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Unintentional Antennas
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Noise Sources in EVs
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Abstract
MIL-STD-461 is a foundational standard for the world of EMC. While originating in the military sector, it is key for users in aerospace as well. It is the parent of a number of NASA standards (such as GSFC-STD-7000) and even the antecedent for a number of automotive standards. At the times I led aerospace and defense projects, I would open a copy of MIL-STD-461 every morning at the same time I opened my email program, because I knew I’d be referring to it multiple times throughout the day.
Tailoring MIL-STD-461 (and 464) is critical, and actually required by the document itself. If the maximal set of requirements is applied and then units fail testing, it is common to see waivers written to accept the test results as-is. That tends to suggest that the requirements were inadequately tailored up front: testing should only be done if the results are meaningful, and if a program can tolerate emissions or susceptibility levels higher or lower than the defaults, then the limits should be changed to reflect the needs of the program. Imposing stricter-than-necessary requirements generally leads to costly delays late in the program, when options for fixing things are tightly constrained. We want to impose the minimum set of requirements (along with appropriate margin) that will ensure mission success.
In this day-long seminar, we’ll discuss MIL-STD-461 in detail. Topics will include:
The relationship between MIL-STD-461 and MIL-STD-464
The importance of tailoring to save cost and schedule on any given program
What can and can’t be tailored
RE102
RS103, including a look at the dreaded Tables I – VI of MIL-STD-464
CS101
CS114
Techniques to speed up certain tests
Tailoring test conditions to reflect ultimate installation (“test like you fly”), in particular with regard to the use of composite materials
Similarities between MIL-STD-461 and other standards, in particular RTCS DO160 and CISPR 25
Choice of LISNs
Lessons learned, with attention to the appendices
Date and time: Thursday Oct. 3, 2024
From 8:00 am - 4:00 pm Pacific time
Cost: $445 early bird; $495 after Sept. 21
Location: This event will be hosted online via Zoom
Abstract
Join us for our second webinar led by Karen Burnham, designed to shed light on two essential measures of shield quality for electromagnetic compatibility concerns: transfer impedance and shielding effectiveness. In the world of electronics, ensuring that your designs are protected from electromagnetic interference is crucial for maintaining performance, reliability, and regulatory compliance. This webinar aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of these key metrics, their significance, and their practical applications in your design processes.
Transfer impedance and shielding effectiveness are both critical parameters that help designers evaluate the effectiveness of shielding materials and structures. By understanding these metrics, you can better assess how well your design can prevent unwanted electromagnetic interference from affecting your circuits. This knowledge is vital for creating robust and reliable electronic products.
In this session, which is an intro to Karen’s longer seminar on shielding for EMI, you will learn about the foundations of each metric, exploring their definitions, how they are measured, and the importance of each in different contexts. Karen will also discuss the similarities and differences between these measures, providing you with a clear picture of when and how to use them effectively. Additionally, we will cover recommended testing techniques that can help you accurately evaluate the shield quality of your designs.
What you will learn:
The basis of transfer impedance
The basis of shielding effectiveness
How those two quantities differ
Recommended test methods per measure and frequency range
This webinar is an excellent opportunity for electronics designers, engineers, managers and anyone involved in electronics to gain deeper insights into shield quality. By understanding transfer impedance and shielding effectiveness, you can make more informed design decisions, ultimately leading to higher quality and more reliable electronic products.
Date and time: October 23rd, 2024
From 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM Pacific time
Cost: Free with registration
Location: This event will be hosted online via Zoom
Shielding for EMI: Abstract
There is a lot of confusion about implementing shielding when EMI is the primary concern. This course will aim to get past the universal-sounding advice that turns out to have limited applicability. By going back to fundamentals, we want every engineer to be able to determine what shielding works best for their hardware, with their application and in their installation. We will also cover a variety of test methods that can be used to ensure your shields are performing as needed.
How do shields work–and how does their function differ depending on application? There are many considerations in play, including: frequency range of concern; material construction of shields, seams and apertures, enclosure shielding vs. cable shielding; terminations of cable shields, installation conditions, etc.
This course is designed for electrical engineers, EMC engineers, and any technical professionals involved in the design, testing, or integration of electronic hardware where electromagnetic interference (EMI) is a concern. Whether you’re new to shielding for EMI or looking for new strategies, this seminar will provide you with immediately useful insights.
