63A High-Current Three-Phase LISN

General

• Product Type: Three-Phase LISN
• Application: Conducted emissions testing
• Standards: CISPR 16-1-2, ANSI C63.4
• Network Type: 50 Ω / 50 µH
• Frequency Range: 150 kHz–30 MHz

Insertion Loss

• 150 kHz–30 MHz: <11 dB

Isolation

• 150 kHz–30 MHz: >40 dB

Input Power Ratings (EUT)

• Maximum Current: 63 A continuous per line
• AC Voltage: 865 V rms (line–line), 500 V rms (L–G)
• DC Voltage: 600 V DC

Connections

• 100A connectors
• RF Port: 50 Ω N-Type (female)
• Fiber Optic Ports: Avago duplex POF
• Remote Power Input: 6 VDC, 500 mA

Environmental / Cooling

• Operating Temperature: 5–40 °C (40–104 °F)
• Cooling: Forced-air, dual internal fans

Product Weight

• Weight: 57.5 lbs (26.1 kg)

LI-3P-163 V2.0 Three-Phase LISN FAQs

What is the LI-3P-163 and what current class of industrial equipment can it support?

The LI-3P-163 is a four-conductor, 50Ω/50 μH, three-phase Line Impedance Stabilization Network rated at 63 amperes per phase. It is designed for conducted emissions compliance testing of high-current three-phase industrial equipment including large variable frequency drives, industrial chillers, high-power rectifiers, three-phase UPS systems, and heavy-duty manufacturing equipment that exceeds the 32 A capability of lower-rated LISN models.

Which EMC test standards does the LI-3P-163 comply with?

The LI-3P-163 is fully compliant with CISPR 16-1-2 for CE marking in Europe and ANSI C63.4 for FCC conducted emissions testing in the United States. It also supports AS/NZS, VCCI, ISED Canada, and equivalent national standards adopted from these frameworks.

What frequency range does the LI-3P-163 cover and how does this align with regulatory requirements?

The LI-3P-163 operates from 150 kHz to 30 MHz, which spans the complete conducted emissions frequency range defined by both CISPR 16-1-2 and ANSI C63.4. Testing from a single LISN across the full regulatory band eliminates configuration changes during a compliance test sequence and reduces sources of measurement uncertainty.

What three-phase power configurations does the LI-3P-163 support?

The LI-3P-163 four-conductor network accommodates both three-phase Delta and three-phase Wye configurations with conductors for Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, and Neutral. This makes it suitable for testing equipment connected to diverse industrial power distribution architectures, including grounded and ungrounded neutral systems.

What are the maximum power ratings for EUT connected to the LI-3P-163?

The LI-3P-163 supports a maximum continuous current of 63 amperes per phase, a maximum AC voltage of 865 V RMS line-to-line and 500 V RMS line-to-ground, and a maximum DC voltage of 600 V. At 63 A on a 400 V three-phase system, this corresponds to equipment power levels approaching 40 kVA, covering a significant portion of industrial three-phase equipment.

How does the LI-3P-163 remote switching system enable safe operation with high-current EUT?

The RLI V2.0 Remote LISN Interface allows the operator to switch the measured line between L1, L2, L3, and Neutral via a fiber optic link without physical contact with the LISN or the high-current power cables. This is particularly important at 63 A ratings where re-entering a shielded room between each measurement phase would significantly extend test time and create safety concerns.

Why is fiber optic isolation used for remote line switching rather than a conventional control cable?

At 63 A operating levels, the potential for ground-loop currents and common-mode noise injection through a conductive control interface is significant. Fiber optic links carry no electrical current between the control point and the LISN, preventing any conducted interference from entering the shielded test environment and ensuring the remote switching circuit does not introduce spurious signals into the RF measurement path.

How does the LI-3P-163 maintain CISPR 16-1-2 impedance accuracy at 63 A load currents?

The LI-3P-163 uses air-core inductors for the 50 μH network elements. Unlike ferrite or laminated steel core designs, air-core inductors do not saturate at high current levels and maintain constant permeability regardless of current magnitude or temperature, ensuring the LISN network impedance remains within CISPR 16-1-2 specification across the full 63 A operating range.

What insertion loss and isolation performance does the LI-3P-163 achieve?

The LI-3P-163 provides an insertion loss of less than 11 dB and an isolation of greater than 40 dB across 150 kHz to 30 MHz. The 40 dB isolation ensures that interference from the facility mains supply is sufficiently attenuated so it does not mask the disturbance voltages generated by the EUT at the RF measurement port.

How does the built-in transient limiter protect measurement equipment when testing high-power three-phase EUT?

High-power three-phase equipment such as motor drives and power rectifiers can produce large voltage transients during switching events. The LI-3P-163 Transient Limiter suppresses these transients at the N-Type RF measurement port, preventing damage to the EMI receiver input. Integrated filtering also removes out-of-band energy that could cause receiver overload during high-emission industrial drive testing.

What happens to the unselected conductors when one line is being measured on the LI-3P-163?

The LI-3P-163 automatically terminates the three non-selected conductors into 50Ω when a line is chosen for measurement. The selected line is terminated by the 50Ω input impedance of the connected measuring instrument. This simultaneous correct termination of all four conductors is required by CISPR 16-1-2 to prevent inter-phase coupling errors.

What cooling system does the LI-3P-163 use to handle thermal loads at 63 A continuous operation?

