May 2011

A case study describing the influence of TFT LCD graphics on automotive radiated emissions testing and its impact to the FM band receiver. The underlying root-cause of the EMI issue is determined using a novel technique that decodes the display’s graphics into the transmitted RGB data and predicts the data’s impact to radiated emissions. The countermeasure implemented to resolve the issue is equally novel and does not involve any hardware optimizations. The use of test images to be used in component level EMC testing is also discussed.

Telecommunication equipment is being widely used in everyday life. The undesired electromagnetic noise emissions from this equipment could interfere with the signals in other communication equipment in the vicinity. When the noise is in the audio range of 25 Hz to 20 kHz, it may also affect the quality of signal transmissions in telephone lines. In audio systems, this undesired audible noise can be in the form of hissing, humming and other sound disturbances.

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) filters are often used on automotive 13.8 VDC power networks to reduce high-frequency noise from being conducted off the printed circuit boards (PCB) and resulting into EMI problems. The filter performance is difficult to predict and often compromised at high frequencies due to parasitics associated with the filter itself, or the PCB layout. The power line filters with Surface Mount Technology ferrite and Multi Layer Ceramic Capacitors are attractive solutions for mitigation of RF noise in high-density automotive PCBs. A lumped-element SPICE model is introduced for optimized π-filter design, including frequency-dependent ferrite component model. The PCB implementation of EMI filter is outlined for optimum filter performance.

Pressure to get product to market is stressful, as well as full of scenarios that most engineers and designers would like to forget about. Yet in the beehive of activity, the regulations that a product must comply with are critical to those design engineers, as well as other teams. So much, in fact, that a slight misstep early on or during the product life cycle can create devastating circumstances. Driven by market or other business issues some may succumb to the “limp factor” (LF): get it to work and ship at all costs for the first country or countries of use and worry about the others at a later time when the pressure is off. So, how can we prevent the LF from occurring?