Base stations and mobile devices generate most unwanted signals that cause noise and interference, however other RF devices can also disturb the spectrum. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is interference caused by electromagnetic fields generated from an electronic device or electrical current. EMI can be man-made, like from electrical circuits, or can occur naturally, like lightning.

Many countries enforce strict EMI compliance standards, and their regulatory bodies demand formal EMI compliance tests. To save on the cost of formal testing and accelerate time-to-market, companies that develop electrical devices and systems must measure the EMI emissions of their designed devices before sending them to formal compliance testing. EMI performance verification and diagnostics are common tests for the lab, the manufacturing floor, field equipment, and regulatory inspections.

Before compliance measurements can be performed on a product, some preliminary questions must be answered: 

1. Where will the product be sold? For example, the United States, Europe, or Japan?
2. What is the classification of the product? For example, information technology equipment (ITE), industrial, scientific, or medical (ISM), or automotive and communications.
3. Where will the product be used? For example, home, commercial, light industry, or heavy industry.

With the answers to the questions above, you can determine which testing requirements apply to your product by referring to Tables 1 and 2 below. For example, if you have determined that your product is an ITE device that will be sold in the U.S., then you need to test the product to FCC Part 15 regulations.

EMI Testing Now Available on FieldFox

A new software option is available for EMI pre-compliance testing using Keysight FieldFox handheld analyzers. Option 361 supports EMI scanning on FieldFox B-models, shown in Figure 1. Spectrum analyzer option 233 is required to enable option 361. Option 361 includes:

• CISPR pre-set (or pre-defined) band support
• 6-dB CISPR resolution bandwidth (RBW) support – 200 Hz, 9kHz, 120kHz and 1MHz
• ISPR detectors – Peak, Quasi-Peak, and EMI average
• Log frequency sweep
• User-definable limit line
• CISPR full band and zoom scan
• Fast SA scan
• Amplitude probability distribution (APD)
• Complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF)
• Histogram display

 
Keysight’s FieldFox handheld analyzer provides a comprehensive solution to measure EMI, APD, FFT spectrum analysis, and real-time spectrum analysis (with option 350) with density and spectrogram displays. It is an ideal, handheld solution to address all EMI troubleshooting issues in the field.
Already own a FieldFox? No problem — if you own a B-model with option 233 enabled, you can upgrade your unit to include option 361, simply by enabling the software license. Try it free here.

Find out more about FieldFox’s EMI test capabilities in this solutions brief.