A colleague, Mike Stasiowski, and I came up with this quick GHz wavelength formula while designing quad ridge circular polarized jamming antennas for the military when working at Nurad. The textbook formula (wavelength = c/f) where: c = the speed of light 3.00×108 m/s, and f = frequency in Hz, was cumbersome at times to calculate, then convert, to inches for practical … [Read more...]
Shielding Design Flow Chart
The flow chart in Table 1 will assist the designer in selecting the appropriate shielding options necessary to meet their shielding and environmental requirements. The shielding requirement flow chart begins by identifying the type of NEMA or IP enclosure based on the intended environment (indoor/outdoor, military/commercial, marine or land/desert). Then, using the resulting … [Read more...]
EMI Basics and Board Level Shielding Design
Introduction In today’s world full of digital electronic devices, electromagnetic interference (EMI) is a major concern in both military and commercial marketplaces. Electrical equipment can become susceptible to these undesirable emissions and malfunction due to their presence. The simplest and most cost-effective method for reducing EMI is to first attack it at the board … [Read more...]
Guide to Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers: Applications
This is Part 4 in a series of articles which review the basics of conventional swept versus real-time spectrum analyzers and highlight some of the recent advances and instrument form-factors. Read Part 1, Guide to Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers: Types, here. Read Part 2, Guide to Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers: Definitions, here. Read Part 3, Guide to Real-Time Spectrum … [Read more...]
Guide to Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers: Advantages of Swept Versus Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers
This is Part 3 in a series of articles which review the basics of conventional swept versus real-time spectrum analyzers and highlight some of the recent advances and instrument form-factors. Read Part 1, Guide to Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers: Types, here. Read Part 2, Guide to Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers: Definitions, here. Swept spectrum analyzers are simpler and … [Read more...]
When Do You Need Low-Dk PCB Laminates?
Designers looking to build more advanced systems operating at higher data rates and bandwidths tend to rely on materials with low dielectric constant values, i.e., low-Dk materials. It has gotten to the point where every high-speed PCB design guide implies that high-speed and RF designs will not function without a low-Dk material like Rogers or Arlon. The reality is that … [Read more...]
Using a TEM Cell for Radiated Emissions and Immunity Troubleshooting
Many companies would welcome a full EMC compliance test chamber if it weren’t for budget and real estate considerations. Yet, they would like the opportunity to develop a low-cost troubleshooting solution for assessing radiated emissions and radiated immunity prior to going off for formal compliance testing. While I’ve written many articles [References 1 to 8] on how to … [Read more...]
Guide to Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers: Definitions
This is Part 2 in a series of articles which review the basics of conventional swept versus real-time spectrum analyzers and highlight some of the recent advances and instrument form-factors. Read Part 1, Guide to Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers: Types, here. Introduction There are several terms that are important when evaluating real-time spectrum analyzers. Some of these … [Read more...]
Advantages of Using a Pre-Certified Radio Frequency Module in an IoT Application
Learn the benefits of using a pre-certified radio frequency (RF) module in the design phase when building a new IoT application, and learn the implications in EMC and Radio certifications. The Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionizing the quantity and manner in which we exchange and store information. Historically, people exchanged information through reading and … [Read more...]
Design for Compliance Essentials
INTRODUCTION While unrealistic to discuss all aspects of product design in a single article, I’ll try to describe the most common design issues I find in the hundreds of client products I’ve had a chance to work on. These issues generally include PC board design, cables, shielding, and filtering. More detailed information may be found in the Reference section below. As … [Read more...]
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