🛡️ EMC testing — immunity to interference

Electronics and EMC PN-EN 61000-4

Overview

STATUS (as of 02.11.2026). This description covers four parts of the series, and each of them is a separate standard with its own designation and date: PN-EN IEC 61000-4-2:2026-03 (electrostatic discharge; English version, implements EN IEC 61000-4-2:2025, replaced PN-EN 61000-4-2:2011), PN-EN IEC 61000-4-3:2021-06 (radio-frequency electromagnetic field; implements EN IEC 61000-4-3:2020), PN-EN 61000-4-4:2013-05 (electrical fast transients/bursts; implements EN 61000-4-4:2012) and PN-EN 61000-4-5:2014-10 with amendment A1:2018-01 (surges). The catalogue cards of these editions carry no withdrawal notice. The numerical values in this description come from the available fragments of the texts: IEC 61000-4-2:2008 (previous edition; of the 2025 edition we had the text up to Clause 4 with the list of changes), IEC 61000-4-3:2020, IEC 61000-4-4:2012 and IEC 61000-4-5:2005 (previous edition compared with IEC 61000-4-5:2014 with AMD1:2017). The third edition of IEC 61000-4-2 (07.03.2025) added a calibration requirement for generators with an air discharge tip, a normative Annex I with test setups for particular kinds of equipment and informative annexes on wearable devices (J) and on the selection of test points and the number of pulses for contact discharges (E); it moved the former Clause 9 to informative Annex K and the post-installation tests to informative Annex G, because they cannot be performed in a controlled environment. The third edition of IEC 61000-4-5 (2014, with AMD1:2017 as edition 3.1) moved the test of ports connected to outside telecommunication lines, with the requirements for the 10/700 µs generator, to normative Annex A and added annexes on mathematical modelling of surge waveforms (E), measurement uncertainty (F), calibration of impulse measuring systems (G) and coupling of surges to lines rated above 200 A (H).

SCOPE AND ROLE OF THE STANDARDS. The parts of the IEC 61000-4 series are basic EMC publications within the meaning of IEC Guide 107: they describe the phenomenon, the range of test levels, the generator, the test setup and the test procedure, but they do not specify which tests apply to a particular piece of equipment or at what severity. This is the responsibility of the product committees (or of users and manufacturers), who also give the required levels and performance criteria in product standards.

ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE (Part 4-2). The test reproduces discharges from operators directly to the equipment and from personnel to objects near it; the 2008 edition gave requirements for laboratory tests and post-installation tests, and the 2025 edition moved the post-installation tests to informative Annex G. The preferred method is contact discharge — the generator electrode touches the object and the discharge is actuated by the switch in the generator; air discharge (the charged electrode is moved towards the object until it touches it) is used where contact discharge cannot be applied. Levels (Table 1): contact 2, 4, 6 and 8 kV, air 2, 4, 8 and 15 kV (levels 1–4) and level x — special. For air discharge all levels up to and including the required one are tested, for contact discharge only the required level, unless the product committee decides otherwise. Discharges are applied directly to the object or indirectly, to a coupling plane next to it (horizontal or vertical).

RADIO-FREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD (Part 4-3). The test assesses immunity to fields from sources that are not in close proximity to the object (close-proximity sources are covered by IEC 61000-4-39). The test signal is a carrier with 80 % amplitude modulation (Figure 1 of the standard); the field strength is set in the uniform field area. The 2020 edition describes testing with several test signals at the same time, adds information on the layout of the object and its cables, removes the upper frequency limit to take account of new radio services and specifies the checking of the field and of power amplifier linearity.

ELECTRICAL FAST TRANSIENTS/BURSTS (Part 4-4). The test reproduces disturbances from switching, such as the interruption of inductive loads and relay contact bounce — with a high amplitude, a short rise time, a high repetition frequency and low energy. Bursts of pulses are applied to power, protective earth, signal and control ports. Levels (Table 1): power and protective earth ports 0,5, 1, 2 and 4 kV, signal and control ports 0,25, 0,5, 1 and 2 kV, repetition frequency 5 kHz or 100 kHz (5 kHz is traditional, 100 kHz is closer to reality — the choice belongs to the product committees).

SURGES (Part 4-5). The test reproduces surges from switching in the power system and from lightning. Levels (2005 edition, Table 1): open-circuit voltage 0,5, 1, 2 and 4 kV with a tolerance of ±10 % and level X — special; the level is chosen according to the installation conditions, and the object must also meet the requirements at all lower levels. The 1,2/50 µs combination wave generator (open-circuit voltage front time 1,2 µs, time to half value 50 µs; short-circuit current 8/20 µs) is used for power ports and short signal connections, and the 10/700 µs generator for ports intended for symmetrical telecommunication lines.

