Introduction Although it should be well known that the shielding effectiveness of a cable is severely compromised when it is terminated to ground with pigtail/s many equipment manufacturers still use this technique. We see in Reference 1 Figure 7.66 and Table 7.4, Figure 7.80, and Figure 7.102 that the shielding effectiveness of a coaxial cable with pigtail terminations may … [Read more...]
Doing Things That Usually Do Not Work
“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything.” — John Wooden Over the years, I have seen several things that make me scratch my head. Many of them are things I have done (there, I admitted it). I would like to look at these situations to (maybe) help not to make the same mistakes. So, to be clear: Do not do these things. Concerning Shielding One would … [Read more...]
What is EMC?
Introduction This article will serve as an introduction to the topic. It is aimed at the people who have been told by their management, “You are now my EMC person. Go figure out what it is and how we must deal with it!” It will not be an all-encompassing treatment of the subject, but it will provide the reader with a start and some ideas of where to go for more … [Read more...]
Seven Fundamental Considerations for Selecting EMI Filters
By Rigoberto Rios, Jorge Varela, and Amanda Ison Virtually every electronic device is subject to and, to at least some degree, must be protected from electromagnetic interference (EMI), or electrical noise. EMI is generated by both naturally occurring and engineered sources ranging from solar flares to cell phones, and, if left unmitigated, diminishes the integrity and … [Read more...]
Securing New 5G Physical Assets with Electronic Access Control
The 5G era of mobile computing and communications is rapidly moving forward. 5G stands for the fifth generation of wireless infrastructure—a massive upscale of network technology. It will provide data transfer rates faster than the blink of an eye, reducing latency for even the most data-hungry applications, high bandwidth, and greater opportunities for connectivity and … [Read more...]
The Vital Role of Simulation for Virtual EMI and EMC Test Environments
Before deploying microwave and millimeter-wave devices and systems within 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), and high-speed wireless communication, it is essential to predict their performance. This need has increased the demand for virtual test platforms through simulation software. High carrier and system bus frequencies are necessary for high-data-rate communication … [Read more...]
Ensuring Performance of Connected Home Electronic Products
Towards a Connected Home The title of Bob Dylan’s 1964 hit “The Times They Are A-Changin’” certainly holds true for home appliance products. The world of consumer electronics needs to evolve and keep pace with the growing desire of their customers and play a part in enabling the dream of a truly connected world. The Internet of Things (IoT) trend has finally reached our homes. … [Read more...]
Circuit Level Design and Test for the MIL-STD-461 200 V/m RS103 and the DO-160 Radiated Susceptibility Test at 200 V/m
Introduction For Army, Navy, and Air Force military equipment and DO-160 commercial aircraft avionics, radiated susceptibility test levels as high as 200 V/m may be specified. As always, it is better to design immunity to the test levels into equipment than to wait until equipment is completed and then perform tests. This article assumes the worst-case qualification test … [Read more...]
MIL-STD-461G Passive Device Calibration Review
The Requirement: When MIL-STD-461 revision “G” was issued, I believed that the answer to many of my measurement equipment calibration issues had been solved. Right there in the “Calibration of measuring equipment” paragraph the requirements clearly stated: After the initial calibration passive devices such as measurement system antennas, current probes, and LISNs, require no … [Read more...]
Demystifying EMC in an Electric Vehicle’s Drive Unit
1. Introduction The past decade has witnessed both a leap forward in technology and market expansion of the global electric vehicle (EV) industry [1]. With Tesla leading the market, followed by traditional vehicle original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Volkswagen, PSA, and Toyota, to name just a few, the electrification of the automotive industry has been advancing at … [Read more...]
