FAQ

This page contains all kind of Frequently Asked Questions related to RadiMation^®

Does RadiMation support the linearity check that is described in the EN 61000-4-3 standard?

In RadiMation^® it is fairly easy to verify that the amplifier is used in its linear area (not saturated). The EN 61000-4-3 2006 version specifies that the calibrations in the Uniform Field Area should be performed on electrical field strength that is at least 1.8 times higher than the field strength that will be used during the substitution test. It also requires that it is ensured that the amplifier is used in a range in which it is not in saturation. To be able to perform a substitution test on 10 V/m, it is thus necessary that the calibrations are performed on at least 18 V/m. The Uniform Field Area calculation can be performed as it is described in Chapter 12. After the the complete calculation has been performed, and a final calibration file has been created, it has to be ensured that the amplifier will not be used in saturation.

The easiest way to confirm that the amplifier is not used in saturation, is:

1. Configure a Radiated Immunity substitution test with the calibration file that was the result of the Uniform Field Area calculation. Ensure that the substitution test is configured with the correct settings:
   • use the signal generator calibration method.
   • level to an electrical field strength that is exactly 1.8 times lower than the field strength that was calibrated. This will result in a 5.1 dB lower signal generator power.
   • use the same frequency range and frequency steps, as was used during the calibration.
2. Start the substitution test and wait until it is finished.
3. Now the forward power that is used during the substitution test, and the forward power during the calibration should be compared. It is the most easiest to do this in Microsoft Excel. Start Microsoft Excel, and create an empty sheet.
4. Open the calibration file that was the result of the Uniform Field Area calculation.
5. Open the forward power graph, and copy the data of the forward power to the clipboard.
6. Paste the forward power of the calibration file into the Microsoft Excel worksheet (for example on cell A1)
7. Open the results of the substitution test, open the forward power graph, and copy the data of the forward power to the clipboard.
8. Paste the forward power of the substitution test into the Microsoft Excel worksheet (for example on cell E1)
9. Compare the data of the forward power of the calibration and the forward power during the substitution. The forward power of the substitution should be 5.1 dB lower then the forward power of the calibration file. The comparison is very easy, by inserting the formula '=B2-E2' in cell I2. The formula can then be copied down for all other frequencies.
10. The EN 61000-4-3 standard assumes that the amplifier is not in saturation if the difference between the forward power values is within +3.1 dB to +5.1 dB.

Another possibility to ensure that the amplifier is not used in saturation, is to limit the generated power of the amplifier to its 1 dB compression point. The amplifier limitation feature of RadiMation^® can be used to limit the generated power of the amplifier.

Why is an immunity test trying to control a field sensor, if no field sensor is selected in the used testsite?

RadiMation^® does not automatically disable a setting in a TSF file, if certain equipment is not selected in the selected testsite.

It can be possible that measurements procedures require that a field sensor is used during an immunity measurement. The fieldsensor is then activated in the Fieldsensor Inputs window of the TSF file. If however, due to circumstances the fieldsensor is not available in a certain situation, it is unacceptable that RadiMation^® silently decides to not use the activated fieldsensor. The TSF that defines the exact measurement procedure should not be silently modified, because this can lead to unexpected results in future measurements. It is of course allowed that the test engineer modifies the TSF to disable the usage of the field sensor during a specific measurement, but in that case it is a thoughtful action by and the responsibility of the test engineer. RadiMation^® does not silently perform adjustments to the configuration in a TSF file.

What is the difference between the Report Generator and the Excel Exporter?

The report generator and the Excel exporter are using two different ways to export the information from RadiMation^®.

• The report generator is fully configurable by the report generator template which specifies the information that should be exported, and how it should be represented in the final report. The formatting, generated information and amount of information is completely configurable.
• The Excel exporter can not be configured, it just dumps all the raw data into a Microsoft Excel worksheet. By design, all the data is exported without any correction factors applied to the values. The order and the location on which the information is exported cannot be modified, and is always the same.

The report generator is also capable of generating customizable reports in Microsoft Excel. The most common usage of the Excel exporter is to have all the information available in Microsoft Excel to perform further calculations.

Why are the TXT and the HTML formats not supported anymore by the report generator?

The report generator is being using more than in the past, for the inclusion of tables and pictures in the final report. The support in the report generator for the TXT and HTML files has been removed in version 5.3 and higher because those file types do not support embedded tables and pictures within the file. For the same reason the file types XML and RTF are not supported anymore.

The decision to stop the support of these file types in the report generator will not have a large impact, because to our knowledge, these file types are not use by any customer.

I have another question, that is not answered yet

Just send your question by e-mail to the RadiMation^® support team (radimation-support@raditeq.com), and we will give you an answer.