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Product Insights: Why Do Ferrites Never Seem to Work When We Need Them To?

Ferrite beads may fail to suppress RF emissions due to misidentified noise sources, high circuit impedance, outdated advice, or incorrect ferrite selection. Careful analysis and appropriate application are crucial for effective EMC compliance.

Practical Engineering: How to Become a Great Compliance Engineering Professional

Don MacArthur's blog outlines key steps to excel in compliance engineering, including mastering regulations, staying updated, gaining experience, developing problem-solving skills, and maintaining ethical conduct. He emphasizes continuous learning and effective communication across teams.

Spectrum Analyzer Measurements

Don MacArthur explains spectrum analyzers, tools for frequency domain analysis of signals. He covers their functionality, key parameters (center/span, reference level, RBW, VBW), types, and usage. MacArthur emphasizes their importance in electronic measurements and provides tips for preventing damage to the devices. 

How to Measure Spacings on a Printed Circuit Board to Ensure Safety

This blog by Don MacArthur discusses how to measure creepage and clearance distances on printed circuit boards (PCBs) to ensure safety. It covers definitions, design guidelines, measurement techniques, and tips for compliance engineering in electrical product safety.

Product Insights: Where to Ground Cable Shields

When developing electrical or electronic products that use shielded cables, a common question arises: Where should cable shields be grounded? At one end? Both ends? Or not at all? Don MacArthur aims to offer a starting point for formulating your own response based on your specific situation.
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Practical Engineering: Properly Specifying Electrical Insulation Systems

Explore the correct use of UL iQ for Electrical Insulation Systems and how proper utilization can save time and money during product development.

Product Insights: Non-Ideal Behavior of Passive Components

Passive components can go rogue beyond expected frequencies, resulting in parasitic effects sabotaging EMI suppression. Designers beware, a passive component's non-ideal behavior requires strategic handling.

Practical Engineering: Material Group Selection and How it Affects Spacings

Often overlooked during the development of appropriate spacings (creepage distances) for safety-certified products is the failure to account accurately for the material group of the components involved. This oversight can have significant implications. Let us briefly explore this issue to raise awareness among readers.

Product Insights: Differential Probes

A differential probe is an active device used to take measurements of certain circuit elements of electronic devices. They are most often used in conjunction with an oscilloscope. Key features and applications of differential probes are summarized in this article.

Practical Engineering: Capacitor Safety Considerations

You know that feeling when a capacitor’s datasheet claims one thing, but NRTL’s online certification directory tells a different story? This blog is all about that - specifically a capacitor rated X1 and Y1, but the certification directory only showed X1. Moral of the story? Double check those certs early in the game to avoid delays.
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