Getting Help in Achieving Compliance

Compact 3-Meter Semi-Anechoic Chamber
Courtesy of Compliance Worldwide

Achieving compliance is a critical goal in the development of any new electronic product, but the process can be daunting. And indeed, without careful planning, your chances of initial success can be quite low. Intertek, for example, states that initial EMC test failure rates for electronic products have decreased gradually over the years yet remain at around 50%.¹ (Paradoxically, the company notes that medical products experience a higher initial success rate than information technology equipment.)

Fortunately, whatever industry segment you address, test labs like Intertek and D.L.S. Electronic Systems stand ready to help. In addition to testing, the companies can provide advice, training, and literature to help you achieve success during your EMC test lab visit.²

Consider Location

One choice you will have to make is location. Many customers select a lab that is nearby or at least easy to get and/or ship to. D.L.S. Electronic Systems, for example, has labs near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and serves customers from North and South America, Europe, India, Taiwan, China, and Japan, according to Jessica Stephens, spokeswoman for D.L.S.

Walter Poggi, president of Retlif, said the company has three laboratory locations—Ronkonkoma, NY; Harleysville, PA; and Goffstown, NH—as well as a sales and engineering office in Charlotte, NC. “While Retlif provides testing services nationally and internationally,” he said, “the bulk of our work is on the East Coast. Testing has always been a business of convenience with product developers wanting to be close to the lab they use for compliance.”

Despite the East Coast focus, Poggi noted, Retlif is fully accredited to provide more than 350 EMC test methods, including many European, Canadian, Australian, and Japanese EMC standards. He added that military, commercial aviation, rail and transit, space, and maritime each account for a minimum of 10% of the company’s yearly sales.

Larry Stillings, president of Compliance Worldwide, noted, “The Boston/New England area makes up 80% of our business, although for some specialized testing, we draw from as far as California. We even had a customer from Germany.” The company has a 3-meter semi-anechoic chamber with Panashield HYB NF absorber that allows the chamber to be used from 10 kHz to 40 GHz for emissions testing and from 80 MHz to 6 GHz for immunity testing.

Indeed, most labs serve a geographically diverse customer base even though many customers prefer a nearby facility. “Our test lab is located in Syracuse, NY; however, we service customers from all over the country, both at our location and theirs,” said Steve Frierson, sales associate at Diversified TEST Technologies.

Compatible Electronics addresses the West Coast with facilities in southern California, although as Ruby Hall, lab manager, noted, “We also serve an international client base.”

Preparation Is Key

But whatever the location, preparation is key. “Traditionally, our clients have experienced the best results from taking our design seminar taught by instructors with more than 40 years of experience in the EMC field,” said Stephens at D.L.S. “The class discusses the standards so that engineers understand how to properly design their products to pass. Then the student is given the opportunity to meet with a senior EMC engineer to review his own project and learn how to specifically apply the concepts.” She added, “Additionally, many clients have taken advantage of our Early Design Evaluation (EDE), in which we review a project for both EMC and product safety before it is brought into D.L.S. for testing.”³

Diversified TEST Technologies’ Frierson said, “We advise our customers to get us involved in their product test program early in the design phase. We also advise them to have a fully working product with all available options to submit for testing. Additionally, we tell our customers to be prepared with possible solutions to mitigate any failures they could encounter during the test program.”

Said Poggi at Retlif, “The best advice I could give would be for the customer to be in contact with the laboratory prior to the actual testing to make certain everyone is on the same page. There are quite a few issues that need to be addressed, and the list could have changed since the quoting process. Test procedures could have been revised, and modification to the test sample could have occurred. Further, having a very clear idea of the test setup is vitally important since a good setup can help to maximize a sample’s chances for approval.”

Call Ahead

Stillings at Compliance Worldwide explained, “Customers work closely with our sales person and technical staff to understand what are the required standards for their products and what cabling and support equipment are needed to operate their products for the testing. Checklists are sent as part of the quotation process.”

“We work closely with our customers, and every project is unique, usually requiring special attention, so it’s difficult to give general advice,” said Compatible Electronics’ Hall. “The best recommendation I could offer, whether you plan to send the project to Compatible Electronics or another lab, would be to give us a call and ask as many questions as you like. We give information freely, and you most certainly will find value in our knowledge and advice no matter where you end up sending the project.”