ACIL

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ACIL iNARTE Update

• Membership Benefits and Programs for The EMC and
  TCB Community
• Mike Violette
• American Council of Independent Laboratories
• International Association of Radio and
  Telecommunications Engineers

2
ACIL Organization

• Founded 1937
• Independent Trade Association HQ in Washington DC
• Focus is on the Independent Laboratory
• Process Improvement
• Business Benefits
• Education

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iNARTE

• iNARTE is worldwide association providing
  personnel Certification
• Telecom
• EMC
• Product Safety
• ESD
• Wireless System Installation
• iNARTE Certification provides documented evidence
  of expertise as recognized by US Courts and the
  international community.
• Credibility of the iNARTE certification for
  communications, transportation, utility and
  manufacturing corporations as well as the US
  military
• The rigorous iNARTE certification criteria prove
  to employers that certified individuals have the
  training, experience, discipline and the
  initiative to get the job done right.

narte.org
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ACIL Values

• Support accreditation, training and other
  programs that advance high-quality services.
• Spirit of Community and Sharing
• Within ACIL, competitors work together to solve
  common problems.
• Growth of Individuals and Their Businesses
• Advocacy for Our Industry

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Direct Benefits

• Low-Cost Professional Liability Insurance
• Instrumentation and Supplies
• Human Resources Support Services
• Laboratory Testing Staffing Services
• ListServ

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ACIL Sections

• Construction Materials
• Conformity Assessment Testing - Testing, product
  certification, listing or labeling in accordance
  with applicable domestic, international or
  foreign government industry, safety and
  performance standards
• Environmental Sciences Testing
• Microbiological and Analytical Chemistry Testing

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Bennies to Our Community

• ANSI C63 Membership
• Updates from Regulators, Accreditors and Industry
  Activists
• USCEL forum for resolving problems
• Common Ground for Meeting Accreditors, Regulatory
  Agencies, Vendors and Competitors
• Round Robin Inter-laboratory Comparison
• CE, RE above and below 1 GHz
• National Cooperation for Laboratories
  Accreditation
• Accreditation simplification

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Update from the ACIL Mid-Winter Meeting

• February 16-18, 2008
• Washington DC
• Updates from NIST
• MRA Updates International Impact
• ANSI Standards
• Review of ANSI C63.4

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NIST UpdateNIST Role Designating Authority

• NIST receives and processes applications from US
  CABs seeking recognition from other
  countries/economies
• NISTs role is to
• Verify competence
• Nominate and Designate
• List
• Monitor performance
• Suspend
• Withdraw
• Reinstate

Source R. Saar, NIST
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MRA Basics - Benefits

• Increases number of conformity assessment bodies
  that can attest to the conformance of a product.
• Reduces time to market by eliminating lengthy or
  unnecessary retesting and reviews
• Reduces the cost needed to export a product to
  market
• New technologies reach end users faster and at
  lower cost
• Helps increase the transparency of regulations,
  laws, policies, and procedures in other
  economies/countries

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Current MRAs

• US-EU MRA 27 member countries
• APEC Tel MRA 21 member economies
• US-EFTA MRA 3 member countries
• CITEL MRA 34 member countries
• not operational yet
• US-Japan MRA Bi-Lateral Signed Feb 2007
• not operational yet

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APEC TEL MRA

• Most Recent Development
• January 23, 2008 Meeting with Hong Kong to
  implement Phase II
• FCC/NIST/ABs/Industry Canada
• Step I - Development a training program for all
  US stakeholders consider October 2008 TCB
  Council meeting
• Step II - ABs (A2LA and ANSI) to obtain NVCASE
  recognition to new Hong Kong scope so these ABs
  can accredit CBs to the Hong Kong requirements
• Next APEC Tel WG and MRA meeting
• Tokyo, Japan, March 23 to 28, 2008

