Electromagnetic Compatibility/Interference

NATC personnel have over thirty years of experience in complex system EMI / EMC testing, design and engineering. NATC has a dedicated EMC / EMI test chamber equipped to provide commercial and military EMI measurements from 20 Hz to 22 GHz quickly and easily. NATC enjoys an advantageous location for EMC testing, situated in a rural area with negligible ambient emissions.

NATC uses a Hewlett Packard 8572A EMI Measurement System supported by built-in microwave amplifiers (1 GHz to 26.5 GHz) which can be switched in for optimum sensitivity, and a dedicated low-frequency input port (20 Hz to 50 MHz) with built-in limiter and attenuator for conducted emissions measurements. For commercial EMI measurements, capabilities include quasi-peak measurements using added bandwidths (200 Hz, 9 kHz, and 120 kHz). For military applications, NATC's receiver is optimized for both peak and average detection measurements using impulse bandwidths. NATC emissions and susceptibility (immunity) testing meet the following standards for radiated emissions, conducted emissions, radiated susceptibility, and conducted susceptibility: MIL-STD-461A, B, C and D, FCC, VDE, VFG, DOC, VCCI, MDS 201.0004 (U.S. Medical), SAE, EC-92 (European Economic Community) directive 89/336/EEC (old CISPR and IEC). In addition, NATC can perform tests to the following standards: MIL-STD-285, attenuation measurement for enclosures, MIL-STD-220A, insertion loss measurements, MIL-STD-464, electromagnetic environmental effects requirements for systems, MIL-STD-1275A, DC electrical systems in military vehicles, and MIL-STD-1377, shielding effectiveness.

NATC’s pre-production EMC compliance evaluation testing saves time and money in product development by providing initial evaluations of a product’s EMC compliance and by providing corrective actions for the product to meet compliance standards. It is often difficult for a new or existing product to meet the increasing number of EMC compliance standards in the first compliance test. NATC has the experience to support pre-compliance EMC design evaluations and to assist in establishing grounding and shielding configurations that will enable the manufacturer to meet EMC compliance standards. NATC can provide testing and certification to meet all international EMC compliance standards, allowing the tested and certified product to be marketed internationally.

Operation of a vehicle can degrade its ability to meet EMC compliance standards. EMC seals and configurations, to meet EMC requirements, must have the flexibility to function in the full range of operational environments. NATC understands the environmental conditions and vehicle operations that can degrade the performance of the system and its ability to meet EMC requirements. NATC conducts accelerated life cycle tests including environmental cycles and shock and vibration testing to simulate real world operations in a short period of time. As a function of its accelerated life cycle testing, NATC can also evaluate operational EMC degradation over the service life of the product or system. NATC can provide salt fog, low and high temperature and other corrosive environments to evaluate the rate of degradation of EMC seals. By simulating the conditions in which the system will operate, it is possible to determine the ability of the system to continue to meet specification.

1. Electromagnetic Interference
2. Manufacturers Electrometrics, EMCO, Hewlett Packard, Scientific Atlanta
3. Sensor Types Active rod, biconical, log periodic
4. Range 1 Hz to 22 GHz available
5. Calibration Performed by the manufacturer