Using NI LabVIEW for EMC testing

[0_o]

Currently EMC32 Windows application controls via GPIB the EMI Receiver/Analyzer Rohde & Schwarz ESU 40

 

The “conducted EMI “ test includes several spectrum measurements , intermediate results analysis and additional measurements –

For example  - the following steps have to be performed:

1.       Preview Spectrum Measurement

2.       Data Reduction (The data reduction sequence step avoids spending unnecessary measurement time for uninteresting frequencies during ZOOM, MAXIMIZATION, ADJUSTMENT and FINAL MEASUREMENT)

3.       Frequency Zoom (The accuracy of the remaining frequencies after data reduction can be increased by partial scans or sweeps)

4.       Final Measurements

 I remember NI pushed their new VSA device and had a special software to program it, however, at the moment I'm not going to use this device, I just want to control automate the current scenario through LabVIEW.

Thus, since I'm new to this field, I wonder if there is a library or software by NI that can replace EMC32 application – and perform EMI test by controlling the actual measurement device ESU40 and having all the required analysis functions.

Any additional intro to this field will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[ShaunR]

Does the R&S driver not do what you need?

[0_o]

Thanks. Project finished. Must say I that the drivers they gave got more than 2000 vis and their install process worked great.

[0_o]

Now that I can control the device I need to implements many standard tests using a LabVIEW sequencer that I use (If TestStand is .net my sqquencer is the application):

Conducted EMS (Electro Magnetic Susceptibility) measurements according to IEC / EN 61000-4-6

EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference) measurements according to CISPR 16-2-1

Rohde & Schwarz Windows application EMC32 has such tests like  “conducted EMI” 

For example  - the following steps have to be performed:

1.       Preview Spectrum Measurement

2.       Data Reduction (The data reduction sequence step avoids spending unnecessary measurement time for uninteresting frequencies during ZOOM, MAXIMIZATION, ADJUSTMENT and FINAL MEASUREMENT)

3.       Frequency Zoom (The accuracy of the remaining frequencies after data reduction can be increased by partial scans or sweeps)

4.       Final Measurements

Is there a LabVIEW application or library which can replace EMC32 application – and perform EMI test by controlling the actual measurement device ESU40.

Some other tests that I'm interested in are:

FCC 15.209   Section 15.107, Conducted emission at AC power port

FCC 15.209      Section 15.109, Radiated emission

 

The reason I don't want to use the EMC32 app is that I have control over many other Spectrum Analyzers now and I want one app to control them all through my test automation.

 

Best regards

[Gribo]

There is no ready made app that does that, but these tests are quite easy to implement using the R&S drivers. Since you already know what steps to take, implementing them as a sequencer steps and adding support for multiple analyzers and other equipment you might have, will be very straight forward.

[ShaunR]

I'm not familiar with that Rohde and Schwarz product but I did previously work at Anritsu with their equivalent products as well as evaluating competitors products. Most devices are SCPI compliant across manufacturers and if you truly want to take advantage of different manufacturers' equipment I would suggest forgoing the specific LabVIEW drivers and cherry picking the SCPI commands to produce configuration and script recipes that work on common command sets.

Most devices of this type already have inbuilt functions for most measurements and a quick look at the datasheet seems to show that they are present for CISPR 16, at least. That said. They are pretty standard kinds of measurement for RF equipment generally and the standards will mainly dictate setup and measurement tolerances. Creating recipes for tests with the raw SCPI commands will greatly simplify your code and performance will be dictated by the hardware. Many times a test boils down to a configuration that you can store in the device itself and just select a program number or name.

[Norm Kirchner]

On 7/25/2017 at 2:29 AM, 0_o said:

 I remember NI pushed their new VSA device and had a special software to program it, however, at the moment I'm not going to use this device, I just want to control automate the current scenario through LabVIEW.

<for future reference>

You might be speaking of RFmx for doing RF measurements on our VSA products.

This 'Measurement Driver' makes short order out of taking common RF measurements, generic and standards based alike.

It does not have a personality specific to doing EMC testing or EMC specific measurements.

There is likely a good deal of overlap between the ESU40 measurements and what we can accomplish with RFmx, however I can imagine that the ESU40 has a lot of EMC usability features that you won't find in RFmx.

Another item that might be of interest is investigating RealTime Spectrum Analyzer functionality, in the future should you need something more flexible than the ESU
http://www.ni.com/webcast/3693/en/

What ends up happening with the above is that you gain some serious power to do things like frequency mask triggering as well as custom pre-processing data reduction; but it comes at the cost of not having as complete a solution out of the box.

Hope that all helps

~Norm

[0_o]

Thanks! I'm checking the alternatives and will report back when the project is done with the conclusion.