I am going through the process of getting one of our products tested for approval/certification. Basically it ensures that our product is safe and will not cause harm to other devices operating in close proximity. We can then legitimately apply the UL and CE logos.Anyways, the first series of test focuses on EMC of all varieties. There are test to verify that the radiated (through the air) and conducted (through the mains) emissions are below acceptable levels. There are tests to verify that radiated and conducted emissions from other devices do not interfere with the operation of the device. Finally there are some basic ESD, fast transient and voltage dip tests.

None of the tests are really that exciting, although it was pretty neat to go through the process. I made a short video of the most interesting test for my fellow EE’s. Basically, the product is placed on a non-conductive table and rotated 360 degrees. An antenna is affixed to a mast 10 meters away. The antenna is cycled up and down. The signal from the antenna is fed into an EMI Receiver (basically a spectrum analyzer) which gives a nice view of the signal level at all frequencies.