Chapter - 2

EMC requirements for electronic systems

• Additional design objectives to be met over and above
functional performance of the system
• Broad classification of EMC requirements imposed on
electronic systems
– Those mandated by governmental agencies (EMC directives)
– Those imposed by product manufacturer
• Note:
– Former is for selling in the market legally so that it complies with the
country’s EMC directives that aims to control EM pollution in
environment
– Later is to ensure product meets customer satisfaction and reputation.
This is stringent than the later.
 EMC requirements
• Digital device definition as per FCC – Any electronic device
that generates and uses timing pulse of 9 kHz and above and
uses digital techniques

• Device classification as per FCC

– Class A digital devices: those that are marketed for use in a
commercial industrial, or business environment

– Class B digital devices: those that are marketed for use in residential
environment, notwithstanding their use in commercial, industrial, or
business environment.
 EMC requirements
• Class B limits are more stringent than Class A limits under the
reasonable assumption that
– interference from the device in an industrial environment can be more
readily corrected than in a residential environment, where the
interference source and the susceptible device are likely to be in closer
proximity.

– Further, the owner of the interfering device in a residential

environment is not as likely to have the expertise or financial
resources to correct the problem as would an industrial user.
 EMC measurement procedures

• (a) Conducted emissions test

– CE: currents that are passed out through the unit’s AC power cord
– Test range: 150 kHz to 30 MHz
– Compliance is verified by inserting a line impedance stabilization
network (LISN)
– Although the emission to be controlled is current passing out of AC
line cord, the limits are given in volts.
– Because LISN measures voltage which is directly related to the
interference current

QP: quasi peak detector, AV: average detector

CE- FCC Limits

Class A
Limit line
CE- FCC Limits

Class B
Limit line
• (b) Radiated emissions test
– Test range: 30 MHz to 40 GHz
– RE concerns electric and magnetic fields radiated by the device
– RE regulatory limits are given in terms of field in dBV/m
– RE of the product is measured either in a semi-anechoic chamber or at
an open-field test site using an antenna
– Measurements are gathered for vertical and horizontal polarizations
w.r.t. test site ground plane
– The measurement distances for RE are 3 m for Class B and 10 m for
Class A devices : FCC
– RE measurement distance for Class A and B devices is 10 m: CISPR 22
– The antenna must be elevated above the ground-plane at distances of
1–4 m and the maximum emission recorded.
Illustration of RE measurement inside semi-anechoic chamber
• (c) Radiated susceptibility tests
– purpose is to ensure that the product will operate properly when it is
installed in the vicinity of high-power transmitters.
– Eg. AM and FM transmitters, airport surveillance radars
– Manufacturers test their products to these types of emitters by
illuminating the product with a typical waveform and signal level
representing the worst-case exposure of the product and determining
whether the product will perform satisfactorily.

• (d) Conducted susceptibility test

– Product is subjected to interference via power cord by intentionally
injecting spikes into the product’s AC power cord to simulate lightning
induced transients.
– AC voltage is also momentarily reduced and/or interrupted to ensure
that the product will operate through any such event.
• (e) ESD test
– buildup of static charge on a person’s body or furniture with discharge
path to the product – using ESD gun
– Static voltage can approach 25 kV in magnitude
– Manufacturers test their products for susceptibility to the ESD
phenomenon by subjecting their products to a controlled ESD event
that represents a typical field scenario and determining whether the
product operates successfully.
 Benefits of EMC
• Product safety – accidents due to device malfunction can
be avoided

• Cost reduction – relatively low cost to include EMI/EMC

concepts during design phase rather than during/after
production

• Increased reliability – addition of components/features for

EMC later on may increase complexity which may reduce
reliability or compromise other product functionality

• Legality – device must be EM compliant for sale, legal

issues due to non compliance may be high