TBL5016 - 3 - Manual - V1.4 - 20221129
TBL5016 - 3 - Manual - V1.4 - 20221129
TBL5016 - 3 - Manual - V1.4 - 20221129
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TBL5016-3
The TBL5016-3 is a Line Impedance Stabilization Network for the measurement of line-conducted
interference within the range of 9 kHz to 30MHz, according to the CISPR 16-1-2 standard. The device is
designed for testing 3-phase and single phase, AC-powered equipment with supply voltages up to
maximum 450V/260V and 16A. Conducted noise can be measured on each phase and on the neutral
conductor. The TBL5016-3 has separate RF outputs for each phase and neutral and consequently can be
coupled with the TBLM1 to split the emissions in its common mode and differential mode components. The
TBL5016-3 has no integrated high pass filter at the RF outputs, but comes with an external 9 kHz coaxial
high pass instead.
The single phase DUT socket is available in country-specific variants.
Contents
1 INTRODUCTION 4
1.1 PRE-COMPLIANCE TESTING OF CONDUCTED EMISSIONS 4
1.2 LINE IMPEDANCE STABILIZATION NETWORKS 4
1.3 RF OUTPUT 5
1.4 INFORMATIVE SCHEMATIC 5
1.5 LABORATORY SET UP 6
1.6 GROUND PLANE 6
2 TBL5016-3 SPECIFICATIONS 7
2.1 CONFORMITY 7
2.2 SAFETY 7
2.3 SPECIFICATIONS 7
2.4 SUPPLY VOLTAGE 7
2.5 FRONT PANEL 8
2.6 REAR PANEL 9
2.7 IMPEDANCE 10
2.8 PHASE 10
2.9 FREQUENCY RESPONSE, S21 FROM DUT PORT TO RF PORT 11
2.10 CALIBRATION DATA ACCORDING TO CISPR 16 -1-2 ANNEX A8 12
2.11 ISOLATION 13
2.12 THERMAL CHARACTERISTICS 14
2.13 SPECTRUM ANALYZER / EMI RECEIVER RF INPUT PROTECTION 14
2.14 ARTIFICIAL HAND 15
3 OPERATION CHECKLIST 15
4 TBHPF1-9KHZ HIGH PASS FILTER 16
4.1 TECHNICAL DATA 16
4.2 FREQUENCY RESPONSE 16
4.3 APPLICATION 18
5 ORDERING INFORMATION 20
6 HISTORY 20
Tables
Table 1 – Frequency response, PCB DUT terminals to BNC, typical data 11
Table 2, TBL5016-3 LISN voltage division ratio, typical calibration data* 13
Table 3– Ordering Information 20
Table 4– History 20
Figures
Figure 1 – Basic AC LISN set up: impedance levels 4
Figure 2 – 3-phase LISN, simplified schematic 5
Figure 3 – Conducted noise pre-compliance measurement setup 6
Figure 4 – Front panel layout 8
Figure 5 – DUT socket, pin assignment with reference to the rear power connector 8
Figure 6 – Rear panel layout 9
Figure 10 – Calibration set up according to CISPR 16-1-2 Annex A.8. 12
Figure 11 – Voltage Division Ratio versus frequency 12
Figure 12: LISN Isolation, Source to RF out, limit line according CISPR 16-1-2 13
Figure 13: Coil and housing temperature at 16 A DUT current @ 22 °C ambient temperature 14
Figure 14 – Example from CISPR 16, portable electric saw with artificial hand 15
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SAFETY
Operating an AC LISN involves dealing with potentially lethal voltages and high ground leakage
currents. The LISN shall only be operated by qualified staff.
Read this manual carefully and be sure to understand the operation of an AC LISN. Make sure that the
conducted noise pre – compliance test equipment is set up correctly and that the necessary earth
connections are reliably bonded to avoid the risk of lethal electric shocks. The ground strap must be
securely connected to the protective earth conductor available on site, before making any other
electrical connection. This connection must not be separated, until the mains supply is disconnected
from the LISN setup.
Take precautions, such as validating the signal amplitude at the RF output prior to connecting a
spectrum analyzer or using attenuators and/or limiters to prevent damage to your test receiver or
spectrum analyzer.
Avoid touching the housing, when operating the LISN at maximum current over extended time. The
housing temperature may rise up to 50°C. Turn off the DUT after measurements to avoid unnecessary
dissipation.