Date and time:
November 5th, 2024
From 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Pacific time
Class duration: 6 hours
Location: This event will be hosted online via Zoom
Certificate: Yes
Cost: $195 to September 28; $245 afterwards
In this seminar, you will learn:
Live demonstration of varying RF energy picked up by cables with different shield arrangements
Theory of shielding functionality
Introduction to transfer impedance and shielding effectiveness
Overview of shielding test methods, both for enclosures and cables
Case study of the challenges associated with shield implementations
EMC shielding best practices
Enclosures
Cables
Past Events
Abstract
MIL-STD-461 RE102 (radiated emissions, 10 kHz – 18 GHz) is commonly applied to components/modules that are used on aerospace and defense projects. It is also one of the most common points of test failures, with easily two-thirds of units failing their first attempt. Sometimes these failures reflect serious deficiencies in the hardware that need to be addressed—but sometimes they reflect emissions limits that haven’t been appropriately tailored to the project at hand. If you’ve ever had a unit fail RE102 testing and then allowed to proceed based on a waiver, that’s an indication that the limits weren’t set appropriately at the beginning of the program.
RE102 is a test that is meant more than anything else to protect intentional RF receivers, co-located on a platform with the Equipment Under Test (EUT), from unintentional emissions from electronic/electrical equipment.
This one hour webinar (45 minutes plus Q&A) will cover specifically how to tailor RE102 limits to protect the RF receiver systems on a platform. With reference also to GSFC-STD-7000, it will go over the specific information needed and analysis approach to ensure that receivers are adequately protected.
Date and time: September 12, 2024
From 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM Eastern time
Cost: Free with registration
Presenting:
Efficient Crosstalk Evaluations for Electric Vehicles Using FDTD and Transmission Line Simulations
At the EMC Symposium in 2024, Karen Burnham is the Standards Week Chair. As such she will be found at as many standards meetings as she can fit in. In either the Advanced or Final Program, look for the listing of “collateral meetings” to see what activities will be taking place. For the first time we will be hosting a Standards Happy Hour event on Thursday, August 8, 16:00 - 18:00. Tickets are available only to those who attend at least one full standards meeting during the course of the Symposium.
Karen will also be presenting the paper “Efficient Crosstalk Evaluations for Electric Vehicles Using FDTD and Transmission Line Simulations” at 13:30 on Tuesday, August 6.
She will also be presenting two demonstrations in the Exhibit Hall:
“Using Low Cost Software Defined Radio (SDR) for EMC Investigations”, Tuesday August 6, 10 am - 12 pm
“EMC Society PCB Experiments Kit” in conjuction with Adinath Phene of Ansys, Wednesday August 7, 2 - 4 pm
Seminar:
Unintentional Antennas and Solving EMI Problems
One of the biggest causes of EMC test failures is radiating structures in a unit, whether from the PCB or cabling, that are acting in ways designers never intended. This full day course will aim to combine theory and demonstration of some of the counterintuitive ways physics and electrical engineering interact to cause EMI problems.
Agenda
Demonstration of PCB picking up RF signals
Basic antenna theory
Demonstration of noise from switch mode power supplies
Fundamentals of how switching signals produce RF noise
The goal is for the attendee to leave with a better understanding of how and why EMI/EMC problems occur and simple approaches to improve designs before experiencing late EMC testing failures.
Date and time: July 16th, 2024 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Pacific time
Location: This event will be hosted online via Zoom
Price: $195 for early birds through June 15th (then $245)
Webinar:
Unintentional Antennas: Why PCBs and Cables Start Radiating and How You Can Stop It
One of the biggest causes of EMC test failures is radiating structures in a unit, whether from the PCB or cabling, that are acting in ways designers never intended. This talk covers basics of antenna theory and how to identify potential radiating “antennas” in your product and is an introduction to the antennas and EMI one-day seminar scheduled on July 16th, 2024.
What you’ll learn:
Basic antenna theory
Different kinds of antennas
Examples of structures that can accidentally become antennas
Easy design steps to mitigate these risks
Date and time:
June 6th, 2024
From 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM Pacific time
Location: This event will be hosted online via Zoom, free registration