Kenneth Wyatt

Volume 1 - Create Your Own EMC Troubleshooting Kit, Volume 2 - Workbench Troubleshooting EMC Emissions, Volume 3 - Workbench Troubleshooting EMC Immunity

This handy pocket guide to essential radio frequency interference (RFI) is a valuable, pocket-sized reference for radio amateurs and others in the radio communication fields.
Designed as a practical, quick guide, the Radio Frequency Interference Pocket Guide collates key data, diagrams and useful reference materials into one handy place to help the reader to understand basic EM theory, along with specific remediation steps in reducing or eliminating sources of radio interference.
Topics… Show more

This handy pocket guide to essential radio frequency interference (RFI) is a valuable, pocket-sized reference for radio amateurs and others in the radio communication fields.
Designed as a practical, quick guide, the Radio Frequency Interference Pocket Guide collates key data, diagrams and useful reference materials into one handy place to help the reader to understand basic EM theory, along with specific remediation steps in reducing or eliminating sources of radio interference.
Topics covered include; EMC/RFI Fundamentals, EMC design, FCC rules, locating RFI and resolving RFI. Show less

Designed to assist those who must pass EMI testing with limited resources and time, and who have little or no experience in EMI testing. Setup in a cookbook manner where a person who needs to pass a radiated emissions test can go to that chapter and get the tools they need without having to read the whole book.

Helps identify why electronic products fail EMI/EMC standards and provides step-by-step instructions on how to troubleshoot and mitigate issues.

This article discusses a number of low-cost methods of determining the immunity of a product to RF fields.

DESCRIPTION
Every electric product designed and manufactured worldwide must meet electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) regulations, and yet, EMC compliance staff levels have been cut to the bone in companies large and small. If you are a working engineer or technician, the Electromagnetic Compatibility Pocket Guide is the first place to look while designing for EMC and your guide to thwarting electromagnetic interference.

KEY FEATURES
* Concise, constant-use guide addressing the most… Show more

DESCRIPTION
Every electric product designed and manufactured worldwide must meet electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) regulations, and yet, EMC compliance staff levels have been cut to the bone in companies large and small. If you are a working engineer or technician, the Electromagnetic Compatibility Pocket Guide is the first place to look while designing for EMC and your guide to thwarting electromagnetic interference.

KEY FEATURES
* Concise, constant-use guide addressing the most common reasons for compliance failure.
* Get needed answers quickly and move on to other design issues.
* Pocket-size, easy to carry and use, made of durable stock for continual service.
* Available for customization with your logo and marketing copy if you order in quantities.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
EMC Fundamentals
EMC Design
EMC Measurements
EMC Standards
Using Decibels
Frequency vs. Wavelength
Commonly Used Equations
Miscellaneous Information
Useful Software
References
* Books
* EMC Magazines
* EMC Organizations
* EMC Standards Organizations
* LinkedIn Groups
* Common Symbols
* EMC Acronyms Show less

Includes a brief review of the development of spread spectrum, how it came to be used for processor clocking, the theory and comparison to frequency hopping spread spectrum and the current debate and conclusions based on spectral measurements.

If there's been one spectrum analyzer that's created buzz lately, it's the recently announced Rigol DSA815 budget ($1,295) spectrum analyzer, which tunes from 9 kHz to 1.5 GHz.

For years, I’ve looked for an affordable LCR meter to measure unknown components–especially surface-mount. I ran into the Smart Tweezers (Model ST3) a couple years ago and wrote up a short review. Since then, Canadian company Advance Devices, has updated the design (Model ST5). This model is very similar, but there are a number of improvements worth mentioning.

I recently purchased a small digitizing oscilloscope, the "DSO Quad," from Seeed Studio. While this 3 MHz BW instrument may merit considersation as a toy, or at best, a conversation piece, some of the specs are certainly worthy of the $199 price. I'm impressed that that the entire product, plus rechargeable LiPo (lithium polymer) battery, fits into such a small package about as large as a business card.

