Medical Equipment EMC and Electrical Susceptibility Issues Incidents of medical equipment EMC susceptibility failures highlight the necessity of adequately accessing the electrical and electromagnetic environment of modern medical facilities.  Many of these were featured in the January 2020 IN Compliance Banana Peels column.  While the need for reliable operation of medical equipment is obvious, this

Product Compliance Testing Product compliance testing is a requirement for bringing products to market.  These tests vary dependent on which global market sectors are being targeted.  Requirements differ from product type to product type and standards are constantly being created and revised.  It requires a great deal of effort to stay current on what testing

Water is a Major Concern in Product Ruggedness Testing Water is part of many test methods when evaluating product ruggedness. We live in a world that is predominated by the substance, and its effects on products for any application are severe. Because of this, products must be evaluated for their abilities to endure exposure to

When to Start Using MIL-STD-810 Most product designers begin using MIL STD 810 when they are ready to select test methodologies to evaluate a product, but to get the most from this standard it should be employed when first establishing design criteria and specifications.  Using the standard this way can save significant time and money

MIL STD 461 RE102 Radiated Emissions Testing MIL-STD-461 RE102 is a test method for evaluating electric field radiated emissions from systems and subsystems enclosures and cabling designed for U.S. military applications.  Requirements and testing vary for intended platform of intended installation.  The frequency ranges applicable for various platforms are: Ground:  2 MHz to 18 GHz

MIL-STD-810 Shock Methods and Procedures MIL-STD-810 contains numerous shock methods and procedures.  This is because the types of shock likely to be encountered during a product’s logistic, tactical, and operational service life are substantial.  MIL-STD-810 therefore, must contain multiple methods and procedures to simulate these events in laboratory testing.  To ensure effective developmental test and

MIL-STD-810 H Places Added Requirements on Product Developers and Test Labs. MIL-STD-810 H was released in 2019.  This revision not only included major alterations and in many cases complete rewrites of test methods and procedures but also revised requirements that effect the manner in which all testing must be conducted.  These requirements effect both test

Military Susceptibility Testing Military Susceptibility Testing is performed to determine if a product can maintain normal operation when exposed to electrical, magnetic, and radio frequency, emissions and disturbances likely to be found in its intended environment.  In military applications, the density of equipment on a given platform and the levels of potential emissions and disturbances

Military Power Quality Testing Can Be Challenging Test requirements for equipment designed for use on military platforms include a number of power quality standards.  These standards evaluate the equipment’s ability to operate normally when subjected to disturbances characteristically found on their platform of intended use.  They also place limits on the level of disturbance the

Product Liability Issues can be Prevented by Proper Test and Evaluation Product Liability and Testing are areas that are of increased concern for product developers and manufacturers.  As products become more complex, properly designed test and evaluation programs must verify designs to prevent product liability issues that can greatly damage a company’s reputation. What is Product Liability?

COTS for Military Applications The Defense Department is integrating more Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) components for military applications including mission critical systems.  While this is a fantastic opportunity for businesses to gain access to a lucrative market, it also poses some serious challenges. Once approved for a military application the manufacturer of the COTS

FCC Streamlines Approval Process The FCC approval process has been streamlined for unintentional radiators.  Most electronic devices create radio frequency (RF) energy.  This energy can interfere with devices.  Intentional radiators are devices which communicate by way of radio frequencies (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, radio).  Unintentional radiators create RF energy from their power supplies and digital components.  These

EMC Test Plans EMC Test Plans are important in preparing for your trip to the lab.  The test plan should communicate all relevant information about the nature of the system to be tested.  This will allow the test lab to sufficiently assess the requirements needed to complete testing.  These requirements include: size of chamber, number

Developmental Test and Evaluation Developmental Test and Evaluation (DT&E) is normally conducted by designers of military equipment to verify that the product will meet specifications.  These tests are generally performed on the component level in a laboratory setting.  Testing is conducted early in the acquisition process.  Properly conducted, this testing can decrease the costs and