Technical

Min Zhang, PhD   As future propulsion systems continue to push towards higher power, higher power density, higher efficiency, and reduced size, the industry has good reason to be excited about what lies ahead. The adoption of high-speed switching devices such as GaN and SiC is enabling products with significantly improved performance, efficiency, and functionality.   However, beyond the PowerPoint pitches and technology roadmaps, engineers and engineering managers alike under

Rod Macpherson When using transient voltage suppressor (TVS) diodes for surge protection, particular care must be taken with PCB layout—especially the tracking between supply rails and the TVS device. For example, in systems with a 12 V rail and a separate 0 V reference (not chassis ground), a TVS diode may be placed between 12 V and 0 V to clamp surge events. In such cases, the routing to the TVS must not be implemented as a spur branching off the main power tracks. Spur con

For design engineers developing electronic products, passing EMC tests is one of the most important—and often most challenging—steps toward achieving CE, UKCA or FCC marking. While complying with electrical safety or machinery standards is usually straightforward once the principles are understood, EMC compliance tends to be far less predictable. EMC test failures are common, and in many teams, they are almost expected. However, this does not need to be the case. Repeat visit

When you buy coaxial cables from a trusted distributor, you typically review the datasheet, ensure the specifications meet your requirements, and place your order. But as a seasoned engineer, do you fully trust the cables without testing them first? Most engineers take a “trust but verify” approach, so in this blog, we’ll present a method for testing coaxial cables.   The equipment you’ll need:   A spectrum analyser; in this case, we used a Siglent SSA 3032X-R model. An RF cu

Introduction If your job involves electronics design, system development, electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing and troubleshooting, you might encounter the terms "noisy ground" and "clean ground." Technically, there is no such thing as "noisy or clean ground." However, these terms are commonly used in the engineering world despite their inaccuracies. They often give engineers the impression that the earth/ground is an infinite sink of electrical noise, disregarding the

A step-by-step guide to good engineering practice Before committing to writing this article, I had two main thoughts: First, I’ve seen far too many subpar test reports from engineers. They often do excellent work but aren’t given enough time to document it properly. As a result, when teams sit down to review the report weeks or even days later, important details are missing, and the test engineers have simply forgotten some of the more subtle points. Second, I wondered if the

In Part 1, we discussed how to set up a conducted emissions test for a consumer product. This requires a ground plane, an 80 cm-tall table, a spectrum analyser or receiver, and a LISN. An isolation transformer is often also required to prevent excessive leakage current being drawn through the LISN, which could otherwise cause a circuit breaker to trip.   In this article, we will discuss how to set up conducted emissions testing for automotive applications. Note that defence a

On December 11th, we successfully organized our first EMC+SIPI Technical Discussion Group session. This is an exclusive, small community where members share hands-on experience and lessons learned in a trusted environment. The purpose of the group is to exchange ideas, enhance practical design expertise, and foster meaningful professional connections within a social and collaborative setting. Meeting notes from the session are shared below. If you are a Senior or Principal En