HCM City – The Radio Frequency Directorate has opened an electro-magnetic compatibility (EMC) 10-metre testing laboratory in HCM City.

“Demand for electronic devices and radio communications equipment is increasing during the fourth industrial revolution,” Deputy Minister of Information and Telecommunications Phạm Hồng Hải said at the opening yesterday.

“The increased use of electronic circuits coupled with the increasing use of radio technology in everyday life has made radio frequencies increasingly cramped, posing a major potential security risk because of the lack of electromagnetic compatibility between devices.

“To accomplish the tasks of frequency interference treatment, electro-magnetic compatibility and radio frequency radiation safety, the Radio Frequency Directorate has set up the [laboratory] in HCM City.”

With German equipment, the laboratory is expected to meet requirements like electro-magnetic compatibility, testing and regulatory compliance.

It will also satisfy standard requirements for manufacturers’research and design, helping bring consumers high-quality and safe products.

Globally, EMC labs usually use 3-metre, 5m, and 10m ranges, but when there is a complaint about test results, the value measured by 10m ranges is preferred.

The new HCM City laboratory can test for electro-magnetic interference like conductive emission, radiation emission, harmonic emission, flashing voltage; and electronic interference immunity like immunity to electrostatic discharge, immunity to electro-magnetic fields, infected with lightning impulse, neglected for fast-changing conflict, contamination due to voltage drop, voltage change, and voltage break.

It uses special materials on walls, ceilings and floors to absorb radio waves to create an ideal transmission environment.

A sliding door system allows testing of large samples while turntable systems, antenna columns and rhythm controllers provide the most accurate results.

The EMC 10m testing chamber is also equipped with a surveillance camera to ensure that the entire testing process is carried out correctly.

“With the introduction of a laboratory that fully meets these standards, we have gradually perfected the test equipment for information and communication quality control,” Đoàn Quang Hoan, general director of the Radio Frequency Directorate, said.

“The laboratory meets the Ministry of Information and Communications’ requirements for management of electro-magnetic compatibility and radio emission quality to prevent and limit the sources of electro-magnetic noise emission, verify equipment quality before circulation in the market, meet research needs, and verify electro-magnetic compatibility for enterprises manufacturing and trading electronic and telecom equipment.”

This is the directorate’s second such laboratory after the first, an EMC 3m facility it opened in Hà Nội in 2011. -- VNS