One tool every EMC test lab should own is a harmonic comb generator. A comb generator is simply a device that will produce a set of harmonically-related CW signals whose spacing is based on a fundamental oscillator frequency. They are useful for verifying proper operation of semi-anechoic chambers and many other uses. I describe both commercial and DIY versions.

This article describes one of the most valuable tools in the EMC engineers “bag of tricks” – the high-frequency current probe. Current probes are invaluable for measuring high-frequency common-mode (or “antenna”) currents flowing on wires or cables. This is valuable for predicting whether the cables radiate over the limit during radiated emission testing. I’ll also show you several ways to create do-it-yourself (DIY) probes that are quick to make and very useful in a pinch.

Every EMC or design engineer should own a spectrum analyzer. Most new ones, however, are expensive, and used ones are large and heavy. Until recently, these instruments have been priced too high for electronics hobbyists or engineers on a budget. Imagine my surprise when I found the RF Explorer, a small handheld spectrum analyzer priced from as little as $99. Could it possibly be any good?

Radiated emissions (RE) are often the number-one cause of compliance failures for most electronic products. This article describes simple troubleshooting steps and tools to isolate most RE issues. Three case studies are described showing how low-cost probes and instruments may be used to help the EMC or product development engineer troubleshoot a product right in the R&D lab. By characterizing and resolving the RE prior to compliance testing, the chances are much greater for a successful… Show more

Radiated emissions (RE) are often the number-one cause of compliance failures for most electronic products. This article describes simple troubleshooting steps and tools to isolate most RE issues. Three case studies are described showing how low-cost probes and instruments may be used to help the EMC or product development engineer troubleshoot a product right in the R&D lab. By characterizing and resolving the RE prior to compliance testing, the chances are much greater for a successful compliance outcome. Show less

Because time-to-market and budget factors often drive many of today’s high-tech designs, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues often surface at the last moment in the design cycle, potentially delaying product introductions. Very often, simple troubleshooting techniques can identify issues early when the cost of implementation is substantially lower and design improvements may be made with less impact on schedules. This article describes a number of simple probing tools and techniques… Show more

Because time-to-market and budget factors often drive many of today’s high-tech designs, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues often surface at the last moment in the design cycle, potentially delaying product introductions. Very often, simple troubleshooting techniques can identify issues early when the cost of implementation is substantially lower and design improvements may be made with less impact on schedules. This article describes a number of simple probing tools and techniques useful in reducing the radiated emissions (RE) of a product that will better prepare it for a successful radiated emission compliance test. Show less

When you are designing products for compliance with electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standards, testing circuits for immunity to electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a must. Standards such as IEC 61000-4-2 and ANSI C63.16, which specify how to set up and perform these ESD tests (Refs. 1, 2), require that you use an ESD simulator to produce test pulses. The standards also specify the shape and timing of the current pulse you must inject into your equipment under test (EUT), so before running an… Show more

When you are designing products for compliance with electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standards, testing circuits for immunity to electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a must. Standards such as IEC 61000-4-2 and ANSI C63.16, which specify how to set up and perform these ESD tests (Refs. 1, 2), require that you use an ESD simulator to produce test pulses. The standards also specify the shape and timing of the current pulse you must inject into your equipment under test (EUT), so before running an immunity test, you must verify that your ESD simulator produces a current pulse with the proper shape and rise time. You can verify a simulator’s performance by using a calibrated ESD target and a high-bandwidth oscilloscope. Show less

The 54600-series ("Jedi") digitizing oscilloscopes from Hewlett-Packard were breakthrough products in the early 1990s and helped define the low-cost scope market. This copy of the HP Journal describes the design philosophies, including the EMC design of the 54600.

Kenneth discusses all manner of EMC and engineering design topics.

Kenneth Wyatt is an independent consultant and specialist in electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) design, test and troubleshooting. In The EMC Blog, he discusses issues, trends, EMC design, and product troubleshooting techniques. One specialty is his use of do-it-yourself probes and use of low-cost test equipment and measurement techniques for evaluating EMC issues on the workbench.

The EMC Zone is a blogging platform for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) topics, sponsored by ITEM Media / Interference Technology. There are a number of staff and invited bloggers writing about several interesting subjects within the field of EMC.