EMC Fest 2024

2024 Speakers:  Doug Smith and Ken Wyatt

Doug Smith

Topics:

Resonant Structures in PCBs and Systems (Smith)

Resonances in electronic systems are responsible for both EMC related failures and system operation problems. We will cover resonances both at the system level, such as PCB to enclosure/chassis resonances, as well as cable, heat sink, enclosure, and unwanted resonances in antenna structures such as RFID antennas. We will then cover how to deal with resonant structures both at the last minute during EMC testing and preemptively, such as adding loss to the structure to damp resonances. Finding and measuring these resonances will be discussed using some innovative techniques I have developed.

ESD issues including, simulators, troubleshooting, and a new potential serious safety issue that can occur after months in the field (Smith)

Have you ever had your product pass ESD in your facility only to have the commercial test lab record a failure? This outcome is very common and a result of the standards we use not specifying parameters of the test that have a large effect on the outcome.The second part of the presentation covers factors that cause unrepeatable test results. Waveform purity and E-field emissions to 5 GHz will be presented for a number of commercially  available ESD simulators and similar data will be presented for real human ESD. You will be able to pick the simulator that will make your product pass or fail, or at least have a useful discussion with the test lab. We will also analyze the test standards to see where the problems in testing occur. Then we will move on to troubleshooting ESD issues using techniques I developed that work much faster than normal engineering troubleshooting methods. Then we will move on to unusual forms of ESD that are not covered in standards but have caused a lot of field problems. Finally, we will look at a new form of ESD, not previously described in the literature that is actually very common and can lead to system upset, AND damage to the to the power mains barrier in a system supply that can lead to a safety issue after a few months in the field, long after safety HIPOT testing was done.

Hope to see you at my presentations!!

Doug Smith held an FCC First Class Radiotelephone license by age 16 and a General Class amateur radio license at age 12. He received a B.E.E.E. degree from Vanderbilt University in 1969 and an M.S.E.E. degree from the California Institute of Technology in 1970. In 1970, he joined AT&T Bell Laboratories as a Member of Technical Staff. He retired in 1996 as a Distinguished Member of Technical Staff. From February 1996 to April 2000 he was Manager of EMC Development and Test at Auspex Systems in Santa Clara, CA. Mr. Smith currently is an independent consultant specializing in high frequency measurements, circuit/system design and verification, switching power supply noise and specifications, EMC, and immunity to transient noise. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and a former member of the IEEE EMC Society Board of Directors.

His technical interests include high frequency effects in electronic circuits, including topics such as Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), Electrostatic Discharge (ESD), Electrical Fast Transients (EFT), and other forms of pulsed electromagnetic interference. He also has been involved with FCC Part 68 testing and design, telephone system analog and digital design, IC design, and computer simulation of circuits. He has been granted over 15 patents, several on measurement apparatus.

Mr. Smith holds the title of University of Oxford Tutor in the Department of Continuing Education at Oxford University in the UK. He has lectured at Oxford University, The University of California Santa Barbara, The University of California Berkeley, Vanderbilt University, AT&T Bell Labs, and internationally at many public and private seminars on high frequency measurements, circuit design, ESD, and EMC. He is author of the book High Frequency Measurements and Noise in Electronic Circuits. His very popular website, https://emcesd.com , draws many thousands of visitors each month to see over 250 technical articles as well as other features.

He provides training and consulting services in general design, EMC, and transient immunity (such as ESD and EFT), and switching power supply noise. His specialty is solving difficult problems quickly, usually within a couple of days. His work has included digital and analog circuits in everything from large diesel powered machinery to space craft to IC chip level circuits. His large client base includes many well known large electronic and industrial companies as well as medium sized companies and start-up companies.

Kenneth Wyatt of Wyatt Technical Services LLC

Ten Tips for Characterizing & Troubleshooting Board-Level EMI for Products, Including Wireless (Wyatt)

It is fairly common to find multiple on-board sources of energy causing radiated emissions on today’s product designs, including board-level EMI for wireless portable, mobile, and IoT devices. The EMI from these energy sources can couple to cables creating radiated emissions, as well as interfere with the receiver performance of cellular, GPS and other wireless modules. This presentation describes methods for identifying, characterizing and reducing the coupling from these energy sources.

Bench Top Troubleshooting ESD and Radiated Immunity Failures (Wyatt)

Kenneth Wyatt is president and principal consultant of Wyatt Technical Services LLC, as well as the senior technical editor for Interference Technology. He has worked in the field of EMC engineering for over 30 years. His specialty is EMI troubleshooting and pre-compliance testing and is a co-author of the popular EMC Pocket Guide and RFI Radio Frequency Interference Pocket Guide. He also coauthored the book with Patrick André, EMI Troubleshooting Cookbook for Product Designers, with forward by Henry Ott. He is widely published and authored The EMC Blog hosted by EDN.com for nearly three years. Kenneth is a senior member of the IEEE and a long time member of the EMC Society.

He may be contacted at ken@emc-seminars.com  or kwyatt@interferencetechnology.com

Check out his web site for more technical information, training schedules, and links: http://www.emc-seminars.com.

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