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1 Introduction
Full compliance measurement of AC mains supplied products requires a high end set up consisting of an anechoic or
screened chamber, a measurement receiver that complies with the requirements of CISPR 16, a 50µH LISN and a suitable
table for the measurement setup. Great effort and cost ensures optimum accuracy and repeatability.
Pre-compliance measurements target to give a very close approximation of the EMC performance of the Device Under
Test at a fraction of the cost of full compliance testing. The measurement receiver can be replaced by a spectrum analyzer
with suitable sensitivity, bandwidth and detectors. The advent of affordable spectrum analyzers with EMI IF filters and
Quasi-Peak detectors made EMC pre-compliance testing affordable for any company which develops electronic products.
Together with test accessories from Tekbox, EMC pre-compliance set-ups cost hardly more than a standard oscilloscope a
few years ago.
Eliminate uncertainty before going to the test house for compliance testing. There is hardly anything that can give you a
return on invest as quickly as EMC pre compliance test equipment.
A LISN is a device inserted between a power source and the supply terminals of a DUT (Device Under Test).
It presents a defined impedance for the emissions produced by the DUT and emitted via the supply cables of the Device
Under Test. The impedance seen by the RF emissions is 50 Ohm║ 50µH + 5 Ohm which results in 50 Ohms for the most
part of the specified frequency range. Only at the lower edge of its bandwidth, the impedance decreases. This impedance
curve is specified in the corresponding test standards such as CISPR 16-1-2. Having a defined impedance for the emissions
at the DUT terminals eliminates any influence of the power source impedance. Consequently, the measured amplitudes of
the noise spectrum become independent of the power source characteristics:
Furthermore, the AC LISN attenuates noise originating from the incoming mains supply towards the Receiver/Analyzer and
DUT. For detailed information, refer to the LISN overview document, which can be downloaded from the Tekbox website.
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1.3 RF output
The TBL5016-3 provides separate RF outputs for L1, L2, L3 and Neutral. Consequently, a complete conducted emission
measurement consists of four separate measurements in case of a DUT supplied in Y-configuration, three separate
measurements in case of DUTs supplied in Delta-configuration, or two separate measurements in case of single phase
supplied DUTs. L1 is connected both to the 3-phase DUT socket, as well as to a country specific single phase socket to
simplify connectivity of single phase supplied products. When measuring conducted emissions on any of the four paths,
the three unused RF outputs have to be terminated with 50 Ohm.
As the TBL5016-3 provides separate outputs for each path, it can be connected to a TBLM1 LISN mate in order to split the
output signal into its common mode and differential mode components.
The TBL5016-3 RF paths do not provide any built in attenuators / filters / limiters.
Always connect the supplied TBHPF1-9kHz low pass filter to the RF input of your spectrum analyzer / measurement
receiver, unless you don´t use external attenuators which provide a 50 Ohm impedance down to DC or an external
attenuator / limiter/filter such as the Tekbox TBFL1.
Take precautions, such as validating the signal amplitude at the RF output prior to connecting a spectrum analyzer or using
attenuators and/or limiters such as the Tekbox TBFL1 to prevent damage to your test receiver or spectrum analyzer.
WARNING: Ensure that the spectrum analyzer RF input is disconnected when powering on or powering off the DUT. Use
an attenuator/limiter, if the DUT switches inductive loads during operation or in case of any uncertainty concerning the
DUT characteristics. After ensuring that the spectrum analyzer is not over-driven, you may remove or reduce external
attenuation.
The simplified schematic below shows the basic topology and the values of the main components of the TBL5016-3 AC
LISN. It consists of four identical LISN paths.
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Always refer to the set-up specified in the applicable standard for your product. If it cannot be implemented in your
available laboratory environment, refer to the set up below.
The DUT shall be isolated and elevated from the ground plane. The spectrum analyzer shall measure the conducted
emissions on both line and neutral.
The value of the parallel combination of the capacitors is 12µF from each line and neutral to ground. This causes around
0.75A flowing into the earth connection and would trip the ground fault switch. Hence, an insulation transformer is
required for any mains supply which is protected by a residual current device or ground fault (earth leakage) circuit
breaker and good grounding is essential for safety.
The set up below is just informative. For the exact details of the set up and for the limits of conducted emissions refer to
the relevant applicable standard or the examples in the LISN overview document, which can be downloaded from our
website.
SAFETY: Ensure that all required earth connections are reliably bonded and that the isolation transformer can supply the
required load current.
