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Product category: Compliance Engineering
News Release from: Schaffner | Subject: Test equipment
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 11 January 2001

Baxall turns to Schaffner to equip EMC
test lab

Even with the proliferation of highly professional EMC test laboratories in the UK, many companies have found it necessary to set up their own in-house test facilities.

Even with the proliferation of highly professional EMC test laboratories in the UK, many companies have found it necessary to set up their own in-house test facilities But what are the motivations for this sometimes expensive exercise? It can be that their products are very "time to market" critical and therefore cannot afford to "join the queue" for test time at an independent laboratory

Equally, the products under test may be so complex that to a test house other than the in-house facility is cost prohibitive.

Also, with some products, it is essential that the EMC test "map" is clear from design to manufacture, an action that can be best implemented in house.

Baxall is a CCTV equipment and associated device manufacturer of Greater Manchester.

The company could not be sure that its products were compliant without testing in-house because its equipment range is complex, featuring a number of computer-type clock processes.

Equally, certain of the company's products, due to the speed at which technology is advancing, have a life span of only 9 to 18 months, and so time to market is critical.

As Baxall's equipment is used in the security environment, it must be compliant to all the relevant standards.

It is therefore essential that, from the early design stage, the product is EMC compliant.

It must be established that a product, when entering the manufacturing cycle, is compliant eg SMD production technology does not permit one-off prototypes as with leaded technology.

Baxall's customer base is both large and worldwide, and some of these will often require confirmation of EMC compliance - to the extent of requiring copies of test results.

As their systems are often custom it is much easier to implement their requirements if the testing is carried out in house.

A further important reason is that, with the designers on hand, any EMC problems arising from the test can be dealt with almost instantly, thus saving time and money.

John Miles of Baxall comments: "The rectification of one EMC fault could pay for 75% of the total equipment cost, particularly when independent test houses could charge up to £1000 per day.

Also, their test environment may be unsuitable to the remedial process.

It is evident therefore that the cost of setting up an in-house test site can be supported from two major avenues that of "time to market" and "economics".

In order to test to test the wide range of products manufactured by Baxall the equipment purchased for the test house was required to cover a wide range of parameters: immunity required for CCTV equipment post 2001 and EN50130-A.

Effectively, all the equipment came from one source - Schaffner EMC Ltd - combining the company's established range of immunity test equipment with the world renowned range of emissions equipment from Group subsidiary Schaffner-Chase.

In Miles' opinion, that there are not a surfeit of companies from whom EMC test equipment can be purchased.

However he considers The Schaffner Group to have a worldwide reputation, and to date the equipment has proved to be extremely reliable.

The Schaffner equipment included: NSG 2070 microprocessor controlled generator, NSG 435 ESD simulator, NSG 2025 fast transient generator, and NSG 2050 surge generator.

The NSG 2070 is a self-contained high-frequency generator that offers all the functions for comprehensive testing of susceptibility to induced RF signals, according to IEC1000-4-6 and standards based on it.

Features include an automated self-calibration function and an interrupt mode that allows engineers to pause the test at any point.

The instrument also cuts test times significantly and improves repeatability and therefore reliability.

Comprehensive testing is a feature of the NSG 2050.

Using a modular concept, the surge generator is based on a series of plug-in pulse modules and coupling networks.

Its flexibility allows users to create optimised cost-effective surge testing systems for a broad range of applications.

The NSG 435 is a hand-held tester with a Windows-based software module.

The WIN 435 package includes all the necessary hardware and software to provide the real-time access to all instrument functions, as well as offering test sequencing, programming and reporting capabilities.

Users can select tests from a library which includes all those required for full compliance testing to EN 61000-4-2 or can create their own sequences using the full capabilities of the simulator, with positive or negative contact discharges up to 9kV and air discharges up to 16.5kV.

The reasons therefore for setting up an in house test site are quite complex.

Essentially compliance testing must begin with the initial design.

Component parts must be designed for testability, particularly PCBs - there is no second chance with SMDs.

Although an in-house test site can be expensive, compared with the cost of field breakdown, independent house charges and peace of mind the cost comparison more than satisfies the accountants! Finally, in house test sites result in design confidentiality, for security equipment absolutely essential. Request a free brochure from Schaffner ...

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