🛡️ EMC testing — immunity to interference

Electronics and EMC PN-EN 61000-4

Overview

Electromagnetic immunity testing (EMC immunity) verifies the ability of an electronic device to function properly in the presence of electromagnetic interference occurring in real working environment. The IEC/EN 61000-4 series of standards defines methods for simulating individual electromagnetic phenomena and criteria for assessing device behavior.

Four basic immunity tests include: electrostatic discharges ESD (EN 61000-4-2) — simulation of contact by charged person or object; electrical fast transients burst/EFT (EN 61000-4-4) — simulation of interference from switching inductive circuits; voltage surges (EN 61000-4-5) — simulation of overvoltages from lightning discharges and switching operations; and radiated electromagnetic field (EN 61000-4-3) — simulation of exposure to radio transmitters, mobile phones, and other RF sources.

Immunity testing is mandatory for CE marking under EMC Directive 2014/30/EU. Generic standard EN 61000-6-1 (residential environment) and EN 61000-6-2 (industrial) specify required immunity levels, which are then detailed in product standards. Assessment criterion is divided into: A (normal operation), B (temporary degradation with spontaneous recovery), C (temporary degradation requiring operator intervention), and D (loss of function, damage).

In laboratory practice, a full set of immunity tests takes 2–5 days and requires specialized pulse generators, an anechoic chamber with transmitting antenna, and qualified personnel. Immunity testing costs in Poland range from 5,000 to 30,000 PLN depending on scope.

CORRECTION OF THE KEY — A BRACKET IN THE SEARCH FIELD (23.09.2026). The field by which this page searches for laboratories read "PN-EN 61000-4 (seria)". The addition "(seria)" [series] was an explanation for the reader, but this field is not a description; it is a string compared with the record in the accreditation scope — and no scope contains a bracket with this word. The "Laboratories" tab therefore showed ZERO. After the addition was removed there are 230 entries at 31 laboratories.

THE SCALE AND SHAPE OF THE SERIES. The core "61000-4" occurs in 258 entries at 32 laboratories in ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIVE different forms of the record — the most of all the standards described in this database. The reason lies in the structure of the series: each sheet has its own number and its own year, and on top of that come amendment sheets, so "PN-EN 61000-4-2:2011", "PN-EN 61000-4-4:2013-05", "PN-EN 61000-4-5:2014-10" and "PN-EN 61000-4-5:2014-10/A1:2018-01" are four different values describing four different tests. Separately stands the newer designation with the IEC element — "PN-EN IEC 61000-4…" — present in 33 entries at 12 laboratories; these are not covered by the key without the IEC element.

THE "IEC" ELEMENT — WHY AT THIS ENTRY IT TAKES AWAY NOBODY, WHILE AT THE ENTRIES ON INDIVIDUAL PARTS IT TAKES AWAY HALF (measurement 23.09.2026). Newer editions of the series carry the IEC element in their designation ("PN-EN IEC 61000-4-11"), and no prefix key will cover both forms at once — one has to choose. The choice, however, turns out quite differently depending on whether the entry describes THE WHOLE SERIES or a single part of it.

THE WHOLE SERIES: the record without the IEC element has 230 entries at 31 laboratories, with the IEC element — 33 entries at 12. All these twelve laboratories, however, ALSO have records without the IEC element for other parts of the series, so **the key without IEC does not lose a single laboratory from the whole family** — 31 is the complete set.

