PREPARING EMC TEST REPORT
Before we delve into a step-by-step guide to good engineering practice, two thoughts to keep in
mind. First, there are too many subpar test reports from engineers, who often do excellent
work but aren’t given enough time to document it properly. As a result, when teams sit down to
review the report weeks or even days later, important details are missing, and the test
engineers have simply forgotten some of the more subtle points. Second, there is a lack of solid
guidelines for this process. These two factors led to the creation of this article.
If a system is incorrectly tested as a failure, the result could lead to costly over-design. On the
other hand, if a system is wrongly marked as a pass, finding out it fails at the accredited EMC
lab will not only come as a surprise but will also add extra costs and impact your product’s time
to market.
How should we write a high-quality test report? here is step-by-step guide to writing an
effective engineering report-
Step 1: Sharpening the tools
Before diving into the setup, it’s crucial to ensure your equipment is ready for the task—much
like how a carpenter sharpens the tools before starting a project. While we’re not literally
“sharpening” anything, the idea is the same: before any RF measurement, always check if your
equipment is up to the job. Let me share an example to emphasize the importance of this step.
In one case, a client’s expensive receiver had a damaged RF front-end, and they were unaware
of it. This is a classic case of what I call “engineers’ bias”—the belief that high-priced equipment
is inherently reliable. Engineers often place full confidence in costly instruments, but even these
can fail.
If your spectrum analyser has a tracking generator, you can easily check for this issue. Simply
connect the TG output and the spectrum input using a coaxial cable and perform a TG scan.
One should see a flat, straight line across the whole frequency range at the supplied TG power
level (often between -20 dBm and 0 dBm). This is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 Here is a way to check the RF front-end of a spectrum analyser.
The same principle applies to other test equipment. For instance, if an RF current probe is
accidentally dropped, its transfer impedance may be affected. In such a case, you should
recalibrate the probe before proceeding with the test. Likewise, line impedance stabilization
networks (LISNs) should be regularly checked to ensure their impedance conforms to the
relevant standards.
It’s also important to document the last calibration, characterization, or inspection date for all
equipment used in the test. If an incident occurs (like dropping the current probe), make sure to
record it in the report. This guarantees traceability. While you can continue with the test, keep
in mind that such events increase measurement uncertainty.
Step 2: Test set-up
You must clearly show detailed photos of the test set-up. This should include an overall view of
the test arrangement, as well as close-up shots of specific details, such as the bonding wire,
how it’s bonded, and whether a continuity check was performed on the connections.
For conducted emissions/immunities and transient tests, include images showing the bonding
of the test equipment, cable layout, and details of the device under test (DUT) bonding,
particularly if a bonding wire is used to connect to the test ground plane.
For radiated emissions tests, assuming you’re conducting them in your own lab—since radiated
immunity testing can interfere with the electromagnetic environment—you should not perform
radiated immunity test without a shielded tent. Make sure to include pictures that show the
antenna set-up.
Do we need to include a system diagram of the test setup?
The short answer is yes, preferably. While drawing a system diagram may take more time than
simply snapping a photo, it’s still important to include a simple diagram. Popular tools for
creating system diagrams include Microsoft Visio and PowerPoint. Figure 3 shows a system
diagram using Keynote on a MacBook. If you’re more artistically inclined, feel free to use other
drawing tools—some engineers prefer this approach.
Figure 3 The system diagram shows a test set-up for CISPR 25 conducted emissions.
Figure 4 shows the actual test set-up used for the conducted emission test, highlighting an
overall view of the test arrangement. You can see how the test equipment is listed for the test.
Figure 4 The actual test set setup lists all the equipment.
Other key information
Your report should also include details about the power supply settings, such as voltage and
current. If there’s any supporting equipment for the DUT, make sure to capture this in both the
photos and the system diagram while documenting the operational status in the report.
Environmental conditions such as room temperature and humidity are generally not required
for in-house tests, but if you’re conducting electrostatic discharge (ESD) investigations, it’s
important to document these factors, as humidity can affect the test results.
