This practice deals with the testing and measurement of operating characteristics of acoustic emission (AE) electronic components or units. This practice is not intended for routine checks of acoustic emission instrumentation, but rather for periodic evaluation or in the event of a malfunction. The sensor is not addressed in this document other than suggesting methods for standardizing system gains (equalizing them channel to channel) when sensors are present. The test methods and measurement techniques used and their corresponding results should be recorded in documentation, which consists of photographs, charts or graphs, calculations, and tabulations where applicable. This practice does not cover the testing of the computer or computer peripherals used in conjunction with AE systems that use them to control the collection, storage, display, and analysis of data. Instead a manufacturer's specification should be provided for such purpose.