CKC News Briefs
February 16, 2011
CKC's emissions test sites are now accredited to perform above 1 GHz testing to CISPR22: 2005 (with A1) and EN55022:2006 (with A1). These accreditations cover country specific requirements for Europe, Australia/new Zealand, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
Above 1 GHz requirements for Europe (EN) are mandatory for products that will be on the market after October 2011. For products being marketed in Korea and Taiwan, above 1 GHz testing is already required.
EN55022 and CISPR22 both call for unique site set-ups during above 1 GHz which are conversely not allowed for measurements below 1 GHz. The special set-up involves, at the very least, a large block of anechoic materials being arranged on the floor between your device and the receiving antenna. Depending on the highest internal clock frequency of the device under test, data will be taken from 1 GHz up to 6 GHz. To determine whether or not the high frequency emissions requirements apply to your product, there is a simple rule to follow. If the highest frequency of the internal sources of the EUT is less than 108MHz, the measurement shall only be made up to 1GHz. If the highest frequency of the internal sources of the EUT is above 108 MHz , then measurements should be made above 1 GHz. The highest internal source of an EUT is defined as the highest frequency generated or used within the EUT or on which the EUT operates or tunes.
Please contact a CKC representative today to discuss the applicability of these new requirements to your product and to obtain an estimate for testing.
January 2, 2011
CKC Laboratories in Brea, CA and Mariposa, CA offer full testing and certification services for ITE products destined for the Korean market. After KN22/KN24 testing takes place on one of our accredited sites, CKC provides complete certification and agency liaison services through BWS Tech. Beginning in late January 2011, CKC will also be able to provide Korean testing and certification services for short-range transmitters. For more information, please contact us today.
February 15, 2010
CISPR has been hard at work on new EMC standards for Multimedia Equipment (MME) to be known as CISPR 32 and CISPR 35. This new set of international standards will address the convergence of ITE and broadcast receiver technologies. The EMC standards for broadcast receivers are being merged with ITE (Information Technology Equipment) standards to avoid applicability confusion.
The standards for this new category, known as Multimedia Equipment (MME), are being developed as CISPR 32 (emissions) and 35 (immunity). When published, the corresponding European standards will be known as EN55032 and EN55035. In the best case scenario, CISPR 32 will be published in late in 2010, but more likely will be seen closer to the end of 2011. The publication of CISPR 35 will occur 1-2 years after CISPR 32.
February 15, 2010
In an E-mailed sent on January 8th by Adam Gouker of A2LA, we have learned that NAVAIR recently amended its guidelines to include clear acceptance of test results from A2LA accredited EMC labs, such as CKC. This is great news for CKC customers performing MIL-STD 461 testing for NAVAIR contracts.
According to Mr. Gouker, "there has often been confusion and uncertainty within the EMC testing community on whether or not an A2LA - ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation of an Electrical (EMC) testing laboratory would be recognized as part of the EMI qualification program established by the Department of the Navy for MIL-STD-461 testing." At CKC, the confusion and uncertainty about NAVAIR's acceptance of our A2LA accredited test results has caused difficulties that we certainly would have preferred to avoid. Fortunately, in most cases, we have been able to successfully negotiate with customer and NAVAIR representatives to gain approval for A2LA accredited results. However, this is a less than ideal situation which creates unneeded stress and loss of productivity for everyone involved.
The credit and thanks go to A2LA management who worked diligently to rectify this confusion and uncertainty with NAVAIR. Please note that NAVAIR Instruction 2400.1, "Electromagnetic Environmental Effects and Spectrum Supportability Policy and Procedures" has been recently revised and now explicitly identifies the accreditation requirements for the laboratories supporting the qualification testing program. A copy of this document may be obtained from CKC upon request by E-mail here