Regulatory Testing and Laboratories FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding
Regulatory Testing and VPI Laboratories
What is the CE Mark?
CE stands for Conformité Européenne (French), or European Conformity in English. CE represents an effort to harmonize related national regulations to reduce regulatory barriers between European countries and to facilitate the movement of goods between them. A CE mark on a product indicates that it conforms with all applicable European EMC and Safety requirements.
What is EN 55032?
CISPR 32 was adopted by the EU under the scope of EN 55032 and will be required as of March 5, 2017. CISPR 32 was designed to replace CISPR 13, CISPR 22, and EN 55103-1, which were previously used to show compliance with emission regulations for receivers and information technology equipment.
CISPR 32 was created to address the fact that much of today’s IT equipment integrates multiple features and capabilities. Rather than test to multiple standards, product developers need only to test to CISPR 32. While CISPR 32 is not an exact merge of the two previous standards, it does closely resemble CISPR 22 in several ways:
- Telecommunications port conducted emissions limits specified over 150 kHz to 30 MHz
- Radiated emissions limits specified over 30 MHz to 6 GHz
- Radiated emissions limits from FM receivers at the fundamental and harmonics of the local oscillator frequency
What is NRTL?
An NRTL is an organization that OSHA has recognized as meeting the legal requirements in 29 CFR 1910.7. The recognition is an acknowledgment that an organization has the necessary qualifications to perform safety testing and certification of the specific products covered within its scope of recognition.
What is NRTL approval?
In accordance with OSHA Safety Standards, any product used in the workplace must be approved by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). This is needed to ensure that products can be used safely in the workplace.
What is TCB?
A Telecommunication Certification Body (TCB) is an organization with the authority to issue Certifications for compliance with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Industry Canada (IC) regulations.
What is FCC Part 15?
The Federal Code of Regulation (CFR) FCC Part 15 is a common testing standard for most electronic equipment. FCC Part 15 covers the regulations under which an intentional, unintentional (incidental) radiator can be operated without an individual license. FCC Part 15 also covers the technical specifications, administrative requirements, and other conditions relating to the marketing of FCC Part 15 devices.
When is FCC Part 15 required?
Any digital device that generates and uses timing signals or pulses at a rate over 9,000 pulses or cycles per second (9kHz) and uses digital techniques is subject to subpart B of Part 15.
Furthermore, any device that intentionally generates and emits radio frequency energy by radiation or induction (intentional transmitter) is subject to subpart C of Part 15.
NOTE: Computer terminals and peripherals that are intended to be connected to a computer are digital devices.
What is exempt from the FCC Part 15?
Exempted devices can include:
- a digital device utilized exclusively in any transportation vehicles
- a digital device used exclusively for electronic control utilized by a public utility or in an industrial plant.
- a digital device utilized exclusively in an appliance (microwave oven, dishwasher, clothes dryer, air conditioner, etc.)
- digital devices that have a power consumption not exceeding 6 nW
- non-digital circuitry or passive devices
- battery-operated digital devices in which the highest frequency used/generated is less than 1.705 MHz
What is FCC Part 18?
FCC Part 18 outlines the US emissions requirements for Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) devices. The Federal Communications Commission regulates ISM equipment to prevent harmful interference to authorized radio communication services. For medical devices, the FDA requires Part 18 and additional Immunity requirements for their approval process. Typically, the FDA accepts testing to EN 60601-1-2 as an alternative to Part 18 due to only minor differences between the standards.
How do I know if I need an FCC logo on my product?
Call or email us and we will help you figure that out.
What is Certification?
Certification is the most rigorous approval process for RF Devices with the greatest potential to cause harmful interference to radio services. The authorization is issued by an FCC-recognized Telecommunication Certification Body (TCB) based on the evaluation of the documentation submitted by the responsible party. Testing must be performed by an FCC-recognized accredited testing laboratory. Information including the technical parameters and descriptive information for all certified equipment is posted on an FCC-maintained public database.
What is Supplier's Declaration of Conformity?
Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (DoC) is a procedure where the responsible party ensures testing is completed and takes the necessary steps to ensure that the equipment complies with the appropriate technical standards. Submittal of a sample unit or representative data to the Commission demonstrating compliance is not required unless specifically requested. The equipment is labeled to show compliance with the Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity process. Contact us to get started with your product SDoC.
What is Immunity or Susceptibility?
Susceptibility is the tendency of electrical equipment, referred to as the victim, to malfunction or break down in the presence of emissions, which is known as radio frequency interference (RFI). Immunity is the opposite of susceptibility, being the ability of equipment to function correctly in the presence of RFI, with the discipline of “hardening” equipment being known equally as susceptibility or immunity.
Immunity testing includes radiated (EN 61000-4-3), conducted (EN 61000-4-6), burst or fast transients (EN 61000-4-4), surge (EN 61000-4-5), dips and interruptions (EN 61000-4-11), power frequency magnetics (EN 61000-4-8), and ESD (EN 61000-4-2) under multiple product standards including EN 55024, EN 61326, EN 60601-1-2, EN 60669, EN 301 489, EN 61000-6-2 and EN 61000-6-4. For medical devices in the US, the FDA requires Immunity compliance for their approval process.