From Electrostatics to ESD

Associate Professor Neils Jonassen authored a bi-monthly static column that appeared in Compliance Engineering Magazine. The series explored charging, ionization, explosions, and other ESD related topics. The E... Read More...

As-Found: Out-of-Tolerance – What to do next?

When calibrated test equipment is found in an out-of-tolerance condition, there is additional risk to all products on which it was used. It is important to understand the magnitude of the potential risk because it can lead to dangerous consumer situations and additional business costs.

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Basics of EMI Troubleshooting

1403 emi-troubleshooting coverSooner or later, anyone involved with EMI will be involved in troubleshooting an EMI problem, wherever it may surface. Most commonly, the problems will be uncovered during EMI testing, generally very late in the product design cycle, resulting in costly patches and schedule delays. It is best if preliminary EMI testing is done early in the design stage - EMI problems can be uncovered early enough that corrective action can be done in a timely fashion, ideally at the circuit board level. On the back end, EMI problems are often encountered in the field - perhaps because the environment is harsher than that expected by the regulatory agencies or because of an installation problem.

The Role of NEBS Requirements in the Telecom Marketplace

While product safety and reliability are core principles of virtually every manufacturer designing equipment for the telecom industry, the Telcordia Generic Requirements (GRs) that ensure the integrity of such devices and systems are not commonly understood by manufacturers around the globe.

Things You May Not Have Heard About Lightning and Grounds

When we think of grounding systems, we tend to think only of resistance and how resistance can be reduced. But the things we do to lower resistance may increase inductance, which could actually make matters worse, especially for fast-rising secondary surges.
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A Brief History of Electrostatic Discharge Testing of Electronic Products

1403 esd-testing coverWith the inventions of the transistor in 1948 and the Integrated Circuit in 1958, and the utilization of these major breakthroughs in the development of computers and other electronic devices, industry began to worry about and to design components and end-products that could survive the discharge of electrostatic discharges to chips, printed circuit boards, and final packaged-products.

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Designing Automotive Components for Guaranteed Compliance with Electromagnetic Compatibility Requirements

1305 F1 coverAutomobiles typically have dozens of electronic systems operating interactively in a relatively compact space. These systems must operate reliably in a wide range of environments over extended periods of time. As a growing number of these systems play an ever expanding role in protecting the safety of a vehicle’s occupants, there is an increasing need to ensure that the integrity of these systems will not be compromised by electromagnetic interference.

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EMC Properties of ESD Generators

1403 esd-generator coverThe immunity to ESD of present-day electronic components and devices has further decreased due to the high sensitivity of ICs.

Electronic devices can be exposed to electrostatic discharge (ESD). The discharge process generates rapid electric and magnetic processes that can impair the function of the electronic devices. Devices are tested for their immunity to ESD using special ESD generators and test setups (EN 61004-2).