FCC testing required?

[golf32]

Hi, I'm a new engineer and I've been contracted to design a product for a client. It's a simple micro-controller board for storm water management, nothing crazy. I've been reading into FCC regulations for selling products, and I believe I need to have compliance testing done.

Here are some relevant details:

• 24v input, powered either by a solar system or off the shelf mains converter
• optional cellular module (external unit, already certified)
• 8MHz microcontroller

My client is a contractor and plans to install these as part of a system inside of a cabinet, and also wants the option to sell the individual boards later.

Sorry if this has been asked a million times, this sort of thing can be stressful.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Today the majority of electronic-electrical products use digital logic, operating between 9 kHz to 3000 GHz and are regulated under 47 CFR Part 15 Subpart B.

https://www.fcc.gov/oet/ea/rfdevice

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=c7be03a4f7b02514cea89421fc363794&mc=true&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title47/47cfr15_main_02.tpl

There are some interesting exemptions:

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=039215141eb74469b249fbbe7bbef744&mc=true&node=se47.1.15_1103&rgn=div8

[golf32]

Thanks for the reply.

I've read through those documents, and unfortunately I don't think my device falls under any of the exemptions.

Just wanted to make 100% sure.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Hmm, I wonder if there's scope for exemption in this depending on your client's target customers:

(b) A digital device used exclusively as an electronic control or power system utilized by a public utility or in an industrial plant. The term public utility includes equipment only to the extent that it is in a dedicated building or large room owned or leased by the utility and does not extend to equipment installed in a subscriber's facility.

(c) A digital device used exclusively as industrial, commercial, or medical test equipment.

Is this device similar to anything else on the market? If so, does they have FCCIDs?

[golf32]

This design is a replacement for something he had someone else make. From what I've been told I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't tested, but that is a good lead. Thanks for all the help.

[gnuarm]

EMC testing is a big deal.  However, it isn't done at the board level.  What matters is the system level, the box.  So if your customer is selling or using them in a system in a cabinet, it is up to him to have the unit tested.  It's not unusual to have noisy boards meet FCC or IEC requirements once enclosed in an EMC tight box.  Every cable in and out has to be filtered along with any controls, displays, etc. 

It's not too hard to design simple stuff that meets specs, but the testing is not cheap and if you need to fix and retest, it costs again, and again... 

What is on your board?