The LI-3P-163 incorporates louvered side panels combined with two user-controlled internal forced-air cooling fans. Fan power is supplied by a dedicated 15 V DC adapter. This active cooling allows the LISN to operate continuously at 63 A per phase without exceeding safe operating temperatures during prolonged compliance test sequences.

How is the LI-3P-163 calibrated and what traceable documentation is provided?

Each LI-3P-163 is individually calibrated per CISPR 16-1-2 and ANSI C63.4. Full calibration data covering impedance, phase, isolation, and insertion loss is supplied with each unit along with a certificate of calibration. ISO 17025 accredited calibration is available upon request for laboratories that require formal third-party calibration traceability.

Why is the mounting plate of the LI-3P-163 left unpainted and what grounding method is required?

The bare metal mounting plate provides a low-impedance bonding surface for connection to a conductive ground plane or metal test table. At 63 A per phase, leakage currents through the LISN chassis can be substantial. A solid metal-to-metal earth bond is essential for both personnel safety and for maintaining the impedance reference conditions specified by CISPR 16-1-2.

What connector types and current ratings are used on the LI-3P-163 power ports?

The LI-3P-163 uses color-coded 100A rated receptacle and plug connectors on both the mains input and EUT output power ports, with five conductors per port for L1, L2, L3, Neutral, and Protective Earth. The higher 100A connector rating provides an adequate safety margin above the 63 A continuous operating current. The RF measurement port uses a 50Ω N-Type female connector.

In what industries and test environments is the LI-3P-163 most commonly deployed?

The LI-3P-163 is commonly deployed in industrial automation and robotics test facilities, power electronics development labs, renewable energy inverter test environments, aerospace ground support equipment test facilities, and commercial EMC compliance laboratories that regularly test high-current three-phase equipment including elevators, industrial compressors, and large-scale power conditioning systems.

How does the physical size of the LI-3P-163 compare to smaller models in the LI-3P-1x series?

The LI-3P-163 measures 17.36″ H × 17.77″ W × 20.78″ D and weighs 57.5 lbs, making it larger and heavier than the 16 A and 32 A models. The increased size accommodates the larger air-core inductors, higher-rated power connectors, and forced-air cooling system required to support continuous operation at 63 A per phase.

How is the LI-3P-163 used when a test laboratory qualifies a 55 kW three-phase industrial chiller for CE marking?

A 55 kW three-phase industrial chiller drawing approximately 60 A per phase from a 400 V Wye supply at full cooling load is a typical product tested with the LI-3P-163. With the chiller’s compressor and coolant pump motors at rated capacity, the LI-3P-163 connects between the facility supply and the chiller power input. Conducted emissions sweeps from 150 kHz to 30 MHz on all four conductors are performed in quasi-peak and average modes. Because the chiller contains multiple variable-speed drives operating simultaneously, the conducted emissions profile can include several superimposed switching frequency spectra. The LI-3P-163’s three internal cooling fans are activated before the chiller is started to keep the LISN within its thermal range during a test sequence that can last several hours.

What does a pre-compliance conducted emissions test session look like for a high-power three-phase servo amplifier system using the LI-3P-163?

A multi-axis high-power servo amplifier system powering a large CNC machining center or industrial press can draw up to 60 A per phase during multi-axis simultaneous motion. During pre-compliance testing, the servo amplifier rack is operated through a representative motion program while conducted emissions are monitored from 150 kHz to 30 MHz on all four conductors. Because multiple amplifier switching frequencies may interact to produce beat-frequency emissions that vary with the motion program, the engineer must select a program that exercises all axes simultaneously at worst-case current. The RLI V2.0 remote switching allows checking each conductor without entering the test area between sweeps.

How is the LI-3P-163 applied when testing a large three-phase renewable energy inverter system for AS/NZS CISPR 11 compliance?

A utility-scale three-phase string inverter drawing up to 63 A per phase has its DC input supplied by a programmable DC source simulating PV string voltage at maximum power point, while the LI-3P-163 connects between the facility supply and the inverter AC input. Conducted emissions sweeps from 150 kHz to 30 MHz are compared against AS/NZS CISPR 11 Class A limits. The forced-air cooling system is essential during this test because the inverter is operated for extended periods at rated power to establish thermal steady-state before the formal measurement sweeps are recorded.

How do motor drive OEMs use the LI-3P-163 to verify that a new production filter provides adequate conducted emissions margin before volume production?

When a motor drive OEM introduces a new integral EMI filter for a drive in the 40 to 63 A per phase range, the engineering team uses the LI-3P-163 to characterize the filter’s performance in the actual conducted emissions configuration before committing to high-volume production tooling. Measured emission levels from 150 kHz to 30 MHz are compared against applicable limits with a pre-defined design margin to confirm that production spread, component aging, and temperature variation will not erode compliance. This design verification typically precedes the formal accredited certification test and ensures that the certification test is a confirmation rather than a discovery.

What is a typical scenario where the LI-3P-163 is used at a system integrator’s facility to verify conducted emissions before delivery to an industrial customer?

A system integrator assembling a complete three-phase power conversion cabinet — for example, a 50 kVA drive, harmonic filter, and power factor correction system drawing up to 60 A per phase — uses the LI-3P-163 to verify conducted emissions before shipment. Sweeps from 150 kHz to 30 MHz on all four conductors confirm the system as integrated meets the customer’s contractual EMC requirements. If any emissions exceed the requirement, the integrator corrects the issue before delivery, avoiding costly on-site troubleshooting and contractual disputes arising from EMC non-conformances discovered after delivery.