Conformity Magazine - September 2008 - (Page 52)

Process Measurement and Control Equipment Committee began working on the development of a set of EMC standards, the first of which would be IEC 801-2 for ESD, published in 1984. This was to be the first internationally recognized standard that specified the network to be used, the injected current waveform, and the methods, including the environment. The Industrial-Process Measurement and Control Equipment Committee represented an industry where electromagnetic and pneumatic controls were rapidly being replaced by computer controls, and there was great concern about what would happen if computers failed due to upset from ESD or other EMC events. Having a process plant shut down by an ESD event would be disastrous from a financial point of view, not to mention the unknown commands (or lack of commands) an upset computer could have in the plant. Computer control meant the control room in a process plant was transformed from a concrete block-house to an office-like environment with carpets on the floor, air-conditioning and humidity control, and it was quickly realized that any standard developed for this environment had application for the general office environment as well. Continued development of ESD and other EMC standards was subsequently moved to Technical Committee 77, where responsibility for EMC resides to this day. Because of its international status under the IEC, this committee would become the driving force for EMC standards world-wide. For compliance with the essential provisions of the EMC Directive, the EU chose to use international standards and convert them to European Norms (ENs), rather than developing a whole new set of “European” standards. Today, European Norms are essentially identical to standards created by the IEC or the CISPR - Comité Internationale Spécial des Perturbations Radioelectrotechnique (International Special Committee on Radio Interference, IEC). Why Are IEC 61000-4-2 Compliant Simulators Dominant Outside Europe? By making the EMC Directive and others mandatory in the EU and by passing laws to enforce these directives, any manufacturer worldwide wanting to do business with any country that is part of the EU (or any country inside Europe wanting to expand into other European countries) had to comply with these IEC and CISPR-based standards. IEC 8012 for ESD became IEC 1000-4-2 and then IEC 61000-4-2, and companies worldwide needed compliant ESD simulators. With the publication of the first EMC Directive in 1989, the market for ESD simulators soared. For the first time, an international standard was in place that forced manufacturers across the globe to seek ESD simulators with the same output characteristics, and commercial manufacturers were there to provide them.5 New simulators are still being designed today to meet higher voltage requirements, and which add new user features. Because of the dominance of the IEC 61000-4-2 and the wide availability of ESD simulators to meet that standard, harmonization began to take place naturally. Rather than having to do multiple different ESD tests, manufacturers doing business in the EU modified their internal test standards. As industry standards came due for revision or modifications, manufacturers pushed them in the direction of harmonization with the IEC standards. In addition, national standards organizations were similarly pushed towards harmonization. Today, harmonized versions of IEC 61000-4-2 for ESD testing exist in many industry organizations, including ANSI, TIA, Telcordia, SAE, UL, ISO and others, not to mention national requirements in counties like China, Korea, Japan, Australia and India. Figure 4: A simplified ESD simulator circuit from IEC 61000-4-2 Figures 5a and 5b: Examples of modern ESD Simulators – a small, battery operated unit and a 30kV unit for special applications (photos courtesy of Thermo Fisher Scientific). 52 Conformity September 2008

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Conformity Magazine - September 2008 Contents Editor’s Note Commission Adopts Regulations for Internet-Based TRS Services Another Company Fined for Non-Compliance with HAC Requirements FCC Extends “Do-Not-Call” Registry Compliance Requirements Marketing Company Gets $1.4 Million Fine for Junk Faxes EU Commission Codifies Directive on TTE Market Competition EU Commission Releases Updated Standards List for the R&TTE Directive Updated Standards List for the “New” Low Voltage Directive Released New Standards List Released for the EU’s Machinery Directive The ESD Association: Voluntary Standards in Action ESD Open Forum Medical EMC Standards: Towards the 4th Edition of IEC 60601-1-2 iNARTE Informer Pre-Pulse Voltage in the HBM ESD Model Digital Interfaces and EMC Performance ESD Design Buyer’s Guide Product News Commission Publishes Updated Standards List for the EU’s Personal Protective Equipment Directive FDA Links “Human Factors” to Adverse Events with Medical Devices CPSC Actions in the News IEC Standards Update UL Standards Update Product Reviews Telcordia Standards Update From Our “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” Department Looking Back: Items from Past Issues of Conformity Advertisers

Conformity Magazine - September 2008

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