EMC Testing

Antennas come in all shapes and sizes and can be used for both radiating and receiving. Selecting a good receiving antenna for emissions testing is not difficult if you take some necessary items into account.

Part 2 of this article summarizes the results of recent testing conducted by the author on the shielding effectiveness of screened cables up to 2.8 GHz.

Part 1 of this two-part article explores some basic rules for terminating cable shields. Part 2 of the article will appear in our October 2022 issue and will summarize the results of recent testing conducted by the author on the shielding effectiveness of screened cables up to 2.8 GHz

In this column, the author offers a brief summary of a more systematic approach for using ferrite cores on cables. This summary can serve as a “ferrite core checklist” for design and test engineers.

The ubiquitous increase in the use of mains power switching devices has been paralleled by the increase in nuisance tripping of GFCIs and other protection devices. Nuisance tripping can be identified to contain such high frequency signals and these must be properly taken into account when designing proper GFCI operation in this environment.

EMC testing laboratories often have limitations (limited availability, lead times, etc.) that can make it difficult to obtain timely results from routine troubleshooting. Inexpensive test equipment can support efficient and economical in-house EMC troubleshooting.

It’s imperative for successful completion of a testing project that as a compliance engineer or technician leading a product certification effort, you trust but verify the work of testing facilities.

Firmware is integral to the operation of most devices, and may represent an easier and less expensive pathway for addressing EMC issues. This article presents different approaches to modifying firmware as well as case studies illustrating the potential effectiveness of this approach.

Part II of this two-article series focuses on log-periodic and biconical antenna impedance, VSWR, and radiated emissions measurements.

This two-article series is devoted to a dipole family of antennas used in EMC testing: half-wave dipole, quarter-wave monopole, log-periodic, and biconical antenna.