Conformity Magazine - September 2007 - (Page 29)

4. An expanded test method for ungrounded equipment, including battery operated equipment, is included. As the use of such equipment increases, it seems only reasonable to discuss how to test it in more detail. Informative annexes have also been added that discuss radiated electromagnetic fields from the generator, measurement uncertainty and an escalation strategy that can be used for assessing EUTs that marginally pass or fail the test. These informative annexes serve two purposes. They provide useful information on these topics that may be used by test labs at their option in situations that may sometimes occur. Measurement uncertainty, for example, is a topic that is will need to be addressed by a lab that is accredited to ISO Guide 17025. In the case of radiated fields, the annex provides guidance and information to explain how this uncontrolled facet of the test generator may impact the reproducibility of test results, and may help generate data that could be useful in developing a specification on this parameter in the future. 5. know the answers to these more questions. We do, however, know the questions, and are confident that Edition 2.0 of the standard will provide incremental improvements and advancements in the state of the art of ESD testing at the system level. John Maas is the corporate program manager for the low frequency electromagnetics and pulsed electromagnetic phenomena standards project authority at IBM Corporation, and can be reached at johnmaas@us.ibm.com. References 1. IEC 61000-4-2, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 4-2: Testing and measurement techniques – Electrostatic discharge immunity test K. Hall, D. McCarthy, D. Dale, D. Smith, J. Nuebel, J. Barth and H. Hyatt, “Steps taken to determine why different IEC 1000-4-2 ESD simulators produce different results,” International Zurich Symposium on EMC, pp 105-108, 1997. IEC 77B/491/CD IEC 77B/538/CD 2. The period for National Committee comments on this second CD ended in July 2007. The comments will be addressed at the next MT12 meeting in September 2007. At that time, the project will most likely move on to the first voting stage on a committee draft (CDV). If the comments warrant it, a third CD could be circulated for further comments without voting. It should be noted that these proposals are subject to change as the revision project proceeds. What Lies Ahead? What does the future hold for this important industry standard? The exact course it will take is difficult to predict. In the short term, we can expect that Edition 2.0 will be published and that it will include incremental changes. These changes should improve the usefulness and application of this standard in an evolutionary way. These changes may or may not be exactly as described here. However, this article provides a summary of the direction in which the standard is headed today. Beyond this edition of IEC 61000-4-2, it is reasonable to expect research to continue into parameters that could result in more revolutionary change to the standard and/or test generator. A more complete understanding the radiated fields associated with real ESD events is already drawing interest. Much research is needed to correlate the fields from the real events with the simulated events created by ESD test generators. Developing a way to adequately and accurately specify these fields is not a trivial task, but it is a task that would need to be resolved before such a specification could be included in this standard. Would doing so solve any remaining test result reproducibility issues? How would this impact the design of test generators? What would the cost be to do this? At this time, we do not 3. 4. FAST Link www.conformity.com/0940 September 2007 Conformity 29 http://www.conformity.com/0940 http://www.ddbunlimited.com http://www.ddbunlimited.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Conformity Magazine - September 2007

Contents Editor’s Note FCC Extends Disability Access Requirements to VOIP Commission Fines Importer $3 Million Over Non-Compliant TVs FCC Gets Tough on Retailers Over Analog TV Tuner Labeling Analog Cellular Service Sunset Date Reaffirmed Commission Adopts Recommendations of Katrina Panel Free-Space Antenna Factors Through the Use of Time-Domain Signal Processing Editorial Correction ESD Open Forum An Update on Revisions to IEC 61000-4-2, the Basic Standard on ESD Practical Advice for Meeting the DFS Testing Requirements of the FCC The EMC Impact of Embedded Software ESD Design Buyer's Guide Tate Renominated to the FCC EPA Releases Report on U.S. Electronic Waste Additional Standards For The EU’s Toy Directive Medical Device Manufacturer Enters Consent Order Updated Guidance Document on Laser Products Issued FDA Offers Advice on Defective Heating Pads CPSC Issues China Product Safety Program Report Other CPSC Actions In The News IEC Standards Update Product Reviews Product News UL Standards Update From Our “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” Department Looking Back: Items from Past Issues of Conformity Advertisers

Conformity Magazine - September 2007

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