EMC Testing Lab for Emissions, Immunity and Compliance

EMC testing, short for electromagnetic compatibility testing, checks two things: that a product does not emit electromagnetic noise above the limits its market sets, and that it keeps working when it meets the disturbances of normal use. Nearly every product with electronics needs it before it can be sold, under rules such as FCC Part 15 Subpart B in the US, ICES-003 in Canada and the EMC Directive for CE marking in Europe.

Emissions testing measures what your product puts out. Radiated emissions are measured with antennas in a semi-anechoic chamber; conducted emissions are measured on the power cord, and for mains-powered products both are normally required. Harmonics and flicker cover what the product does to the supply itself.

Immunity testing (also called susceptibility testing) does the reverse. We expose the product to electrostatic discharge, radiated RF fields, fast transients, surges, RF on its cables, magnetic fields and voltage dips, and check that it carries on working to the performance criteria the standard sets.

Switching power supplies and fast clock edges generate harmonics that radiate from any cable long enough to act as an antenna. Unfiltered inputs let transients onto the board, and a poor ground bond or badly terminated shield will undo a good circuit design. The earlier a design is checked, the cheaper each fix is.

For most electronic products, yes. Without EMC compliance a product cannot legally be sold in most markets. What changes from market to market is which standards apply and whether immunity is required as well as emissions.

Medical devices, automotive components and railway equipment carry their own product standards, and those almost always include immunity. Products with a radio also need radio testing: see wireless testing.

Some of the standards we test to include the ones below, grouped by the industries that ask for them.

Vehicle and mining equipment also has its own automotive and mining testing page.

We also cover MIL-STD-461 for defense programs, delivered through our in-house partner lab.

Our EMC testing is ISO/IEC 17025 accredited by A2LA under certificate 5179.02; see our accreditations.

Radiated emissions and radiated immunity run in our 10 m semi-anechoic chamber in Aurora, Ontario, with a second 3 m chamber for radiated emissions and radio work. Conducted, transient and power-quality tests run in the same lab, so a full program stays on one schedule. Equipment too large to move is tested at your site.

• 10 m semi-anechoic chamber for radiated emissions and radiated immunity
• A second 3 m semi-anechoic chamber for radiated emissions and radio measurements
• Radiated emissions from 9 kHz to 40 GHz, at 10 m or 3 m below 1 GHz and at 3 m above 1 GHz
• 4 m turntable rated to 10,000 lb; 3 m x 3 m chamber door; equipment up to 4 m wide and 3 m tall
• Single-phase, three-phase and DC power to the equipment, up to 600 V and 100 A
• Conducted emissions measured on a dedicated ground-plane test site
• Radiated immunity from 80 MHz to 6 GHz over a 1.5 m x 1.5 m uniform field area
• FCC measurements on our accredited scope up to 40 GHz
• Field testing on site for ESD, EFT/burst, surge, conducted immunity, power-frequency magnetic field, voltage dips/interruptions, current harmonics, voltage fluctuations and flicker, and CISPR 11 / EN 55011

1. Send us the details. Product, power input, ports and cables, target markets and any standard your customer has named.
2. Test plan and quote. We confirm which standards apply, which tests and levels they call up and what operating modes need to be exercised, then quote it.
3. Optional pre-scan. If the design is new or has failed before, a pre-scan finds the problems while they are still cheap to fix.
4. Accredited testing. The product runs through the plan in our lab or on your site. Results are reported as tested, and any modification made along the way is documented in the report. If something fails, our engineers help you find the cause and try fixes while the product is still here.
5. Report and certification support. You receive an accredited test report. Where a market needs a certification, such as an FCC grant or ISED certification for a radio, we arrange it through our Recognized Testing Laboratory partner.

Cost depends on the standards, operating modes and cables to be exercised. The more of this you can send, the tighter the quote:

• Product type and what it does
• Power input: mains, battery or DC, voltage, current and phase
• Size and weight, and whether it is tabletop or floor-standing
• Operating modes and how we can tell it is working (pass criteria)
• Cables and ports that leave the enclosure, and their lengths
• Whether it contains a radio or pre-certified radio module
• Target markets and any standard or level your customer has specified
• Where it will be used: residential, commercial, industrial or medical
• How many samples you can supply and whether you want a pre-scan first
• Whether the testing should happen in our lab or at your site

Send us the details and we will confirm the requirement and quote it. We respond within 24 hours.

One lab for EMC, environmental and product safety. The same site in Aurora, Ontario runs environmental testing and product safety alongside EMC, so a product that needs IEC 60601-1-2 and IEC 60601-1, or CISPR 32 and a vibration profile, can be planned as one program.

Accredited and recognized. Our testing is ISO/IEC 17025 accredited by A2LA (certificate 5179.02). Separately, we are FCC recognized and ISED recognized under CAB CA0102.

Engineers who help you pass. A failed scan is the start of a conversation. Our engineers help you find the source and try fixes during the session, and the pre-scan is there for designs that need that work before the formal test.