INDIVIDUAL PARTS: here the sets diverge drastically, because a laboratory may be accredited for part 3 under the old designation and for part 11 under the new one.

| part | without IEC | with IEC | common | **ONLY with IEC** | total | |---|---|---|---:|---:|---:| | 61000-4-2 | 61 entries / 26 labs | — | 0 | **0** | 26 | | 61000-4-3 | 22 / 16 | 9 / 7 | 6 | **1** (AB 1765) | 17 | | 61000-4-6 | 14 / 12 | 11 / 7 | 3 | **4** (AB 261, 310, 666, 1604) | 16 | | 61000-4-11 | 16 / 13 | 13 / 11 | 5 | **6** (AB 012, 082, 261, 310, 666, 1765) | 19 | | 61000-4-18 | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 | **0** | **2** (AB 261, 666) | 4 | | **whole series** | **230 / 31** | **33 / 12** | 12 | **0** | **31** |

The "ONLY with IEC" column is the most important here, because it states directly **how many laboratories the tab will NOT SHOW** with a key without this element: for part 3 one, for 6 four, for 11 six, for 18 two — and for the whole series ZERO. THE SENTENCE THAT ORIGINALLY STOOD HERE HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN (23.09.2026). It read: "four laboratories (AB 261, AB 310, AB 666, AB 1765) consistently write the newer designation with the IEC element, while the rest of the community has stayed with the older one". IT IS UNTRUE — and the measurement refutes it: NONE OF THESE LABORATORIES HAS SWITCHED TO THE NEWER DESIGNATION. All of them use BOTH records, in every case with the older one predominating: AB 261 has 18 records with the IEC element against 43 without, AB 310 — 15 against 20, AB 666 — 4 against 21, AB 1765 — 3 against 8, and AB 082 (mentioned for part 11) — 5 against 83, i.e. a sixteenfold predominance of the older one. IN THE WHOLE 61000 FAMILY there are 34 laboratories: ONE uses only the IEC element (AB 207), eleven only the older record, and TWENTY-TWO — both at once.

CONSISTENCY DOES EXIST, HOWEVER, ONLY AT A DIFFERENT LEVEL THAN IN THE WITHDRAWN SENTENCE, AND THIS IS THE RIGHT WAY TO READ THIS TABLE: it is not the laboratory that is consistent, but the PAIR (LABORATORY, PART OF THE SERIES). Measurement: of 218 such pairs **209 are homogeneous** — 30 exclusively with the IEC element, 179 exclusively without — while NINE are mixed, i.e. **4.1 %**. At the level of the laboratory, the mixed ones make up 64.7 %. The same feature measured in two units thus gives 4 % and 65 % — a fifteenfold difference. THIS MEANS THAT A LABORATORY CHOOSES THE FORM OF THE DESIGNATION SEPARATELY FOR EACH PART OF THE SERIES, usually copying it from the document it happens to be working on, not from a convention adopted in-house. The "ONLY with IEC" column therefore remains valid and is the most important in this table — it speaks correctly about PARTS. What has been withdrawn is the sentence that turned a figure about parts into a conclusion about the behaviour of laboratories. HENCE THE ZERO FOR THE WHOLE SERIES HAS AN ARITHMETICAL EXPLANATION, not a substantive one: since 22 of the 34 laboratories mix the records, almost every one of them has somewhere in the series a record without the IEC element — so the "only with IEC" column at the level of the series MUST give zero, and this is not a feature of this standard.

For part 18 the separation is COMPLETE: two laboratories write the old designation, two the new one, and none uses both — the key would show exactly half. For part 6, three laboratories out of sixteen are common. **The conclusion for the reader and for us: the narrower the subject of an entry, the higher the price of choosing one form of the designation.** The same measurement on three parts of the series, repeated on a second, independent copy of the scope database, gave figures that agree to the unit.

Method principle

ESD (61000-4-2): Electrostatic discharge generator accumulates charge on capacitor (150 pF) and discharges it through resistor (330 Ω) directly onto EUT enclosure (contact discharge, 2–8 kV) or through spark in air (air discharge, 2–15 kV). Burst/EFT (61000-4-4): Generator produces series of fast pulses (rise time 5 ns, width 50 ns) at repetition frequency 5 kHz, grouped in 15 ms packets repeated every 300 ms. Pulses are introduced to power and signal ports through capacitive coupler. Surge (61000-4-5): Generator produces single voltage pulses 1.2/50 µs (open circuit) or current pulses 8/20 µs (short circuit) with amplitude up to 4 kV, simulating atmospheric and switching overvoltages. Radiated field (61000-4-3): Transmitting antenna in anechoic chamber generates uniform field of intensity 1–30 V/m in 80 MHz–6 GHz range, modulated AM 80% (1 kHz). EUT operates normally during exposure to this field.

