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Detectors Used in EMI Measurements
Quasi-peak Detector
Quasi-peak Detector
Most radiated and conducted limits are based on quasi-peak detection mode. 
Quasi-peak detectors weigh signals according to their repetition rate, which is a way 
of measuring their annoyance factor. As the repetition rate increases, the quasi-peak 
detector does not have time to discharge as much, resulting in a higher voltage 
output. (See the following graphic.) For continuous wave (CW) signals, the peak and 
the quasi-peak are the same.
Quasi-peak detectors always give a reading less than or equal to peak detectors, but 
quasi-peak measurements are much slower by two or three orders of magnitude 
compared to a peak detector.
Quasi-peak detector operation
The quasi-peak detector has a charge rate much faster than the discharge rate. The 
higher the repetition rate of the signal, the higher the output of the quasi-peak 
detector. The quasi-peak detector also responds to different amplitude signals in a 
linear fashion. High-amplitude, low-repetition-rate signals could produce the same 
output as low-amplitude, high-repetition-rate signals.
  Quasi-peak detector response diagram