European Union releases new version of EN61326 standard

-- Test & Measurement World, 3/3/2008 8:46:00 AM

The European Union’s EMC standard for electrical equipment for measurement, control, and laboratory use, EN61326, has been revised to include new testing and reporting requirements for manufacturers. Under the updated EN61326-1 standard, there are several new requirements that must be addressed to formally demonstrate compliance.

The first change is that radiated immunity testing must now be performed from 80 MHz to 2.7 GHz. Previously, the standard did not list a frequency range and manufacturers were left to decide what range to use. Additionally, the revised standard specifies changes to test levels for voltage dips and interrupts (VDI). Lastly, the standard clearly defines EMC immunity performance criteria for products subject to the EN61426-1 standard. Under the original version of the standard, manufacturers could select any immunity performance criteria they chose.

In addition to these global changes in test procedures for products governed by EN61326-1, new versions of the standard for certain types of products within this category have also been issued. For example, specific requirements for in-vitro diagnostic equipment are contained in EN61326-2-6, and transducers with integrated or remote signal conditioning are covered by EN 61326-2-3. These standards specify additional requirements for certain product types beyond the base requirements of EN 61326-1. However, not all of the product-specific standards have been adopted by the EU at this time.

Manufacturers of equipment governed by EN61326-1 must perform all required additional testing and update their compliance reports and declarations by February, 2009.

Product-compliance specialist Elliott Laboratories can assist in bringing your existing products into compliance with the new version of the EMC standard. For more information, go to www.elliottlabs.com.