| Frequently
Asked Questions
What is ruggedising?
Ruggedising is adapting 'commercial off the
shelf' (COTS) computer equipment to work in harsher environments
than those for which they were originally intended. These
environments may be as straight forward as a factory floor
or as complex as a military shipboard application. The work
of ruggedising normally includes extending temperature, humidity
shock and vibration ranges in which the equipment may be stored
or operated.
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What are DEF STANs?
DEF STAN is the abbreviation for Defence
Standard - these are the UK standardisation documents used
by the British armed forces.
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What are MIL STDs?
MIL STD is the abbreviation for Military
Standard - these are the US standardisation documents used
by the US, NATO and many other international armed forces.
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What is NES?
NES is the acronym for Naval Engineering
Standards - these are the UK standardisation documents used
by the Royal Navy.
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How do DEF STANs
and MIL STDs relate to each other?
There are equivalent standards within MIL
STDs, BSs and IEC standards. The test methods and limitations
do vary.
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What does EMC testing
mean?
Electromagnetic Compatibility is now an
important part of the specification and performance of any
electrical or electronic equipment. EMC compatible equipment
is both actively and passively immune to electromagnetic emissions.
That is, it does not produce emissions which could interfere
with other equipment nor is it susceptible to emissions from
other non EMC compatible equipment.
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What is TEMPEST?
TEMPEST is an unclassified government code
word to describe the control of electromagnetic emanations
produced by data processing equipment. TEMPEST emanations
can be monitored, captured and reconstructed giving access
to data being processed. The TEMPEST Standards define the
'control' of these emissions and ensure the equipment's integrity.
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What are IP ratings?
IP is the acronym for Ingress Protection.
The IP Code indicates the degree of protection provided by
enclosures for electrical equipment against access to hazardous
parts, ingress of solid foreign objects and ingress of liquids.
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What is a CE mark?
CE is the acronym for 'Conformité
Européenne' and is the mark given to products and equipment
regulated by the European Directives on health, safety and
EMC. The actual CE logo attached by manufacturers to qualified
products indicates that the product concerned conforms with
all the obligations required by the legislation. The CE mark
is awarded through a nominated body (i.e. an organisation nominated
by a member country's government to administer the legislation).
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What is Qualification
Testing?
It is the process of independently verifying
a manufacturer's claims that a particular product meets both
its EMC and environmental design criteria. Qualification
testing is normally undertaken at an accredited test house
which issues internationally recognised test house certificates.
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What are Test House
Certificates?
They are the documents issued by an NAMAS
accredited test house as proof that a piece of equipment has
been tested and meets its design specification.
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What is NAMAS?
NAMAS is an acronym for National Accreditation
of Measurement And Sampling. Laboratories and test houses
which perform environmental and EMC testing should be NAMAS
accredited. This gives traceability to international standards
and quality assurance of their work.
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What is Intrinsically
Safe?
If a product is said to be 'Intrinsically
Safe' it will not initiate, support or add to the effect of
fire or explosion in a combustible atmosphere.
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