Mechanical Design for EMC



Overview

This course for mechanical engineers provides clear applications, theory and demonstrations for the successful design of mechanical enclosures for good system emissions and immunity performance. Key topics include grounding at the PCB and enclosure, system ground maps, PCB component placement and control drawings, enclosure and cable shielding, PCB device “cans”, resonant slots and enclosures, heat sinks, unintentional antennas, as well as connector, screw, and conductive gasket placement.

This two-day course for mechanical engineers provides clear applications, theory and demonstrations for the successful design of mechanical enclosures for good system emissions and immunity performance. Key topics include grounding at the PCB and enclosure, system ground maps, PCB component placement and control drawings, enclosure and cable shielding, PCB device “cans”, resonant slots and enclosures, heat sinks, unintentional antennas, as well as connector, screw, and conductive gasket placement.

This two-day course is Day 1 and Day 4 of a four-day programme:

At checkout, you may choose to add either or both of Day 2 and Day 3 to your enrolment.

Programme details

Day 1: Introduction 

Section 1: Measuring and Inducing noise

  • The electrical noise model
  • Distinguishing the four noise paths by name, electrical driving function, necessary physical features, and impact of source to victim distance
  • Troubleshooting techniques based on the noise model
  • Far-field versus Near-field coupling + DEMONSTRATION
  • Practical antenna theory for radiated emissions and immunity + DEMONSTRATION
  • Problems inherent in predicting radiated emissions and radiated immunity test results
  • Conducted emissions—mode separation, LISNs, troubleshooting
  • Practical applications

Section 2: Understanding the Physics and Root Causes of Noise Problems

  • Capacitance—in ESD, PD boards, decoupling networks, filter networks, cables + DEMONSTRATION
  • Electrostatic discharge (ESD). IC and system ESD tests. Problems with test repeatability. Design techniques to improve PCB ESD immunity + DEMONSTRATION
  • Inductance—in PC boards, connectors, ICs, high speed signal paths, decoupling networks,
  • How to use connectors for improved signal quality, reduced emissions, & improved immunity
  • Behaviour of current paths at low and high frequencies + DEMONSTRATION

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Day 4: Mechanical Design for EMC

Section 1: Review of Key Concepts and Introduction to Shielding

  • The theoretical, perfectly shielded enclosure
  • The expensive, practical enclosure
  • Review of the four noise paths
  • Understanding & visualizing common-mode current + DEMONSTRATION
  • Accidental antennas and antenna circuits
  •  Regulatory and functional emissions and immunity tests
  • The three properties of electromagnetic shields

Section 2: PCB and Mechanical Control Drawings

  • Placement and location of grounds, and connectors
  • Effects of heat sinks
  • “Ground” / reference maps
  • External shielded connector interfaces

Sections 3: Shielding

  • Why EMC shielding math in textbooks is wrong
  • Classical shielding and shielding for EMC
  • Problems with the prediction of shielding effectiveness
  • Practical aspects of shielding enclosures
  • Slot and cavity resonances in shielded enclosures + DEMONSTRATION
  • Review: The three properties of electromagnetic shields
  • Reflective and absorptive properties of shields + low frequency shielding
  • Magnetically conductive materials
  • Transfer impedance for base materials, connectors, cables and enclosures
  • Test your knowledge by reviewing a proposed design
  • Effects of apertures
  • Latest research on apertures and cavities
  • Simple tests to verify performance of enclosures and transfer impedance + DEMONSTRATION
  • Overall shielding using enclosures
  • PCB level shields + factors that affect performance
  • Prevention of “accidental antennas”
  • Troubleshooting techniques

Section 4: Shielding of cables

  • Cable shielding and terminations
  • Applying transfer impedance concepts to cables, connectors, and system interconnect
  • Examples and discussions of common shielded connectors and their defects (ENET, d-sub, video)
  • Shield terminations + DEMONSTRATION
  • What to ground, where, and why
  • Examples of bad cable shielding designs

Test and measurement equipment for this course is supplied by Rohde & Schwarz 

Attending Your Course 

Further details will be emailed to you two weeks ahead of your course, which will include registration information. 

Please get in touch if you have not received this information within five working days of the course start date.  

In the meantime, you may wish to plan your travel: Travel information 

 

Digital Certification

To complete the course, you will be required to attend and participate in all of the sessions on the course in order to be considered for a certificate. Participants who complete the course will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course.

The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will also be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Days 1 and 4 (standard course fee) £995.00
Day 2 - Applying Practical EMI Design (optional) £495.00
Day 3 - Advanced PCB Design (optional) £495.00

Payment

Fees include course materials, tuition, refreshments and lunches. The price does not include accommodation.

All courses are VAT exempt.

Register immediately online 

Click the “book now” button on this webpage. Payment by credit or debit card is required.

Request an invoice

If you require an invoice for your company or personal records, please complete an online application form. The Course Administrator will then email you an invoice. Payment is accepted online, by credit/debit card, or by bank transfer. Please do not send card or bank details via email.

Tutor

Lee Hill

Speaker

SILENT Solutions LLC & GmbH, USA & Germany

Lee Hill is Founding Partner of  SILENT, an independent EMC and RF design firm established in 1992 that specializes in EMC and RF design, troubleshooting, and training. 

Lee received his MSEE from the Missouri University of Science & Technology EMC Laboratory, emclab.mst.edu.

He teaches a graduate course in EMC as a member of adjunct faculty at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), and is also an EMC course instructor for Texas Instruments, the University of Oxford (England) and the IEEE EMC Society’s Global University, which he currently chairs. He is a past EMC instructor for UC Berkeley, Agilent, and Hewlett Packard.

With over 30 years of EMC design and troubleshooting experience, Lee consults and teaches world-wide, and has presented courses in Taiwan, China, Poland, Singapore, Mexico, Norway, Canada, South Korea, France, Germany and United Kingdom. 

Lee is a past member of the IEEE EMC Society's Board of Directors (2004-2007).

Learning outcomes

After attending this course you will be able to:

  • Effortlessly identify unintentional antennas using pictures of past SILENT projects with EMI problems
  • Easily and simply visualize common-mode current in cables and enclosures
  • Explain the four noise coupling paths, & identify near-field coupling in real designs
  • Understand the function of grounds in electronic product design
  • Understand shielding of enclosures and cables, without electromagnetics mathematics
  • Design a "good enough" high frequency shield
  • Design a "good enough" low frequency shield
  • Identify the most common types of grounding and shielding defects
  • Apply the concepts of conductivity, transfer impedance, and skin depth to practical designs
  • Estimate the resonant frequencies of enclosures, slots, and waveguides
  • Specify shielded connectors and cable assemblies to ensure good system EMC

Application

If you would like to discuss your application or any part of the application process before applying, please click Contact Us at the top of this page.

Level and demands

This course is intended for mechanical and electrical engineers responsible for the mechanical design and packaging of electronic products, cables, and systems. But it is also appropriate for Digital Logic Designers, Analogue Designers, Technicians, EMC Specialists, and Applications Engineers. Anyone working with electronic circuits along with conductive enclosures, shielded and unshielded cables who is concerned the control of low and high frequency electrical noise in electronic systems in order to meet functional and regulatory EMI / EMC specifications will enjoy this course.

Accommodation

Although not included in the course fee, accommodation may be available at our on-site Rewley House Residential Centre. All bedrooms are en suite and decorated to a high standard, and come with tea- and coffee-making facilities, free Wi-Fi access and Freeview TV. Guests can take advantage of the excellent dining facilities and common room bar, where they may relax and network with others on the programme.

To check prices, availability and to book rooms please visit the Rewley House Residential Centre website. 

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support