COMPLIANCE
KEITH ARMSTRONG, GLOBAL EMC EXPERT AT EMC STANDARDS, EXPLAINS WHY SELECTING HARMONISED TEST STANDARDS UNDER THE EU’S EMC DIRECTIVE IS NO LONGER SUFFICIENT FOR LEGAL COMPLIANCE… Applying EMC Directive harmonised standards is not enough
I f you are still choosing the most relevant test standards listed under the EMC Directive in the Official Journal of the EU (OJEU), then passing those
The purpose of these ‘risk assessments’ is to specify which, or which parts of EMC standards, specifications, guidelines etc. we should apply to our products, to help ensure their EMC compliance. An important issue is that we are almost certain to find ourselves having to apply test standards that we are not familiar with and are often not listed in the OJEU.
of course, the EMC Directive covers frequencies from “DC to daylight”, so this is a growing risk. One of the standards that has been developed to help deal with EMI <150 kHz is IEC 61000-4-13, an immunity test standard that addresses the increasing distortion of AC mains supply waveforms. Designing products that comply with the specifications of the latest EMC Directive is one of several EMC and interference topics that will be addressed at next year’s EMC and Compliance International trade show. The event, taking place at Newbury Racecourse on May 18 and 19, 2022, is the UK’s only independent EMC conference and will feature practical workshops and insightful expert sit- down sessions. For further information, go to: www.emcandci.com or email: alan.emc-eandt@outlook.com
tests and listing them on your declarations of EMC conformity, you are five years out of date and your products might suffer costly delays in EU and UK customs. The EU’s EMC Directive aims to ensure that any electrical and electronic equipment minimises the emission of electromagnetic interference that may influence other equipment. The directive also requires equipment to be able to resist the disturbance of other equipment. Since the EMC Directive 2014/30/EU, as well as the UK EMC Regulations came into force in 2016, we have been required to perform and document an “adequate analysis and assessment of the risks” of our products complying with the Directive’s Essential Requirements.
Keith Armstrong, global EMC expert at EMC Standards.
This is especially true for frequencies below 150 kHz, which has historically been neglected by EMC test standards because it is below any European broadcasting frequencies. However, a great many activities have recently started to develop that can mean products causing or suffering electromagnetic interference (EMI) at frequencies below 150 kHz, and,
“The EU’s EMC Directive aims to ensure that any electrical and electronic equipment minimises the emission of electromagnetic interference that may influence other equipment.”
www.elecmagazine.com FOLLOW US ON:
IRELAND’S ELECTRICAL MAGAZINE | 89
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online