Compliance & Product
Regulatory ApproVals
EMC FAQ
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) – Compliance and Challenges
What would Rail Signalling Systems / Comms etc come under in terms of the CISPR Product (Family) Standards?
C-PRAV: The EMC standard for railway application falls under the EN 50121 series to ensure that electronic and electrical equipment used in railway systems can operate reliably and safely without causing electromagnetic interference (EMI) or being susceptible to EMI. EN 50121 series covers a wide range of EMC requirements for railway applications. It includes various parts, each focusing on specific aspects of EMC, such as emissions, immunity, and measurement methods.
Example:
Part 1: Railway applications. Electromagnetic compatibility. General
Part 3-1: Railway applications. Electromagnetic compatibility. Rolling stock. Train and complete vehicle
Part 3-x:
These Railway specific standard do call up some CISPR standards and the IEC61000-4-x series of standards
Does building an electrical installation with CE marked products doesn’t make whole the installation EMC complied by default?
C-PRAV: If you are referring to installation in Europe, CE marked products will be the starting point for overall compliance. However, it is a technical myth that CE+CE = CE. Depending on the size of the installation, this needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Generally, a Technical assessment is required for overall compliance. This is based on the risk assessment, criticality of the application and presumption of conformity by the manufacturer/installer.
If your question is relating to a system that has individual subsystems like motherboard, power supply, radio modules all individually CE certified, then the whole system will also need CE compliance.
For Australia, CE marked product do not automatically assume the Australian RCM compliance. There are certain parameters that needs specific review and assessment.
Is there any EMC requirements for renewable equipment such as converter, inverters or Battery Racks?
C-PRAV: All electronic equipment requires EMC compliance. Yes, there are specific standards that the renewable equipment must comply with for EMC.
Specific EMC standards that apply to renewable energy equipment’s like grid-connected power coverers, solar power inverters, power drive systems, etc., can vary by application. Generally, EN 61000-6-x series which is a generic EMC standard has various parts covering emissions and immunity. Depending upon the application and environment, specific parts of this series may apply to the renewable energy equipment.
Isn’t the Immunity standards in Australia based on CISPR 35? Does that mean CISPR 35 is based on those IEC standards?
C-PRAV: Firstly, immunity standards are voluntary in Australia. ACMA, the Australian Communication and Media Authority, regulator for EMC, only mandates Emissions requirements. For Europe and many other countries, Immunity testing is also mandatory. Yes, CISPR 35 is the family standard for Multimedia equipment which calls up the IEC 61000-
4-x series of standards for Immunity
Does the distance of the test antenna vary with frequency of operation and dimension of the System Under
Test?
C-PRAV: Yes, generally the Test Standard defines the test distance and limits applicable. There is a EUT (Equipment
Under Test) size vs the test distance requirement. Larger the EUT, farther the test distance to compensate for near field
effects on measurements. Frequency of operation is not a factor as the Frequency range of testing is also defined by
the test standards. Higher the frequency of measurement, test environment (test setup) changes and generally can be
tested at closer distances.
In terms of EMI not a devices but an electrical installation, how often would you advice to verify DER
installation for EM performance?
C-PRAV: A regulator generally does not mandate compliance of a complete installation. The individual systems must
have EMC compliance. However, for the manufacturers and installers, EMC is important for their quality of
performance and reduce service calls, hence it is advisable to ensure that the whole installation has EMC compliance
Do you need to do an EMC test on a huge mobile machinery? How do you test a huge mobile machinery?
C-PRAV: Depends on what you mean by huge mobile machinery. Big Vehicles, trucks, even an entire plane undergoes
EMC testing. To answer your question, in-situ testing (on-site) testing is one option. Standard and Regulators allow this
method of testing. Other option is to test the individual sub-systems in a lab and do an overall technical assessment of
the final installation system with some verification tests.
What is a regular cost for getting a smart phone get EMC certified in Australia?
C-PRAV: This is an open-ended question. Cost and time depend on what technologies, the Smart phone has (type of
Radios, charger, etc) and also the test reports you already have for the smart phone. EMC, Electrical Safety, Radio,
EMR, Telecom standards test reports are required and if they are all suitable for Australian compliance, certification
costs can be estimated.
Please feel free to send C-PRAV the test specification of the Smart phone and we can advise costs for certifications.
Does the distance of the test antenna vary with frequency of operation and dimension of the System Under
Test?
C-PRAV: Yes, generally the Test Standard defines the test distance and limits applicable. There is a EUT (Equipment
Under Test) size vs the test distance requirement. Larger the EUT, farther the test distance to compensate for near field
effects on measurements. Frequency of operation is not a factor as the Frequency range of testing is also defined by
the test standards. Higher the frequency of measurement, test environment (test setup) changes and generally can be
tested at closer distances.
Does the distance of the test antenna vary with frequency of operation and dimension of the System Under
Test?
C-PRAV: Yes, generally the Test Standard defines the test distance and limits applicable. There is a EUT (Equipment
Under Test) size vs the test distance requirement. Larger the EUT, farther the test distance to compensate for near field
effects on measurements. Frequency of operation is not a factor as the Frequency range of testing is also defined by
the test standards. Higher the frequency of measurement, test environment (test setup) changes and generally can be
tested at closer distances.