacturers of electronic fluo-
to the end user, a change in illumination a lamp-ballast system, for example, will rescent ballasts learned about perfor-
is usually noticeable with these distur- result in a large change in light output. mance and reliability the hard way.
bances until the lamp fails to produce The same is true for lighting control- Many of them did not understand the
light when the filament is severed. With lers—disturbances initiated at the line whole-system performance: how to
lighting control systems, failures and input may find their way through the design a high-frequency inverter type
malfunctions in lamps are also possible lighting controller and into the signal of power supply, populate a printed
and can actually be initiated by malfunc- that controls the light output of elec- circuit board with components rated
tions in lighting controllers. tronic ballasts. for an elevated operating tempera-
Early f luorescent-based lighting With respect to end users, each hu- ture, solder them to the board, place
systems were developed by leading man eye also has a distinct frequency that board inside a metal can, pour
manufacturers soon became popular response to lamp flicker. Some people hot potting material over the circuit,
lighting products for end users of all can notice a lamp f lickering when and install it into a lighting fixture.
types. These systems through the use others cannot. Some will indicate Many lessons regarding circuit design,

component reliability, soldering, speci- manufacturers and applied the com- purpose, and ambient light levels. If
fications, and potting were learned. patibility concept to their products. facilities are to engage in energy sav-
With some knowledge about ballast Manufacturers of LED drivers and ings using lighting controls, then the
reliability and the warranty term, many LED lighting systems are just begin- controls that they use must be hard-
manufacturers did not have enough ning to recognize the importance of ened to the point where facility man-
data to reasonably design and specify EPRI compatibility testing for their ages and occupants can expect them
their warranty programs. Both manu- products. If lighting controls are to be to function as desired in all types of
facturers and end users experienced a key part of a facility’s lighting system electrical environments and building
significant financial losses from poor to help reduce energy usage, then the operating conditions. The electrical
lamp and ballast reliability. same needs to happen for all lighting environment of the facility, including
Many have asked how system com- controllers. emissions and disturbances generated
patibility testing could have prevented Figure 6 illustrates the design pro- by the lighting devices themselves,
much of these financial losses. At the cess with integrated system compat- must not impact the operation of light-
time when the first electronic fluo- ibility testing. This process served as ing control systems.
rescent ballasts were being designed, the guideline during the development Lighting controllers will need to
component manufacturers were also and testing of the many electronic bal- function during thunderstorms, during
not familiar with applying their devices last products. Lighting control design- electrical disturbances initiated by the
in ballasts. Component engineering ers can learn to apply the compatibility public, and during electrical distur-
combined with a temperature-based concept (See Figure 7) just as easy as bances initiated by the utility. Lighting
compatibility study might have helped ballast manufacturers have done. The control designers may even want to
reduce the number of failures cause by process is basically the same, but the consider integrating intelligence into
the overheating of electronic compo- results will be different and just as the control that alerts the end user
nents. Compatibility testing would not valuable. when an adverse condition exists such
have had much of an effect on manu- as the presence of a high level of electri-
facturing defects including soldering. how comPatibility enables cal noise on one of the communication
However, during many of the forensic lighting control to be or port channels. Resolving a compat-
studies that were conducted on failed demand resPonsive ibility problem with a lighting control-
electronic fluorescent ballasts, it was With basic lighting controllers ler before it shuts the building lighting
found that disturbances which would having been developed several years system down would be very valuable.
not normally affect a well-designed ago, some with fairly mature designs, EPRI maintains expertise in solving
electronic ballast would have a much many controllers will continue to be compatibility problems with lighting
more negative effect on the perfor- used as individual systems separate controls. Expertise in this area can be
mance and reliability of a ballast with from demand response (DR) systems. used to further understand compat-
design problems. Disturbances such However, while the compatibility of ibility problems with lighting devices
as voltage transients and voltage sags a DR system is just as important as and control systems. End users simply
were found to cause premature failure the compatibility of a lighting control cannot work in the dark, or under poor
of ballast circuits and the component system, the overall compatibility of a lighting conditions and in some condi-
lead-to-solder joint junction. Compat- combined DR-lighting control system tions the failure of a lighting control
ibility testing on such samples prior will be critical for facilities that begin system would present safety problems
to production would have resulted in to rely on them. Figure 7 illustrates this requiring the building to be evacuated.
the identification of ballast reliability concept. Interestingly enough, many EPRI is positioned to further the ma-
issues prior to the installation of thou- of the lessons to be learned regarding turity of lighting devices and controls
sands of ballasts that eventually failed compatibility for lighting controllers through its research and testing in its
when powered in a normal electrical will also be applicable to DR systems. Lighting Laboratory.
environment.
For these reasons, manufacturers conclusion: system Philip F. Keebler manages the Lighting and
and end users of electronic ballasts, comPatibility is imPortant Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Group
whether they produce or use fluores- For lighting controls at EPRI where EMC site surveys are conducted,
cent, HID lamp-ballast, or LED sys- As stated earlier, lighting controls end-use devices are tested for EMC, EMC audits
tems, must have a keen awareness of are becoming a key part of a facility’s are conducted and EMI solutions are identified.
the compatibility of these systems with operating system. Prior to the use of Kermit O. Phipps is a NARTE Certified engi-
the power system. Many are integrat- lighting control, lights in a facility were neer and conducts tests and evaluations of equip-
ing compatibility testing into their just turned ‘on’ at the beginning of a ment performance in accordance with the EPRI
ballast design processes with the goal day and turned ‘off’ at the end of a day. System Compatibility Test Protocols for EPRI.
of identifying compatibility problems Now, facilities are having to become
long before the start of production. more intelligent and vary light levels Frank Sharp is a Senior Project Engineer /
EPRI has worked with dozens of ballast according to occupant usage, space Scientist at EPRI in Knoxville, Tenn. n