It is recommended to always test and measure ambient EM noise before starting any benchtop
EMC test, and these results should be thoroughly documented in the test report. Typically, a
benchtop power supply can introduce internal noise, which may be picked up by the LISN
during conducted emission tests.
Additionally, LED lights and nearby equipment often generate EM noise, which can easily couple
to the DUT’s cable leads and impact the emission readings. When working without a shielded
environment—which is often the case for design engineers testing and troubleshooting on the
bench—the best practice is to benchmark the ambient noise. This can be done using the
spectrum analyser itself or by using software to save the ambient noise data for comparison in
future studies.
Step 3: Obtaining test results : It’s always a good idea to save results directly from the
equipment or through a connected computer (assuming the necessary software is installed),
rather than relying on a photo of the screen. This approach offers several advantages.
First and foremost, modern equipment software typically provides far more information than
what’s visible on the screen, such as the date, time, and sampling rate (for an oscilloscope, for
example). Additionally, saving data digitally avoids potential issues like reflections that may
occur in photos.
Another benefit is that multiple traces can later be processed for comparison purposes. Some
software even allows you to document extensive details, such as test conditions and operation
modes, making the report more comprehensive and traceable.
An example is shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5 Here is an example of test results generated by software Tekbox EMCview.
Step 4: Analysing test results
For a junior engineer, analysing test results can seem daunting, but we encourage you to give it
your best effort. To begin, focus on identifying the failure mode—sometimes it might be a
resonance in the spectrum scan, or a narrowband signal failure. It’s important to provide some
form of explanation. A good example is shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6 It’s important to provide some form of explanation while analysing the test results.
In this radiated emission result, two issues are evident. First, there’s a broadband noise profile
in the 50 to 80 MHz frequency range, and second, there are narrowband noise characteristics
between 100 and 200 MHz. Additionally, a single narrowband spurious signal appears at 222
MHz.
In this case, we highlighted these areas of interest and provided explanations for each. As
always, if you suspect a specific culprit is causing the noise, prove it by providing further results
—this significantly enhances the value of your analysis, as demonstrated in Figure 6.
What if you don’t fully understand what’s happening? At the test stage, at the very least, offer a
few potential explanations. You can say, “We believe it could be one of the following reasons,”
and list some possibilities. You can also mention that further testing or simulation may be
needed to pinpoint the root cause. This is important because when a team of engineers reviews
the report together, other team members often contribute valuable insights and suggestions.
Step 5: Troubleshooting and fixing
If the test report includes troubleshooting and fixes, the solutions must be clearly stated and
supported with sufficient evidence. This should include photos, test results, and a clear
rationale for the fix. For example, an engineer might say, “The power cable connected to the
motor proved to be the main radiating mechanism, and a ferrite sleeve on the mains cable
solved the problem.”
However, this approach is problematic for the reasons we’ve discussed earlier. A more effective
statement would be:
“The motor power cable was identified as the main source of radiated emissions, as
disconnecting the cable significantly reduced the noise between 50 and 80 MHz. We then
applied XXX (part number) ferrite cores to the motor cable, placing it near the motor connector,
and ensured the ferrite cores were close to the vehicle chassis (the location is crucial). As shown
in Figure 7, this resulted in improved performance. See the comparison of the before and after
results in Figure 7.”
Figure 7 This is how the troubleshooting part in a report looks like
By stating the troubleshooting results in this manner, you provide far more confidence in the
solution.
Step 6: Summary and conclusion
We believe a good report should also include suggestions, recommendations, or actions that need
to be taken. Engineers may propose design changes, but it’s important to list the potential risks
associated with those changes. This highlights that EMC engineering often involves compromise.
While engineers may make solid suggestions, they must also consider other factors such as thermal
or mechanical design, which might complicate implementation.
It’s also essential to consider alternative fixes. During troubleshooting, you are often limited by
the tools at hand, and the solution you find may not be the most cost-effective. This is
especially relevant for volume manufacturers, where even small cost differences can have a
significant impact.