Any voltage measurement must be made against a common circuit node which can be referred to as the “zero volt”
reference. In order to provide a low impedance zero volt reference for RF measurements, a metal sheet must be provided
as ground plane. All ground straps between equipment and ground plane shall be as short as possible and fastened with
screws. Exact details on the size of the ground plane and the arrangement of the equipment and interconnecting cables
are described in the applicable standards.
In a pre-compliance test set up, as a rule of thumb, the size of the ground plane shall be large enough to accommodate all
involved equipment and exceed at least 10cm each side.
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2 TBL5016-3 specifications
2.1 Conformity
2.2 Safety
In order to ensure safe operations, the user must follow all safety relevant information of this manual. All housing parts
are connected with the earth conductor of the power cable, DUT socket, yellow banana receptacle and with the ground
strap of the housing. It is not allowed to carry out any modifications or manipulations of the TBL5016-3. The TBL5016-3
shall be operated by qualified laboratory staff only.
2.3 Specifications
The TBL5016-3 does not require any particular voltage settings. It can be operated with any supply voltage which does not
exceed 540V/260V, 50Hz/60Hz. It is also suitable for DC operation.
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Figure 5 – DUT socket, pin assignment with reference to the rear power connector
For the pin-assignment of the three phase socket, refer to the graphics on the front panel
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11) Three phase power (source) socket, IEC60309, 3L+N+PE, 16A, male
12) Power switch
For the pin assignment of the power socket, refer to the graphics on the rear panel.
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2.7 Impedance
Figure 7 – Impedance vs. frequency at DUT terminals, limit lines according CISPR 16-1-2*
*) BNC connectors terminated with 50 Ohm. Impedance measured at the DUT terminals on the PCB. The wiring from DUT
connector to the PCB can be considered as an additional 20 cm of DUT supply cable length.
2.8 Phase
Figure 8 – Phase angle vs. frequency at DUT terminals, limit lines according CISPR 16-1-2*
*) BNC connectors terminated with 50 Ohm. Phase angle measured at the DUT terminals on the PCB. The wiring from DUT
connector to the PCB can be considered as an additional 20 cm of DUT supply cable length
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2.11 Isolation
Figure 92: LISN Isolation, Source to RF out, limit line according CISPR 16-1-2
The isolation is measured between the mains (source) connector and RF port, with the DUT port terminated with 50 Ohm.
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Avoid touching the housing, when operating the LISN at maximum current over extended time. Typical conducted noise
measurements take less than 10 minutes per line. Turn off the DUT after measurements to avoid unnecessary dissipation.
Figure 103: Coil and housing temperature at 16 A DUT current @ 22 °C ambient temperature
The TBL5016-3 offers only limited protection to prevent surges appearing at the input of the measurement receiver or
analyzer.
All lines and neutral are equipped with a 275V varistor to ground. All four RF paths are protected by a 50V gas discharge
tube.
In order to suppress residual 50Hz AC from the RF output, the supplied external TBHPF1-9kHz high pass filter always has to
be connected to the RF input of the connected spectrum analyzer / EMI-receiver, unless external attenuators or an
external combined attenuator / filter / limiter such as the TBFL1 is used.
Find more details in the TBHPF1-9kHz datasheet that can be downloaded from our website.
Additional protection using a combined attenuator/ highpass filter / limiter at the spectrum analyzer RF input is
recommended.
Tekbox offers a range of suitable attenuators and a combined attenuator / filter / limiter.
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When performing conducted noise measurements with devices which are held in hand, the artificial hand network mimics
the influence of the human hand. Examples for such devices are power tools, hair driers, kitchen tools and similar
equipment.
Insulated housing sections that are touched by the hand when operating the equipment are covered with metal foil and
connected to the artificial hand jack.
Figure 114 – Example from CISPR 16, portable electric saw with artificial hand
3 Operation checklist
• Setup the isolation transformer, TBL5016-3 , DUT and spectrum analyzer according to Figure 3.
• Before powering the isolation transformer, measure the connectivity between each equipment chassis and
ground plane.
• Ensure that the supply cable of the isolation transformer, the supply cable of the LISN, the supply cable of the
spectrum analyzer and if applicable the supply cable of the DUT contain a ground conductor.
• Ensure, that the RF cable is not yet connected
• Ensure that the Protective Earth switch is set to direct ground position
• Ensure that the 9 kHz high pass filter or a Limiter/Attenuator is attached to the RF input of the analyzer.
