Shielding Efficacy Testing
Assessing Shielding Effectiveness for Electromagnetic Compatibility
A regulated performance measure evaluates the ability of radiation and electromagnetic frequency (RF) signals in material and enclosures.
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What is Shielding Efficacy Testing Testing?
We test shielding to make sure electronic devices don’t mess with each other. Shielding is like a metal box that blocks radio waves (RF signals). We test this box to ensure it works properly.
There are two main reasons for good shielding:
- Keep the device’s radio waves inside: Strong radio waves from a device can mess up other electronics nearby. The test makes sure the device’s radio waves are contained.
- Keep outside radio waves out: Outside radio waves can mess up the device itself. The test makes sure the box protects the device from these external radio waves.
Ideally, a well-shielded device keeps its radio waves in and unwanted outside radio waves out. The exact amount of shielding needed depends on the device and how it’s used.
Cable Shielding
An important feature of cables is electromagnetic shielding. The blindness will mitigate the coupling between radio waves and electromagnetic fields. The degree of reduction will rely on the material used, the thickness of the material, the size of the volume shielded, and the frequency of the areas of interest. The scale, form and direction or apertures in an incident electromagnetic field are also affecting the performance of the shield. RF Shielding is also known as electromagnetic shielding that blocks radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation.
Shielding Efficacy Test Steps
- Material Testing: Two chambers with a shared wall are used. One chamber transmits a set of signals, the other receives them. Any signal not received is considered blocked by the material in the shared wall.
- Device Testing: The device under test is placed in a chamber and bombarded with EMI. Functionality is monitored to see if the device is disrupted. Standards define acceptable levels of disruption for different devices.
- Facility Testing: Similar to material testing, antennas are placed on either side of a wall, window, etc. One transmits, the other receives. This tests the shielding effectiveness of the entire building structure. This is important for industries that rely on uninterrupted work.