EMC

EMC

 

What is EMC?

 

There are a lot of different abbreviations around, most of them being incomprehensible to ordinary mortals. Probably one of them is EMC.

 

What does it stand for? Why might your company have to bother with it? And how is it put into practice? The information here tries to answer these questions.

 

What does the abbreviation "EMC" stand for? It is short for electromagnetic compatibility. In other words, it is about good neighborliness when it comes to electrical or electronics devices.

 

Any electric or electronic device can emit electromagnetic energy. It acts very much like an unintentional transmitter of electromagnetic energy (similar to a radio transmitter). At the same

time any electronic device can couple into an electromagnetic wave thus acting as a receiver of

electromagnetic energy; very much like a radio receiver.

 

This received energy can cause the electronic device to malfunction.

 

This leads to what is known as essential EMC requirements for electronic devices.

 

The first requirement is that the electromagnetic emissions of such devices must not cause other

equipment to malfunction.

 

The second is that these devices shall be immune to electromagnetic energy.

 

These requirements are very vague and mean different things to different people.

 

In order to standardize these essential requirements the European Union has issued a number of

different directives relating to EMC (e.g. the generic EMC directive or the automotive EMC

directive).

 

These directives are directed at the member states, which are required to transpose them into

national law, i.e. write them into their law books.

 

In the UK they have been transposed and electronics manufacturers should find out if their

products are within the scope of one or another EMC directive.