EE Tips Resources

Electromagnetic Compliance Protection (EE TIP #115)

Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) compliance is one of the last processes before a device may be released to the public. EMC goes hand-in-hand with electromagnetic immunity (EMI), but immunity is only needed for critical devices. With EMC, it is very important to find a good EMC company to deal with. With most circuits, the weak point for EMC is any external leads. By adding a few inexpensive parts, EMC protection can be added and the EMC filtering can be adjusted by changing the values of the parts. In the figure below, the 1 µH inductors act as chokes to block any external voltage spikes above a certain frequency. The 1 nF capacitor also acts as a shock absorber to reduce any sharp voltage spikes. Effectively, this is a second-order filter and the cutoff frequency may be reduced by increasing the inductance and capacitance.

EMC ProtectionEditor’s Note: This EE Tip was written by Fergus Dixon of Sydney, Australia. Dixon, who has written two articles and an essay for Circuit Cellar, runs Electronic System Design, a website set up to promote easy to use and inexpensive development kits. Click here to read his essay “The Future of Open-Source Hardware for Medical Devices.”

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Electromagnetic Compliance Protection (EE TIP #115)

by Circuit Cellar Staff time to read: 1 min