MIL-STD-461 Testing
MIL-STD-461 provides the requirements for the control of electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions and susceptibility characteristics of electronic, electrical, and electromechanical equipment and subsystems designed or procured for use by activities and agencies of the Department of Defense (DoD).
This standard is best suited for bench top mounted or free standing equipment, with a power input current draw of less than 200 amps. It is not commonly applied to items such as components and independent modules located inside electronic enclosures, nor entire platforms such as an aircraft or submarines. However, the principles employed here may be useful as a basis for developing suitable requirements for any application. NTS has performed in house laboratory testing on equipment in excess of 22 feet in length weighing up to 10 tons. Additionally, NTS routinely performs on site testing (in situ) for equipment too large or complex to transport.
MIL-STD-461 has been an active document since 1967 and has undergone several major revisions over the years. These changes where largely based on observed changes in a platform’s Electromagnetic Environment (EME) caused by the rapidly increasing use of electronics and advancements in technology. Interestingly enough, legacy programs and retrofit activities may still refer to earlier versions of this document in order to ensure that there has been no impact since the original compliance report.
MIL-STD-461 Revision Requirements
NTS is considered the nation’s leader in MIL-STD-461 testing, and is fully equipped and capable to perform testing to all revisions of this standard (MIL-STD-461 A – G). The most common requirements from revisions E & F are shown below, the MIL-STD-461G version was released in December 2015. NTS is also able to perform testing to the previous revisions of the standard, click here to review information about revisions A – D.
Test Name | Test Description | Applicable Revision |
---|---|---|
CE101 | Conducted Emissions, Power Leads,30 Hz to 10 kHz | E & F |
CE102 | Conducted Emissions, Power Leads,10 kHz to 10 MHz | E & F |
CE106 | Conducted Emissions, Antenna Terminal,10 kHz to 40 GHz | E & F |
CS101 | Conducted Susceptibility, Power Leads,30 Hz to 150 kHz(limited to 100 amps) | E & F |
CS103 | Conducted Susceptibility, Antenna Port, Intermodulation, 15 kHz to10 GHz | E & F |
CS104 | Conducted Susceptibility, Antenna Port, Rejection of Undesired Signals, 30 Hz to 20 GHz | E & F |
CS105 | Conducted Susceptibility, Antenna Port,Cross-Modulation, 30 Hz to 20 GHz | E & F |
CS106 | Conducted Susceptibility, Transients,Power Leads | F only |
CS109 | Conducted Susceptibility, Structure Current,60 Hz to 100 kHz | E & F |
CS114 | Conducted Susceptibility, Bulk Cable Injection, 10 kHz to 200 MHzUp to curve 5 including 4 kHz – 1 MHz common mode requirements for ships & subs. | E & F |
CS115 | Conducted Susceptibility, Bulk Cable Injection, Impulse Excitation | E & F |
CS116 | Conducted Susceptibility, Damped Sinusoidal Transients, Cables and Power Leads,10 kHz to 100 MHz | E & F |
CS117 | Lightning Induced Transients, Cables and Power Leads | G |
CS118 | Conducted Susceptibility, Personnel Borne Electrostatic Discharge | G |
RE101 | Radiated Emissions, Magnetic Field,30 Hz to 100 kHz | E & F |
RE102 | Radiated Emissions, Electric Field,10 kHz to 18 GHz | E & F |
RE103 | Radiated Emissions, Antenna Spurious and Harmonic Outputs,10 kHz to 40 GHz | E & F |
RS101 | Radiated Susceptibility, Magnetic Field,30 Hz to 100 kHz | E & F |
RS103 | Radiated Susceptibility, Electric Field,2 MHz to 40 GHz(up to 200 V/M) | E & F |
RS105 | Radiated Susceptibility,Transient Electromagnetic Field(up to 0.75s) | E & F |
MIL-STD-461 Engineering Services
NTS offers a number of on-site and off-site EMI/EMC engineering services:
- Training courses– Ranging from a basic overview of the MIL-STD-461 qualification requirements, to the latest product design methodologies used to meet these requirements.
- Product design review and EMI troubleshooting–
- EMI Test Procedure development
The EMI Test procedure (EMITP) is one of the most important elements of a MIL-STD-461 qualification program. The test procedure control requirements are defined under DI-EMCS-80201C. It intended to organize the test methodologies used, define the test limits and levels, and explain how the equipment under test (EUT) will be operated, oriented, and electrically grounded during each test. It also provides a means to explain any tailoring activities or deviations from the MIL-STD-461 standard requirements (as needed) in order to achieve agency approval prior to testing. NTS is experienced working with product manufacturers to develop formal MIL-STD-461 test procedures, and will assist you throughout the approval process.