Carey Fisher - NCS wrote:

>Anybody have any words of wisdom about having equipment "verified" to 
>FCC Part 15 (Class A or B)?  I'm interested in what labs you've used for 
>testing, how hard the tests are to pass using PICs @ 20MHz, any gotchas.
>Thanks,
>Carey
>  
>

I have never had a PIC-based design fail, up to 20Mhz. In fact, I've 
designed in
Intel, Hitatchi, RCA, Zilog etc and NONE were as quiet as PICs. The 
reason has
always eluded me.

The PCB layout is the most important factor in keeping RF radiation 
down. Lots
of GROUND metal is critical. If you use FPGA's or other high-speed 
devices, you
will probably need at least 4 layers, of which one layer must be GND.

I discovered several years ago that I could pre-test on my own by 
purchasing a
broadband 1Mhz-100Mhz " bug sniffer" for less than $200, and trying to 
locate RF
noise that way at 12" from the PCB. If I didn't detect a signal, the 
testing lab won't
either.

The best- and reasonable- lab is near Tampa, FL. They perform hundreds 
of devices
each year from China on a contract. They will issue the FCC 
certification# for you:

Contact Sid at

Timco Eng Inc  1-888-472-2424
                PO Box 370
                849 SR 45
                Newberry, FL 32669

These guys used to be located in the Everglades, but were  flooded out 
by Hurricane
Andrew.

--Bob

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