Introduction Some 10-15 years ago this topic was irrelevant for the civil sector, and the issue of protection of electrical and electronic equipment from high altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) solely belonged to military specialists. Today, much of the mass media discusses HEMP danger for civil infrastructure at the global level in all possible ways; and thus, this topic … [Read more...]
Flexibility Key to Trends in EMI Pre-Compliance Debugging
EMI analysis continues to expand as more companies add electronic control and wireless remote capabilities to their products. The need to drive speed and efficiency throughout the design process means these engineers need to conduct EMI pre-compliance testing on the same bench as the debugging embedded and RF signals. Modern instruments often combine debugging and … [Read more...]
EMC Test Equipment Selection and Sizing
Abstract: Explosive growth in technologies like portable electronics, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and autonomous vehicles has led to a world full of electromagnetic interference. Efficient EMC testing is more critical than ever, and is dependent on high-quality test equipment. Historically, not a lot of education has been provided on the careful considerations needed for … [Read more...]
How to Build Your Own EMI Troubleshooting and Pre-Compliance Kit
Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and the related electromagnetic interference (EMI) are some of the obstacles that must be overcome before nearly any electronics product can be brought to market—whether it’s an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) device, a consumer electronics product, or military and aerospace equipment. Products must not interfere with one another … [Read more...]
Review of Magnetic Effects Testing—DO-160 Section 15
The Issue From the beginning of aviation, knowledge of the aircraft direction during flight has been critical to locating destinations. The magnetic compass was used for centuries in shipping, and naturally, it was adopted for aircraft use. Without visible signposts or landmarks, direction relies on the compass to provide the necessary information. The compass aligns with the … [Read more...]
Preventing Impact of High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse on Power Transformers
Protection of a power system’s electrical equipment from a high-altitude (more than 30 km) nuclear explosion (HEMP) impact is a challenging issue, which until recently has not received proper attention. The fact is that HEMP does not affect people directly, while the electromagnetic pulse resulting from this explosion is a powerful devastating factor for the power grid’s … [Read more...]
Advances in MMW Isolator Design Launch Manufacturers into Stratospheric Operating Frequencies
It doesn’t take a crystal ball to know where the future of wireless is heading. With inexhaustible demand driven by 5G, 6G, and beyond, ultra-high-definition video, autonomous cars, security applications, and IoT, the sky's the limit for utilizing the higher ends of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. Meeting this demand requires products capable of capitalizing on the … [Read more...]
The Emerging Threat of Tactical Electromagnetic Interference & its Spread into Non-Defense Sectors
During the last five years intentional electromagnetic interference (IEMI) has emerged as a credible and increasingly likely threat to commercial and defence facilities alike, with a potentially crippling cost to individual organizations of such a localized attack. Hollywood has long used electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) phenomena as the de … [Read more...]
The Top Five Reasons Products Fail EMI Testing
Introduction The three top product failures I see constantly in my consulting practice are (1) radiated emissions, (2) radiated susceptibility, and (3) electrostatic discharge. After reviewing and testing hundreds of products over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that products fail these tests for five common reasons (somewhat in order of incidence); PC Board … [Read more...]
EMI Pre-Compliance Testing
Introduction This article describes how I perform pre-compliance testing for the top four EMI issues I constantly run into; conducted emissions, radiated emissions, radiated immunity, and electrostatic discharge. Of these, the last three are the most prevalent issues, with radiated emissions typically being the biggest compliance challenge during certification testing. If … [Read more...]