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ANSI C63

• C63 Committee is ANSI-Accredited for production
  of EMC (and now wireless) standards for the
  industry
• ACIL Members Gain Access to Meetings, drafts
  under development and current information from
  FCC
• Twice yearly attendance by ACIL rep or alternate
  (MV and Bill Stumpf, DLS)
• Meeting minutes distributed
• Comments on standards activity

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ANSI Standards Critical to TCBS/EMC Labs

• C63.4-2003 American National Standard for Methods
  of Measurement of Radio-Noise Emissions from
  Low-Voltage Electrical and Electronic Equipment
  in the Range of 9 kHz to 40 GHz
• C63.5-2004 American National Standard for
  Calibration of Antennas Used for Radiated
  Emission Measurements in ElectroMagnetic
  Interference
• C63.17-1998 American National Standard for
  Methods of Measurement of the Electromagnetic and
  Operational Compatibility of Unlicensed Personal
  Communications Services (UPCS) Devices
• C63.19-2001 American National Standard Methods of
  Measurement of Compatibility between Wireless
  Communication Devices and Hearing Aids
• PC63.19_D3.6 Draft American National Standard for
  Methods of Measurement of Compatibility between
  Wireless Communications Devices and Hearing Aids
• ANSI C63.10 (draft) American National Standard of
  test procedures for wireless devices

Over 20 in Development!
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ANSI C63.4

• New Draft in Ballot
• Comments from Review within ACIL group
• Attribution Harry Hodes, ACME Testing

16
Improved Document

• Improved organization and the logical flow
• A number of much-needed technical content
  improvements have been incorporated into the
  draft document. Among many other things, these
  include
• the addition of Tables of LISN Impedances (with
  and without EUT-side Extension Cords
• expansion and clarification of what is to appear
  on VDUs during the Emissions Testing of ITE
  Equipment and,
• the addition of a new Annex L on the use of
  Spectrum Analyzers.

17
Definitive Site Guidance gt 1GHz

• In Clause 5.6 of the Draft Document, a Test Site
  that is suitable for making radiated emissions
  measurements from 30 MHz to 1 GHz is considered
  to be suitable for making measurements above 1
  GHz if EITHER
• the Site is covered with RF Absorber such that it
  meets the site validation criteria given in CISPR
  16-1-4(2007)
• OR
• the Site is covered with RF Absorber such that at
  least 2.4 m x 2.4 m (for a 3 m measurement
  distance) that does not exceed 45 cm in height
  and has at least 20 dB of attenuation at up to 18
  GHz
• Simplification of proposed methods that were
  considered in committee
• (Question Clause 5.6 does not indicate if the 20
  dB attenuation is plane-wave at normal incidence
  or at some other angle nor the frequency range of
  performance).

18
Question About Average Measurements

• In Clause 4.2.2 of the Draft Document, the use of
  a 1 Hz Video Bandwidth (with data taken in Linear
  Mode) is mandated to provide an emulation of the
  Average Detector when using a Spectrum Analyzer
  as the Detection System. Historically, the FCC
  advised EMC Labs to use 10 Hz Video Bandwidth to
  emulate the Average Detector when using a
  Spectrum Analyzer as the Detection System.
• (Question Has the FCC expressed an opinion on
  this point? Need Clarification or coordination.).

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13 dB Rule Redux?

• Clause 11.8.2 of the Draft Document re-states the
  13 dB Rule for AC Line Conducted
  Emissions, as follows
• The 13 dB Rule was deleted from 47 CFR Part 15
  Subpart B Section 15.107 several years ago.
  (Question does the FCC still allow the use of
  the 13 dB Rule?)

20
Confusion About Loops and Rods

• In Clause 4.6.2 of the Draft Document, the use of
  the 41 Rod Monopole is re-stated as being
  mandatory when making E-Field Measurements below
  30 MHz. However, the Footnote that existed in
  Clause 4.1.5.2 of ANSI C63.4-2003 warning users
  that some regulatory and purchasing agencies do
  not allow the use of a rod antenna for the
  measurement of radiated emissions has been
  deleted from the corresponding Clause 4.6.2 of
  the Draft Document.
• Question has the FCC abandoned its opposition to
  the use of rod monopole antennas in making
  E-Field measurements below 30 MHz. If not, the
  Footnote should be restored to the draft document
  before it is published in final form.