EVALUATION AND LEGISLATION. The result is assessed from the behaviour of the object during and after the test, with the performance criteria given in the product standard. Directive 2014/30/EU requires the immunity of equipment to the disturbances expected in its intended use to allow it to operate without unacceptable degradation (Annex I point 1(b)). Compliance with harmonised standards whose references have been published in the Official Journal of the EU gives a presumption of conformity with this requirement (Article 13), and a manufacturer who does not apply them describes the solutions adopted in the technical documentation (Annex II point 3(d)). The parts of the 61000-4 series are referenced by product standards and generic standards; they do not impose requirements on products themselves.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE HERE. The test setups and test procedures from Clauses 7–8 of each part (table height, dimensions of the reference and coupling planes, number of discharges and surges, duration of burst application, frequency step and dwell time), the levels and frequency ranges from Clause 5 of Part 4-3, the evaluation criteria from Clause 9 (in Part 4-2 of 2025 — Annex K), the levels from Clause 5 of the 2025 edition of Part 4-2 and the 2014 edition of Part 4-5 — the available fragments of the texts end earlier. Nor do we give the levels required for particular products, the duration or the cost of the tests.

Method principle

The equipment under test (EUT) operates in the planned mode, and a generator or an antenna applies a disturbance of standardised shape and level: a discharge from a capacitor of typically 150 pF through a resistor of typically 330 Ω (Part 4-2), bursts of 5/50 ns pulses with a repetition frequency of 5 kHz or 100 kHz (Part 4-4), a 1,2/50 µs — 8/20 µs combination wave surge or a 10/700 µs surge (Part 4-5) or a radio-frequency field with 80 % amplitude modulation (Part 4-3). During and after the test the operation of the object is observed and compared with the performance criteria from the product standard.

Applications

• Immunity testing of electrical and electronic equipment at the levels and with the performance criteria given in product standards or generic standards
• Assessment of conformity with the immunity requirement of Directive 2014/30/EU (Annex I point 1(b)) when applying harmonised standards that reference parts of the 61000-4 series
• Electrostatic discharges from operators and personnel — tests in the laboratory (Part 4-2; post-installation tests from the 2025 edition in informative Annex G)
• Radio-frequency electromagnetic field from sources not in close proximity to the equipment (Part 4-3)
• Fast transients/bursts on power, protective earth, signal and control ports (Part 4-4)
• Surges on power ports, signal connections and ports for symmetrical telecommunication lines (Part 4-5)

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-EN IEC 61000-4-2:2026-03; PN-EN IEC 61000-4-3:2021-06; PN-EN 61000-4-4:2013-05; PN-EN 61000-4-5:2014-10 + A1:2018-01

Title (PL)

Kompatybilność elektromagnetyczna (EMC) — Część 4: Metody badań i pomiarów — badania odporności (części 4-2, 4-3, 4-4 i 4-5)

Title (EN)

Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) — Part 4: Testing and measurement techniques — immunity tests (Parts 4-2, 4-3, 4-4 and 4-5)

Step-by-step procedure

1. Test plan

   From the product standard or generic standard, determine which parts of the series apply to the equipment, the required levels, the ports to be tested, the operating modes of the object and the performance criteria.

2. Checking the equipment

   Check the generators and coupling networks according to the procedures of each part (e.g. verification of the discharge setup in Part 4-2, calibration of the burst generator in Part 4-4), and for the field test — the uniformity of the field.

3. Electrostatic discharges (Part 4-2)

   Apply contact discharges (the preferred method) and, where they cannot be applied, air discharges; apply indirect discharges to the coupling planes next to the object. The points and the number of discharges are given in Clause 8 of the standard (in the 2025 edition also informative Annex E).

4. Radio-frequency field (Part 4-3)

   Expose the object to a field with 80 % amplitude modulation over the frequency range and at the level from the product standard, setting the field strength according to the characterisation of the uniform field area.

5. Fast transients/bursts (Part 4-4)

   Apply the bursts to power and protective earth ports through the coupling/decoupling network, and to signal and control lines through the capacitive coupling clamp.

6. Surges (Part 4-5)

   Apply surges from the combination wave generator through the coupling/decoupling networks at the required level and at all lower levels.

7. Observation and evaluation

   During and after each test, observe the operation of the object and compare it with the performance criteria from the product standard.

8. Test report

   Prepare the test report according to Clause 10 of each part of the series applied.

Required equipment and apparatus

Reagents, media and consumables

Health and safety (OHS)

• The electrostatic discharge generator produces voltages of up to 15 kV, and the surge generator up to 4 kV and more at the special level (Tables 1 of Parts 4-2 and 4-5)
• The available texts of the standards contain no safety requirements — the rules for working with high-voltage generators, radio-frequency fields and an energised object are set by the laboratory on the basis of a risk assessment

Frequently asked questions