Automation of electromagnetic compatibility tests

EMI/EMC Tests on spacecraft subsystems/equipments involve making the test setup, calibration of measuring instruments, verification of test setup and performing the actual tests. A wide range of test frequencies are involved: 100 Hz to 400 MHz for conducted mode tests and 10 kHz to 40 GHz for radiated mode tests. Performing EMI tests in manual mode, sometime, may become tedious, time consuming and may have measurement inaccuracies. An automated EMC test system has been developed in-house to perform equipment level testing. This paper details the steps involved in the development of the automated EMC test system and different features of the test system.