The Future as Compliance Engineers

For most with an affinity to compliance engineering, little time is spent on thinking about our future. Too often we get caught up in details of our daily work without considering exciting opportunities on the ... Read More...

EMC and the Smart Grid

The smart grid is a rapidly emerging topic in the field of electrical and power engineering that affects everyone worldwide. The IEEE is actively engaged in the Smart Grid Form (http://smartgrid.ieee.org). T... Read More...
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The Future of EMC Engineering: Why FR-4 is Obsolete for Tomorrow’s Technology

A discussion topic between designers, namely those who only do circuit design and have no interest in the field of EMC, and compliance engineers attempting to meet regulatory compliance requirements, is the use of FR-4 as the core material for printed circuit board construction. Fiberglass Resin (FR) is low cost and has been used in almost every electrical product for decades, with exceptions such as military and satellite applications, harsh environmental conditions, and other unique uses. The disagreement lies with the extent that we can use FR-4 in high frequency applications and should we be concerned more with electrical performance or manufacturing and assembly.