Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) is the ability of an electrical/electronic device or system to operate in its electromagnetic environment. Electrical/electronic devices must not emit electrical noise, nor be susceptible to electrical noise present in their working environment. Electrical/electronic products must comply with several domestic and international standards governing EMC prior to commercial release. Because a connector may act as a transmitting or receiving antenna, grounding, filtering, and shielding techniques play an important role in optimizing EMC. Unless the connector assembly is properly designed and grounded, excessive energy in the form of EMI/RFI currents can be present. This can affect internal or external components, creating problems within the system or with surrounding equipment.

APEX can assess the design and application of a shielded connector to optimize the EMC characteristics of a device or system.

WHY APEX:

• Gain familiarity with industry test techniques and laboratories
• Make use of hands-on experience
• Obtain knowledge of industry standards
• Employ experience with connector and cable EMI/RFI issues
• Utilize extensive background in shielding, grounding, and filtering techniques

APEX EMC ASSESSMENTS INCORPORATE:

• Proper shielding characteristics of connector and cable assemblies
• Uniformly distributed current flow to ground
• Source identification for shielded connectors, gaskets, and filters
• Documented assessment and recommendations
• Complete systems evaluation

EXAMPLES OF APEX EMC ASSESSMENTS:

• Resolved systems ground issues in a telecommunications application
• Created an electrical model to optimize antenna grounding
• Generated radiation patterns for internally mounted antennas
• Compared single-point verses multi-point grounding
• Recommended a connector design change to reduce EMI/RFI
• Enhanced the cable grounding design for ESD protection
• Equated mode-stirred chamber results to open-field testing

VIDEO:

• "Time Domain Animation" of an electric charge with the field propagating across a printed circuit board.