Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) can be defined as the ability of electronics and electrical equipment to operate in their intended environments without suffering unacceptable performance degradation or unintentionally causing performance degradation in other equipment operating in the same shared environment.
Performance degrading threats can be naturally occurring or man-made and can be categorized into 4 types of tests:
- Radiated Immunity
- Radiated Emissions
- Conducted Immunity
- Conducted Emissions
The tests for EMC are defined by various standards and adopted by numerous organizations. It's imperative that products meet the requirements set forth in these standards, because, among basic interoperability, public safety also relies on the products to perform as intended.
With such a vast array of different electrical and electronic systems available on the market, all with their own specific needs in terms of EMC, it should be no surprise that there are a sizable number of EMC test standards available.
Unfortunately, keeping track of and knowing which standards to apply can be a difficult task in and of itself. Below is an overview of some of the more common standards used across the industry.
