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EMC INSTALLATION GUIDELINES

Although Red Lion Controls Products are designed with a high degree of 

immunity to Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), proper installation and wiring 
methods must be followed to ensure compatibility in each application. The type 
of electrical noise, source or coupling method into a unit may be different for 
various installations. Cable length, routing, and shield termination are very 
important and can mean the difference between a successful or troublesome 
installation. Listed are some EMI guidelines for a successful installation in an 
industrial environment.
1. A unit should be mounted in a metal enclosure, which is properly connected 

to protective earth.
a. The mounting clip that connects to the DIN rail should have the DIN rail 

connected to protective earth.

2. Use shielded (screened) cables for all Signal and Control inputs. The shield 

(screen) pigtail connection should be made as short as possible. The 
connection point for the shield depends somewhat upon the application. 
Listed below are the recommended methods of connecting the shield, in order 
of their effectiveness.
a. Connect the shield to earth ground (protective earth) at one end where the 

unit is mounted.

b. Connect the shield to earth ground at both ends of the cable, usually when 

the noise source frequency is over 1 MHz.

c. Connect the shield to common of the module and leave the other end of the 

shield unconnected and insulated from earth ground.

3. Never run Signal or Control cables in the same conduit or raceway with AC 

power lines, conductors, feeding motors, solenoids, SCR controls, and 
heaters, etc. The cables should be run through metal conduit that is properly 
grounded. This is especially useful in applications where cable runs are long 
and portable two-way radios are used in close proximity or if the installation 
is near a commercial radio transmitter. Also, Signal or Control cables within 
an enclosure should be routed as far away as possible from contactors, control 
relays, transformers, and other noisy components. 

4. Long cable runs are more susceptible to EMI pickup than short cable runs. 

Therefore, keep cable runs as short as possible.

5. In extremely high EMI environments, the use of external EMI suppression 

devices such as Ferrite Suppression Cores for signal and control cables is 
effective. The following EMI suppression devices (or equivalent) are 
recommended:

Fair-Rite part number 0443167251 (RLC part number FCOR0000)
TDK part number ZCAT3035-1330A
Steward part number 28B2029-0A0

6. To protect relay contacts that control inductive loads and to minimize radiated 

and conducted noise (EMI), some type of contact protection network is 
normally installed across the load, the contacts or both. The most effective 
location is across the load.
a. Using a snubber, which is a resistor-capacitor (RC) network or metal oxide 

varistor (MOV) across an AC inductive load is very effective at reducing 
EMI and increasing relay contact life.

b. If a DC inductive load (such as a DC relay coil) is controlled by a transistor 

switch, care must be taken not to exceed the breakdown voltage of the 
transistor when the load is switched. One of the most effective ways is to 
place a diode across the inductive load. Most RLC products with solid state 
outputs have internal zener diode protection. However external diode 
protection at the load is always a good design practice to limit EMI. 
Although the use of a snubber or varistor could be used.

RLC part numbers: Snubber SNUB0000

  

        Varistor ILS11500 or ILS23000

Note: Reference manufacturer's instructions when installing any EMI 

suppression device.

7. Also, care should be taken when connecting input and output devices to the 

instrument. When a separate input and output common is provided, they 
should not be mixed. Therefore a sensor common should NOT be connected 
to an output common. This would cause EMI on the sensitive input common, 
which could effect the instrument’s operation.

Visit RLC’s web site at www.redlion.net for more information on EMI 

guidelines, Safety and CE issues as they relate to Red Lion Controls products.

HARDWARE INSTALLATION

MODULE

1

BASE

2

ATTACH THE MODULE BASE 

TO THE DIN RAIL

MODULE

BASE

5

4

3

ATTACH MODULE TO BASE

SEPARATE BASE 

FROM MODULE

WIRING

WIRING CONNECTIONS

All conductors should meet voltage and current ratings for each terminal. Also, 

cabling should conform to appropriate standards of good installation, local codes and 
regulations. When wiring the module, use the numbers on the label to identify the 
position number with the proper function. Strip the wire, leaving approximately 1/4" 
(6 mm) of bare wire exposed. Insert the wire into the terminal, and tighten.

1

7

13

Terminals 13 to 18

Terminals 7 to 12

Terminals 1 to 6

V+

I+

V-

V+

V-

5

1 2 3 4

6

I-

11

1

I-

7 8

I-

I+

9 10

V-

V+

2

12

I+

N/C

17

2

13 14

3

15 16

4

V-

V+

I-

I+

18

N/C

WARNING - EXPLOSION HAZARD - DO NOT DISCONNECT 
WHILE CIRCUIT IS ALIVE UNLESS AREA IS KNOW TO BE 
NON-HAZARDOUS.

INPUT AND OUTPUT (I/O) WIRING MUST BE IN 
ACCORDANCE WITH CLASS I, DIV. 2 WIRING METHODS 
AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AUTHORITY HAVING 
JURISDICTION.

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