Standards & Regulations


EMC Emissions Test Changes T


By Clare Gittens, business line manager of consumer product service at TÜV SÜD


wo years ago, an EMC emissions standard replaced others that the electronics industry had been familiar


with for decades. It was hoped that these changes would make EMC Emissions specification selection easier when testing equipment, but we still see some confusion from our customers. At the time of writing, EN 55032:2012


(Electromagnetic compatibility of multimedia equipment - emission requirements) is mandatory, and is effective as a harmonised emission standard in compliance with EMC Directive 2014/30/EU. The standard applies to multimedia equipment that has a rated r.m.s. AC or DC supply voltage not exceeding 600 V. It incorporates three old standards into one - EN 55022: 2010 AC: 2011 (information technology equipment), EN 55013: 2013 (sound and television broadcast receivers, and associated equipment) and EN 55103-1: 2009 A1: 2012 (a product family standard for audio, video and entertainment lighting equipment for professional use). EN55032 is now the only route to


compliance. Not only must new products being sold in the European Union comply with EN55032, older product designs that were already released onto the market before March 2017, are also required to prove compliance as there is no grandfathering allowed. It is important to emphasise at this point


that EN 55032 does not cover intentional transmissions from radio transmitters, as these must fully comply with the European Union Radio Equipment Directive (RED) 2014/53/EU. The RED is applicable to all non-military electrical and electronic devices that intentionally emit and receive radio waves at frequencies below 3000 GHz. EN 55032 is an attempt to harmonise


the testing on several different types of equipment, which in the past have differed greatly in their design, operation and


internal technology, but which now all share very similar internal technology and functionality. The testing for a piece of IT equipment in the old EN 55022, compared to EN 55032 is therefore very similar. However, EN 55032 now recognises that


may have done in the past when multimedia technology was not so advanced. Therefore the test approach to these devices should be the same, although the way that the different types of multimedia equipment are exercised during testing differs considerably from product to product.


Dealing with change For IT equipment, that was tested previously to the old EN 55022 standard,


output, so both ports are candidates for conducted emissions testing. EN55032 also added clarity regarding


the applicability of the I/O port conducted emissions test, which was missing in EN55022. This limits the testing to ports that have cables that are greater than three metres long. However, audio ports (e.g. microphone inputs and speaker outputs) longer that 10 metres are also included in the scope of this standard and need to be tested for conducted emissions.


other equipment, such as set top boxes/ TVs/ professional audio and video equipment, have more in common with an IT device than they do a custom-built separate device in their own right, as they


there is very little difference. Aside from the power disturbance measurement, which is no longer permitted, limit values and measurement procedures remain largely unchanged. For other equipment, that was not


previously covered by EN 55022, but which must now comply with EN 55032, radiated emissions are likely to be required to be measured in a much higher GHz range, rather than up to the 1GHz requirements of some of the old standards. This will depend on the highest internally generated frequency within the product. As a lot of devices now have a PC-based architecture, their processors tend to have high frequency clock signals, which would necessitate testing radiated emissions to a higher frequency than when tested to the previous standards. The requirements of EN55032 also


demand more focus on interface ports, port type and cable options, including possible length of the cables and the type of signals on each port. EN55032 also requires testing on at least one of each type of port per function. For example, if the equipment under test has two BNC ports, one is an input and the other is an


24 June 2019 Components in Electronics


Streamline the testing process A successful testing programme is the result of you disclosing as much information to your chosen EMC test laboratory about the EUT as early as possible in the project cycle, with a special focus on the display capabilities and I/O port mix. Details about the port type and


expected cable construction can have a dramatic impact on both the test method deployed, and the time the testing takes. It is therefore vital that you give your chosen EMC testing laboratory a full understanding of the EUT, its primary and any secondary functions, display type, typical display content, display resolution capability and environmental parameters. Before commencing testing, the


laboratory undertaking the EMC tests will also require details on the ports, including whether the port lines are balanced/ unbalanced, the number of lines or pairs, and whether they are screened or unscreened. This will help the laboratory to develop a realistic test plan, enabling you to more accurately anticipate time to market for products.


tuv-sud.co.uk www.cieonline.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52