Telecommunications Industry News
 

The Key to Passing Compliance Testing
 
I spend a lot of time on the road, visiting with our clients to discuss their current compliance testing challenges. As such, I see a wide variety of products and processes, but very often I see the same design problem happening to everyone.
 
The demand on personnel to get product through the design and test phase and out the door faster is contributing to an increase in the likelihood that the product will not pass compliance testing.
 
When I talk to the product designers I hear the same things - mechanical engineers are trying to create space on boards that doesn't exist, electrical designers are stuffing more components and layers in the already cramped board, the thermal guys are pushing the limits of thermodynamics, and the software is never stable.   Finally, after these monumental tasks are complete, the product is ready to go to market, as soon as the testing is complete. Low and behold, we have a problem in compliance testing delaying launch, and necessitating redesign and retest.  

What is the solution to this perennial waster of time and money? Don't wait until testing to talk to NTS, start including our engineers into the design and development process.  

 

NTS will work with you to help define the compliance test parameters up front so that products can be designed to pass the compliance testing the first time. People like to say that test technicians get paid to break things, but honestly - they don't want to! By letting NTS help your team review the design, and determine what trade offs in each area need to be made to achieve both the best solution for your product and compliance. Implementing this approach can save time and money by delivering a reliable product that meets industry standards in less time than your competitors, making you, your boss, your clients and your test technician happy.   Ask how NTS's engineers and designers can help you. You might be surprised by how much time and money you can really save. 

Dan McGinnis
Director, Business Development Telecommunications

 

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NTS Has First Fully Certified  ZigBee Smart Energy Test Harness

 

In mid-March, NTS's facility in Acton, MA hosted a gathering of wireless professionals for a "plugfest" for ZigBee's Smart Energy (aka SE formerly AMI) profile. Engineers from over 20 companies (over 50 attendees) participated in the event during which they had the opportunity to test out their devices using the latest test procedures, as well as each other's devices to verify interoperability. Although no certifications were performed at the event, it gave the ZigBee certification group an opportunity to strengthen and finalize the test procedures and test tools for a May certification event in which NTS also participated.

 

We are pleased to announce that at the May event, NTS became the only test lab with a fully certified ZigBee Smart Energy test harness which can emulate and certify all of the SE devices. The harness automates the execution of the complete certification suite for the ZigBee Smart Energy profile making it easy for NTS customers to achieve certification. The ZigBee Smart Energy profile is one of the latest public profiles built on the ZigBee platform. Smart Energy provides utility companies with an open standard for implementing secure, wireless communications for managing energy. This will allow for improved energy efficiencies by allowing more precise control of their products (from smart thermostats to appliances) using automation and near real-time information. It also lets utilities implement new advanced metering capabilities, and use demand response programs to control thermostats/appliances during peak load times to reduce the burden on utilities. For more information on how you can get your ZigBee products certified, contact Michael Bailey Smith and the NTS ZigBee team today at 310-641-7700 or email michael.smith@ntscorp.com! Click here for our ZigBee certification info on-line, and click here to submit a request for quotation.

 

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Hot Swappable Components

by Jim Press, National EMC Director

 

One of the latest developments in the Telecommunication industry is hot swappable components. Hot swappable blades are still available and are useful.  However, for records, billing, and other applications, swapping a drive or memory stick is a lot more effective method than swapping the blade. This new technology is not addressed in GR-1089.

 

Recently, NTS was testing for a client who was developing a blade with a hot swappable drive on it. These blades were to be sold to another vendor who planned to integrate them into their chassis design. The client designed the blade to allow access to the swappable component via a gasketed panel removed via finger stock. The blade had EMI gasketing on all sides to form a Faraday cage with the other blades and the chassis per drawings. In addition, the blade had an optional PCMI spring-loaded card slot with EMI gasketing to contact the chassis when empty or the card when populated. The integrating vendor went to an other ITL lab who stated that the RBOC requires that all spring loaded doors be opened during radiated emissions and immunity testing (a true statement). The other ITL discussed the configuration with the RBOC based upon information from the integration vendor. When NTS reviewed the Test Procedure, we found that the Procedure required the PCMI slot to be forced open and all access panels be propped open. 

 

This test configuration essentially voided all the EMC integrity designed into the blades. NTS felt this was an extreme case.  NTS contacted the other ITL and told them we felt that having the PCMI slot populated and the panels in place was the proper configuration.  The ITL did not realize the slots would be populated and agreed with us that this was acceptable, but disagreed with removing the panels. NTS' position was that we do not remove a hot swappable blade during radiated tests. The other ITL agreed but did not feel strongly enough to over turn its decision.  This put two ITLs' in disagreement and we went to the RBOC for clarification. 

 

The RBOC was not aware that the slots would be populated and quickly agreed that the proper configuration was to place cards in the slots.  The RBOC also did not understand that the access panels had EMI treatments and agreed that the panels are only open momentarily and most likely one-at-a-time and therefore should be left in-tact for the radiated tests.

This situation demonstrates the need to keep dialogue between RBOC's, ITL's and vendors open as new technologies emerge, allowing us all to work together to assure a robust testing program.

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