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American National Standards Committee (ANSC) C63 (Electromagnetic Compatibility)'s active contributors, including ETS-Lindgren, Rohde & Schwarz and Cisco Systems, will present in the annual Summer ANSC C63 Workshop held immediately prior to the 2024 IEEE International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility, Signal and Power Integrity (EMC+SIPI). This year’s C63 Workshop will be held August 2 and 3 at Compliance Testing in Mesa, Arizona; the IEEE EMC+SIPI Symposium will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center from August 5 to 9.  The C63 Workshop instructors include industry experts Cisco Systems’ Andy Griffin, C63.4 Working Group Chair and Chair of C63 Subcommittee 1 (SC1), Techniques and Development; ETS-Lindgren’s Zhong Chen, Vice Chair of ANSC C63 and C63.25.1 Working Group Chair; and Rohde & Schwarz’ Jens Medler, C63.2 Working Group Chair. Standards C63.2, C63.4, and C63.25 are developed and maintained by SC1.

The C63 Summer Workshop provides an overview of the changes planned for the next edition of the seminal ANSI C63.4 “Methods of Measurement of Radio-Noise Emissions from Low-Voltage Electrical and Electronic Equipment in the Range of 9 kHz to 40 GHz” as well as the new ANSI C63.25 series of standards for EMC test site validation.  The series incorporates C63.25.1 “Validation Methods for Radiated Emission Test Sites, 1 GHz to 18 GHz,” which includes the application of Time Domain (TD) and Site Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (SVSWR); new procedures for site validation measurements in C63.25.2 (30 MHz to 1 GHz); and a novel technique using Cylindrical Mode Filtered SVSWR (CMF SVSWR) measurements for test site validation and antenna calibration from 18 GHz to 40 GHz contained in the draft standard C63.25.3.  An update will be provided on the recently published C63.2 “Specifications of Electromagnetic Interference and Field Strength Measuring Instrumentation in the Frequency Range 9 kHz to 40 GHz.”

This C63 Workshop is designed to increase one’s knowledge of the C63.4 standard, the expected changes in the next revision, and the anticipated EMC site validation methods in the new C63.25 series.  Using the 3-meter semi-anechoic chamber at Compliance Testing, attendees will participate in a live demonstration using CMF SVSWR measurements for test site validation and antenna calibration (18 GHz to 40 GHz) to be included in C63.25.3.

Among the many updates presented in the C63 Workshop, EMC site validation requirements are migrating from C63.4 to the C63.25 standards series: ANSI C63.25.1, C63.25.2, and C63.25.3.  For the C63.4 discussions, there will be an analysis of changes in the requirements for the above 1 GHz test method, use of the 2 dB rule, compliance files, test setup changes, and many other aspects.

ANSI C63.25.3 is particularly significant since the standard provides the latest test methodology for validating performance of an EMC test site in the frequency range of 18 GHz to 40 GHz, the natural evolution of measurements for the C63.25 standard series since the publication of standards ANSI C63.25.1 and C63.25.2.  “This is a new frequency range to explore for EMC test sites.  A standard in this frequency range currently does not exist, yet industry demand for testing products at higher frequencies is increasing,” said Zhong Chen, Chief Engineer with ETS-Lindgren and Vice Chair of the C63 Committee.  “C63 is addressing this industry-driven challenge with the new draft standard C63.25.3.  Our goal is to provide a site validation measurement technique that is relatively easy and fast to perform and, most importantly, yields results that are reliable and repeatable.”

A hallmark of the draft C63.25.3 standard is the new capability to provide greater information beyond the basic chamber reflection levels.  “The current SVSWR standard method under-samples data collection and offers no information on the coverage of the receive antenna; only at a few positions within the quiet zone are evaluated.  In contrast, the CMF SVSWR method specified in C63.25.3 provides a comprehensive view of the chamber reflection levels as well as the quality of the entire quiet zone, all with a faster test time compared to the traditional SVSWR method,” offered Mr. Chen.

In light of the significance of the draft C63.25.3 standard in expediting EMC test site validation time as well as offering greater performance diagnostics, Mr. Chen and Yibo Wang, RF Engineer with ETS-Lindgren, have produced a video demonstration of the CMF SVSWR method,  to educate test lab operators and managers on this novel technique.  The video shows the entire measurement process, including the post-processing, which can be performed in real time.