21
Which Reference?

• Ten (out of the total of 17) Normative Reference
  listed in Clause 2 of the Draft Document are
  Undated References to Specifications/ Standards.
  These Undated References appear throughout the
  Draft Document. (If these are not converted to
  Dated References prior to the publication of the
  final version of the document, uses will face the
  same constantly-moving goalposts problem that
  affects those performing EMC tests to the IEC/EN
  Standards).

22
New Antennas to Buy?

• In Table 1 (within Clause 4.6.4, the use of Log
  Periodic Dipole Antennas is prohibited in the 1
  40 GHz Range when making E-Field radiated
  emissions measurements.
• Table 1 does not address the use Biconi-Log
  Antennas
• Taken together, these constitute a MAJOR change
• Clause 8.3.4 provides explicit directions for how
  the distance from the EUT to the Receiving
  Antenna is to be measured when the Receiving
  Antenna is a Log Periodic Dipole Antenna. Need
  coordination.

23
Cable Characterization Pain

• In Clause 4.8.5 of the Draft Document, a new
  requirement is imposed that mandates that cable
  insertion loss characterization be repeated if
  the temperature variations exceed 15 degrees C.
  (The expectation is that a 2 (in dB) or greater
  change will occur if the temperature variations
  exceed 15 degrees C).
• In other words, if the cable had a 30.0 dB
  insertion loss under original conditions, and the
  change were 3 when the temperature variations
  exceed 15 degrees C, the variation would be a
  worst-case factor of 0.9 db).
• (Question is a worst-case delta of 0.9 dB worth
  all of the extra effort needed to re-measure a
  set of installed range cables in real-time?
  This problem would be better addressed in the
  Measurement Uncertainty calculations).

24
Pre-Scan Data is Pre-Scan Data

• In Clauses 8.4.1.1 and 8.4.1.2 of the Draft
  Document, it is stated that
• Exploratory radiated measurements shall be
  performed and reported in graphical form at the
  measurement distance or at a closer distance than
  that specified for compliance to determine the
  emission characteristics of the EUT.
• In other words, if this provision is not deleted
  from the Draft Document before it is published in
  final form, it will be a requirement to include
  radiated emissions pre-scan data in the Test
  Report, notwithstanding the fact that Clause
  10.2.8.2 Draft Document does not address this as
  a requirement.

25
The ACIL Vote

• With regret, it is recommended that the ACIL vote
  to NEGATIVE with Comments on the ANSI C63.4/D2.5
  (January 2008) Draft Document in its present form.

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Proficiency Testing

• Bennie Accreditors love it
• Online registration and scheduling
• Artifact is available for one week
• Comparative results anonymously allows labs to
  view their performance relative to a group
• 800 for ACIL members
• 1500 for Non-members
• Radiated Immunity artifact under development

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ACIL Dues
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ACIL Meetings

• February Mid-Winter Meeting
• Spring Business Practices
• Annual Meeting
• Opportunities for education, networking and
  advocacy

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Summary

• Tangible and Technical Benefits
• Education, current information
• Participation in Standards-making activity
• Reduced cost and improved efficiencies

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iNARTE

• NARTE has evolved to the International
  Association of Radio and Telecommunications
  Engineers
• Personnel Certification Credentials
• Training and Testing
• Training Centers opened in Europe and Asia
• China, Singapore, Korea, UK
• Objective is to provide Personnel Certification
  to the Global Technical Workforce
• The objective is to raise the bar and improve
  confidence in our community

narte.org
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Questions?

• Contact
• Mike Violette, mikev_at_wll.com