Confidence built into every test

An EMI test receiver is used to measure unwanted electromagnetic emissions from electronic devices. It is the core of EMC emissions testing following standard requirements for resolution bandwidths, detectors (quasi-peak, CISPR Average, CISPR RMS), measurement routines and – as most important – the demanding dynamic range to measure high interference amplitudes while achieving a low noise floor and high sensitivity. A full compliant EMI receivers fulfills all CISPR, FCC, EN, ISO, MIL-STD or other global standard requirements while precompliance EMI receivers allow economic precertification with a high certainty.

An EMI receiver is designed specifically for EMI testing with best dynamic range even in presence of wideband interferences. This is achieved by dedicated preselection filters and low noise components. A spectrum analyzer is more general-purpose instrument with a focus on widest bandwidths and highest digital signal processing capabilities. Another important difference is the EMI receivers scanning vs. the spectrum analyzers sweeping, showing different behavior particularly for intermittent interference testing. Spectrum analyzers offer great value for general EMI analysis or debugging.

FFT-based time-domain scanning processes thousands of frequency points simultaneously, enabling measurement speeds much faster than the traditional stepped scan. This helps engineers improve reliability for emission detection, provides better insight into transient signals and significantly shortens compliance test cycles.

Compliance testing requires compliant instruments and accessories that are also accredited calibrated to regularly verify compliance to international standards. Pre-compliance testing uses pre-compliance receivers with similar detector types but relaxed tolerances. It helps identify potential failures early at best during the development of the product to reduce redesign loops and lower certification costs.

Pre-compliance receivers (e.g., R&S®ESRP or R&S®EPL) allow developers to detect emission problems early in the development stage. At this point, changes are easier to adapt to reduce development cost and shorten the time-to-market. The final stage of the certification process will then be a compliance test to achieve certification, ideally without additional rejection loops thanks to pre-compliance testing before finalizing the product.

R&S®ELEKTRA automates complete EMC test workflows, including limit line comparison, sequencing, conducted/radiated test execution, and reporting. It improves accuracy, reduces manual effort, and enables integration into automated test systems. R&S®ELEKTRA offers solutions for all EMC standards as well as other testing requirements typically performed in the same testing environment.