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Everybody Talks Quality,
We Think Seeing Is Believing.
Lots of suppliers claim to make “quality” products. But does quality still mean what it used to mean?
It does at AR.
Over more than 40 years, we’ve built a reputation for reliable products that go the distance. (And then some). Products that are faster,
smaller, and more efficient. Products that outlast, outperform and outrun any in the category. And every one backed by worldwide
support and the best no nonsense warranties in the industry.
The way we see it, quality is about results. If a product can’t cut it in the real world, you won’t get the answers you need. And we
won’t get the loyal customers we need.
So here’s to companies and customers who still respect – and demand – quality.
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Combination Amplifiers
Freq Min Pwr Min Sat Freq Min Pwr Min Sat Freq Min Pwr Min Sat
Model Range Out Gain Model Range Out Gain Model Range Out Gain
Number (MHz) (Watts) (dB) Number (GHz) (Watts) (dB) Number (MHz) (Watts) (dB)
M/TCCX/SCCX Series • .01-220 MHz T-200 Series • 200-300 Watts CW 1-21.5 GHz SMCC Series • 200-1000 MHz
SCCX300 .01-220 300 55 T251-250 1-2.5 250 54 SMCC350 200-1000 350 55
SCCX500 .01-220 500 57 T82-250 2-8 250 54 SMCC600 200-1000 600 58
M404 .01-220 500 57 T188-250 7.5-18 250 54 SMCC1000 200-1000 1000 60
M406 .01-220 1000 60 T2118-250 18.0-21.7 250 54 SMCC2000 200-1000 2000 63
TCCX2000 .01-220 2000 63 SMC Series • 80-1000 MHz
T-500 Series • 500 Watts CW 1-18 GHz
TCCX2200 .01-220 2200 63 SMC250 80-1000 250 54
T251-500 1-2.5 500 57
TCCX2500 .01-220 2500 64
T7525-500 2.5-7.5 500 57 SMC500 80-1000 500 57
CMX/SMX Series • .01-1000 MHz
T188-500 7.5-18 500 57 SMC1000 80-1000 1000 60
SMX301 .01-1000 300/100 55/50
MMT Series • 5-150 Watts, 18-40 GHz SMX-CMX Series • .01-1000 MHz
SMX302 .01-1000 300/200 55/53
T2618-40 18-26.5 40 46 SMX100 .01-1000 100 50
SMX303 .01-1000 300/300 55/55
T4026-40 26.5-40 40 46 SMX200 .01-1000 200 53
SMX501 .01-1000 500/100 57/50
S/T-50 Series • 40-60 Watts CW 1-18 GHz SMX500 .01-1000 500 57
SMX502 .01-1000 500/200 57/53
SMX503 .01-1000 500/300 57/55 S21-50 1-2 50 47 SVC-SMV Series • 100-1000 MHz
CMX10001 .01-1000 1000/100 60/50 T82-50 2-8 50 47 SVC500 100-500 500 57
CMX100010 .01-1000 1000/1000 60/60 T188-50 8-18 50 47 SMV500 500-1000 500 57
Visit IFI.com for additional amplifier models and products.
INSTRUMENTS FOR INDUSTRY Booth 804
903 South Second Street • Ronkonkoma, NY 11779

Tel: 631-467-8400 • Fax: 631-467-8558 • E mail: sales@ifi.com • www.ifi.com

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Effective EMC Troubleshooting with Handheld Probes............14

Managing EMC Performance of a Product as it Ages .............. 36

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