EMC Practical Guides

Hands-on EMC troubleshooting, dB calculation and pre-compliance guides for the test floor.

What to Check When Radiated Emissions Exceed the Limit

A practical step-by-step guide: verify the measurement, infer the cause from the frequency pattern, check cable influence and prioritise countermeasures.

7 Common Mistakes in dB Conversions

Seven recurring errors when handling dBµV, dBm, dBµV/m and uncertainty in EMC data, each with the correct calculation and numerical examples.

Self Pre-Compliance Checklist Before an Emission Test

A checklist covering EUT configuration, instrument settings, environment, measurement procedure and records before a formal emission test.

EMI receiver vs spectrum analyzer: what is the difference?

Differences between an EMI receiver and a spectrum analyzer (detectors, bandwidth, overload tolerance, preselector) and cautions when using an analyzer for pre-compliance.

Conducted emission testing and LISN basics

Purpose of conducted emission testing on power lines, what a LISN does (fixed impedance and noise isolation), the 150 kHz–30 MHz range, and grounding and layout cautions for pre-compliance.

ESD testing (IEC 61000-4-2): practical tips and countermeasures

Choosing contact versus air discharge, coupling planes (HCP/VCP), stepping through test levels, pass criteria and board-level countermeasures (TVS, grounding, layout).

What an EMC test plan must contain

A checklist of items for a test plan: sample configuration, operating modes, applicable standards, pass criteria and cable layout.

Choosing a ferrite bead and a common-mode choke

How to choose ferrite beads and common-mode chokes by impedance at the problem frequency, rated current and DC bias, self-resonant frequency and saturation.