Applications

• CE certification of electronic and electrical equipment
• Immunity testing of industrial equipment (PLC controllers, HMI, drives)
• Qualification of medical devices (IEC 60601-1-2)
• EMC testing in automotive (ISO 11452, ISO 10605)
• Testing telecommunications and network equipment
• Validation of IoT and smart home device immunity
• Pre-compliance testing in product development phase
• Verification of protective measure effectiveness (filters, shields, varistors)

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

seria PN-EN IEC 61000-4 — części -2, -3, -4 i -5 wydawane OSOBNO, każda z własnym rokiem (np. PN-EN IEC 61000-4-2:2026-03); oznaczenie zbiorcze z jednym rokiem nie odpowiada żadnej karcie

Title (PL)

Kompatybilność elektromagnetyczna — Metody badań i pomiarów — Badania odporności

Title (EN)

Electromagnetic compatibility — Testing and measurement techniques — Immunity tests

Step-by-step procedure

1. Test plan preparation

   Determine product standards, required immunity levels (classes), ports to test, EUT operating modes, and assessment criteria (A/B/C).

   ⏱ Time: 1–2 h

2. EUT configuration and monitoring

   Connect EUT in typical usage configuration. Set up operation monitoring (display, communication, outputs) to assess performance criterion.

   ⏱ Time: 30–60 min

3. ESD testing (EN 61000-4-2)

   Perform contact discharges (±2, ±4, ±6, ±8 kV) on conductive enclosure surfaces — 10 discharges at each point. Air discharges on insulating surfaces.

   ⏱ Time: 2–4 h

4. Burst/EFT testing (EN 61000-4-4)

   Connect burst generator to power ports through capacitive coupler. Apply pulses ±0.5/±1/±2/±4 kV (60 s per polarity and port). Repeat for signal ports.

   ⏱ Time: 2–3 h

5. Surge testing (EN 61000-4-5)

   Apply voltage surges ±0.5/±1/±2/±4 kV to power port (L-N, L-PE, N-PE). 5 pulses per combination. Observe EUT behavior after each pulse.

   ⏱ Time: 2–3 h

6. Radiated field immunity testing (EN 61000-4-3)

   Place EUT in anechoic chamber. Exposure to field 3–10 V/m in 80 MHz–6 GHz range. AM modulation 80% (1 kHz). Scan frequency in steps ≤1%.

   ⏱ Time: 4–8 h

7. EUT behavior assessment

   After each test, assess EUT behavior according to criteria: A (normal operation), B (degradation with recovery), C (degradation requiring reset), D (damage).

   ⏱ Time: continuous

8. Additional tests (optional)

   As needed: EN 61000-4-6 (conducted RF immunity), EN 61000-4-8 (50 Hz magnetic field), EN 61000-4-11 (voltage dips and short interruptions).

   ⏱ Time: 2–6 h

9. Result analysis

   Compile results for each test and level. Identify any weak points (resonant frequencies, sensitive ports).

   ⏱ Time: 1 h

10. Reporting

    Prepare report containing: EUT configuration, measuring equipment, test plan, results (table + behavior descriptions), compliance assessment, configuration photos.

    ⏱ Time: 2–4 h

Required equipment and apparatus

Reagents, media and consumables

Health and safety (OHS)

• ESD/burst/surge generators produce high voltages (up to 15 kV) — risk of electric shock, exercise particular caution
• Anechoic chamber — strong EM field during immunity tests, do not enter during measurement
• EUT under voltage — apply LOTO (Lock Out / Tag Out) procedures during configuration changes
• Pulse generators — do not touch outputs, do not connect/disconnect under voltage
• RF equipment — protect hearing from loud acoustic noise from piezo transducers

Frequently asked questions