Saelig Company, Inc. has introduced the Elite RF DAx and DBx Amplifiers for generating the high electromagnetic fields that are required for immunity and compatibility compliance testing. Elite RF’s series of broadband RF amplifiers and modules, while diverse in application, are specifically geared for use in EMC testing applications and are available in power levels from 20 W to 2000 W. These solid-state amplifiers are biased class AB and feature built-in temperature and current protection. They cover the most popular spectrum ranges used by the test labs around the world, such as 9 kHz to 100 MHz, 9 kHz to 400 MHz, 20 MHz to 1000 MHz, 80 MHz to 1000 MHz, 500 MHz to 6 GHz, 1 GHz to 6 GHz, 2 GHz to 18 GHz, 18 GHz to 26.5 GHz, 26.5 GHz to 40 GHz, and others. Higher power Elite RF systems and modules up to 5 kW up to 1 kW are also available. The DAx and DBx amplifiers are housed in metal 2 U through 16 U rack-mount cases for installing in system setups.

Amplifiers play a pivotal role in EMC testing, particularly in radiated immunity tests, where they are used to create high enough field strengths which are required to properly evaluate a device’s resilience to electromagnetic interference. Amplifier ‘class’ is defined by how the amplifier output stages influence the output signal over a full cycle of a sinusoidal input. Class AB Amplifiers are a hybrid class where both output amplifiers conduct around the waveform’s crossover point, eliminating crossover distortion. They are more efficient than class A and more linear than class B.

The two main forms of EMC compliance testing are immunity tests and emissions tests. Immunity tests gage a product’s susceptibility to damage and improper operation when subjected to a wide variety of electrical disturbances and interference. Thorough immunity testing requires an RF signal source, an RF power amplifier, an RF receiver/power meter, electrostatic discharge generator, electrical burst generators, surge generator, and a method of applying signals that closely mimic the requirements set in the U.S., E.U. or other country standards.