Inductors
Electromagneticcompatibility(EMC)
General,Services
Date:October2008
DataSheetDataSheet
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Electromagneticcompatibility(EMC)
General
1Legalbackground
Electromagneticcompatibility(EMC)hasbecomeanessentialpropertyofelectronicequipment.In
viewoftheimportanceofthistopic,theEuropeanlegislatorissuedtheEMCDirectiveasearlyas
1996(89/336/EEC).
TheEU’snewEMCDirective(2004/108/ECofDecember15,2004)containsseveralsignificant
innovationscomparedtotheversioninforcesince1996.Ithassincebeenincorporatedatnational
levelbytheEUmemberstatesintheformofvariousEMClawsandregulations.Themostimportant
changesinclude:
■Newdefinitionsofterms(“equipment”,“apparatus”,“fixedinstallation”)
■Regulationsforfixedinstallations
■Abolitionofthe“competentbody”
■Conformityassessmentmayalsobemadewithoutharmonizedstandards
■Newrequirementsonmandatoryinformation,traceability
■Improvedmarketsurveillance.
Thedefinitionof“apparatus“hasnowbecomeclearer,sothatitsscopeofvaliditynowcoversonly
apparatusthattheendusercanusedirectly.Basiccomponentssuchascapacitors,inductorsand
filtersaredefinitivelyexcluded.
The“essentialrequirements”mustbeobservedbyallapparatusofferedonthemarketwithinthe
EU.Thisensuresthatallapparatusoperatewithoutinterferencesinitselectromagneticenviron-
mentwithoutaffectingotherequipmentorservicestoanimpermissibleextent.
1.1BasicinformationonEMC
ThetermEMCcoversbothelectromagneticemissionandelectromagneticsusceptibility
(figure1).
EM