• Ensure that the power switch of the TBL5016-3 is in “OFF” position.
• Ensure that the DUT power switch is in “OFF” position.
• Power on the isolation transformer
• Power on the spectrum analyzer, set frequency, bandwidth, amplitude etc.
• Power on the TBL5016-3
• Power on the DUT
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• Connect the RF cable to carry out the conducted noise measurements. If the conducted noise is not exceeding the
analyzer input limits, remove the Limiter/Attenuator for better sensitivity and in order to avoid potential
intermodulation. However, never use the analyzer without the 9 kHz HPF
• After finishing the measurement, proceed in reverse order. Take special care to disconnect the RF cable before
powering off the DUT.
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4.3 Application
The diodes at the input typically serve as ESD protection diodes. In order to fully protect the input with a limiter, shunt
diodes would need to be combined with a series resistor to limit forward current in case of excessive input signal.
Consequently, a classic current limiting resistor solution cannot be implemented, as it would increase the input impedance
of the analyzer.
A limiter could be implemented by combining it with an attenuator, however this would degrade the sensitivity of the
analyzer and limit its use.
The first weak link of the input chain is the RF switch. Typical EMI spectrum analyzers use integrated GaAs switches. GaAs
switches are inherently weak at low frequencies. Many GaAs switches are not even specified with respect to maximum
input power at low frequencies, down to 9 kHz.
Below is an example data sheet of a typical GaAs switch:
The maximum RF input power ratings versus frequency clearly show the degradation at low frequencies.
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The full AC mains voltage is present at the DUT terminals of the LISN. The RF coupling capacitor and the 1K resistor form a
voltage divider, which determines the amplitude of the 50 Hz voltage at the RF connector.
Considering a 0.1µF capacitor, which has an impedance of 32K at 50 Hz. Together with the 1K resistor, the resulting 50 Hz
voltage at the RF terminal of the LISN is approximately 6.6V in the absence of any load. Assuming a 50 Ohm load in parallel
to the 1K resistor, the residual 50 Hz voltage would become negligible.
Some LISN may need to use a higher value, in order to meet the impedance specifications at lower frequencies. Assuming
a 0.5µF capacitor, the residual 50 Hz voltage at the RF terminal of the LISN would be as high as 31V. This still would
become reduced to a negligible value, if a 50 Ohm load in parallel to the 1K resistor is present.
However, it is unlikely that a low cost analyzer has an input impedance of 50 Ohm at 50 Hz. Typically the input impedance
is not specified for frequencies below 9 kHz. Furthermore, as already mentioned, low cost analyzers use GaAs switches at
the RF input, which are inherently vulnerable at low frequencies.
Consequently, placing a 9 kHz high pass filters, or 150 kHz high pass filters at the RF input of a spectrum analyzer or
measurement receiver will offer good protection against residual 50 Hz voltage. Due to its very low insertion loss in the
pass band, it will not reduce the dynamic range of the measurement.
When carrying out conducted noise tests of switched-mode power supplies, the highest spurious levels occur at relatively
low frequencies. Sub-harmonics are even more critical. These are typically at frequencies significantly below 100 kHz and
unless they produce audible noise due to magnetostriction of the power inductors, they often go completely unnoticed, as
most tests start at 9 kHz or 150 kHz. You may carry out a conducted noise test and wonder, why the analyzer beeps and
displays an ADC overflow warning, despite all spurious being well below limits. What drives the attenuator into saturation
may be a very high amplitude sub-harmonic at e.g. 6 kHz.
In case that you notice that your signals are in the range of 20 dB lower than what they actually are, disaster already
happened. The first GaAs switch is already damaged. In most cases, it fails with a short on the RF path and protects the
following components, but in extreme cases, the damage will reach as far as the first mixer.
In order to prevent such things happen, you always should start investigating any new DUT using external attenuators,
high pass filters or a combined attenuator/filter/limiter. With an external 20 dB attenuator or limiter attached to the
analyzer input, have a look at the spectrum at very low frequencies and ensure that there are no signals with critically high
amplitude.
Alternatively, you can first connect an oscilloscope to the LISN RF output and check the DUT emissions in the time domain.
In order to establish the same impedance level as with a connected spectrum analyzer, terminate the oscilloscope input
with a 50 Ohm feed through or switch the input to 50 Ohm, if the scope offers this feature.
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5 Ordering Information
6 History
Table 4– History
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