This article gives some practical tips and observations on Electromagnetic Compliance (EMC) as applied to printed circuit boards. Most EMC design courses are based on early work in the EMC field and tend to be either outdated or short on application ideas that have been proven to work in practice.
READ MORE
If your product is heading toward FCC or EN compliance testing, you already know the stakes. A failed test means delays, retests, engineering rework, and in some cases, a missed product launch window. Choosing the right EMC consultant before you get to that point can be the difference between a clean first pass and weeks of expensive scrambling.
But not all EMC consultants offer the same services or experience stack – and the difference can cost you. Here’s what to look for.
Failing FCC Part 15 or other radiated emissions standards is more common than most teams expect, especially on first-time designs or complex mixed-signal systems. In almost every case, the root cause is a combination of layout decisions, lack of filtering, grounding problems, and unintended radiation paths that compound each other.
We compiled this list of seven of the most common failure-causing mechanisms that we see, along with practical fixes to consider before you begin your design or PCB layout. Some of these ideas are tried and true, but in other cases, we have found that some long-prescribed practices are no longer recommended.
Apple iPhone 4
Remember Antennagate? In 2010, with the release of the revolutionary new iPhone 4 came problems with the new external antenna. This antenna consisted of a metal band which wrapped around the outer sides. A gap between the metal pieces of the antenna, when bridged by the user’s hand, would cause the antennas to detune and degrade performance. Sometimes the calls dropped due to the signal loss.
Where are we allowed to transmit? What frequency? What power? We get these questions many, many times from our clients. Essentially, they want to make a system that transmits data from point A to point B but don’t know what range they can count on, and how much it will cost to certify, and if they need a license.