The IEC 61000-4-8 is an EMC standard by the International Electrotechnical Commission for immunity requirements of the equipment to magnetic disturbances. The equipment covered in this standard operates at power frequencies of 50 Hz and 60 Hz and is used in the following environments:

• residential and commercial locations;
• industrial installations and power plants;
• medium voltage and high voltage sub-stations.

This standard does not cover the capacitive or inductive coupling disturbances in cables or other parts of the field installation. Magnetic fields occurring at the power-line frequency are unavoidable. These are called power frequency magnetic fields. They are generated by power frequency current in conductors or, more likely from other devices such as leakage of transformers, power cables, electric motors, etc. in the proximity of equipment. Household electronic equipment consumes current from the main supply leading to significant levels of magnetic fields at harmonics of the mains frequency. These magnetic fields cause interference in the signal currents which will lead to unstable currents and voltages. These magnetic fields also affect the operation of the signal generators and similar machines by generating unwanted modulating sidebands.

The IEC 61000-4-8 has laid down the procedures and requirements for the testing such as:

• Recommended test levels;
• Test equipment;
• Test set-up;
• Test procedure.

Followings are the test equipment required as per the standard:

1. Test current generator
2. Inductive coil
3. Current measuring systems such as an instrument or a sensor

The premier edition was released in 1993. Over the years, several amendments and editions were released to keep up with technological advancements. The second edition increased the scope of the standard to 60 Hz along with modifications in the specification of the test setup and test generators.

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