Something to Ponder . . . What is the best thing for the EMC professional to do on a hot summer day? This editor suggests that you grab an ice-cold drink, relax in a shady spot and ponder a puzzling, unsolved EMC mystery. Steve Jensen of Steve Jensen Consultants has just such a ‘mystery’ that he has most graciously shared with Chapter Chatter. Chatter: Steve, please give our readers as many details about this unsolved mystery as you can. We understand that it has something to do with car keys? Steve: Well sort of. The mystery, which I call the “key chain effect” continues to cause problems for my clients and me. Anyone can experience the ‘key chain effect’ first hand in the radiated emissions lab of his choice. One has to simply put together a test setup that involves either a rod antenna or the bi-conical dipole. Then, tune the receiver (spectrum analyzer) to 25 MHz or thereabouts. Put the analyzer on Max Hold and let it sweep continuously using “zero span” and 10 kHz bandwidth. Next, a person needs to stand about two feet from the antenna and jingle his car keys in front of the antenna and watch what happens. The screen will fill up with little spikes that appear to be impulses associated with the collision of one key against another. These spikes are typically above the MIL-STD-461 limit for RE102! I have found this to be a significant problem when running EMI tests on anything that vibrates. I have even experienced this effect in certain shielded rooms where I discovered that some of the bolts are not tightened properly. To see this phenomenon, a person should provide the same test set-up described above. Then she should go into the shielded room and stomp on the floor. The results will be similar to that of the car key jingling. I am confident that this is not ESD, as the effect happens even when you are holding onto the keys. I don’t have a scientific explanation for what is happening (yet); I am hoping that some additional research will yield a solid technical explanation for the “key chain effect.” Chatter: Wow Steve, that sounds like a great EMC mystery for our readers to chew on for the next couple of months. If any of the Chapter Chatter readers have a good idea about the “key chain effect,” can they send you an e-mail? Steve: Certainly. I would welcome the input. Send an e-mail to steve@stevejensenconsultants.com.

 

Baltimore-Annapolis
Robert Berkovits reports that the EMC and ED/SSC Societies and the Greater Baltimore Penn Alumni Club sponsored the September meeting speaker, Dr. Arthur J. Epstein, a University of Pennsylvania physics graduate, and Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Physics and the Department of Chemistry and Center for Materials Research at Ohio State University. Professor Epstein is recognized as the world’s leading expert in how polymers conduct electricity and he is a Fellow of the American Physics Society. His presentation on September 25, 2003 was titled “Nanotechnology, Plastics, and Your Investments.” The attendance was 55 people. On Monday, 24 November 2003, Dr. Lothar O. (Bud) Hoeft, Consultant, Electromagnetic Effects, and a former EMC Society Distinguished Lecturer, spoke on “Experimental and Theoretical Analysis of Electromagnetic Shielding of Cables and Connectors (Keeping Currents/Voltages Where They Belong).” This was a joint meeting with the APS/MTT Societies and was held at the Historical Electronics Museum, Pioneer Hall, in Linthicum, Maryland where most of our Chapter meetings are held near BWI airport. A total of 24 people attended.
On Tuesday, May 4, Dr. Bruce Archambeault of IBM, Raleigh NC, an EMC Society Distinguished Lecturer, gave a talk entitled “EMI/EMC Computational Modeling for Real-World Engineering Problems.” This was a joint meeting with the APS/MTT Societies and was held at Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems Division in Baltimore, MD. This was the first time the local Chapter set up a net meeting with the Litton Division of Northrop Grumman in Woodland Hills, CA. Dr Thomas Walsh of the AP Society, set up the full PC communications link with voice to the off-site audience. The total attendance was 57, with 46 in Baltimore and 11 Woodland Hills. Future plans for the EMC Chapter are to have speakers addressing the issue of broadband on power lines. This meeting will be a joint meeting sponsored by several Societies in the Section and may feature a panel discussion type format. Another meeting planned for the Fall of 2004 will be on Systems EMC. The Chapter officers are Robert Berkovits of Northrop Grumman ES Division as Chair and John Anderson of Alion Science as Vice Chair.

Central New England
Jon Clarke reports that the Central New England EMC Chapter has held one meeting since the Spring 2004 issue. On Wednesday May 5, 2004 a presentation was made by Distinguished Lecturer Bruce Archambeault, Ph.D., Senior Member Technical Staff, IBM, NC. The topic Mr. Archambeault covered was: “How to Avoid the Main Cause of EMI Problems on Multi - Layer PCBs.” The speaker discussed the main causes and problems produced by EMI on Multi - Layer PCBs. Methods used to avoid these problems were also described. 26 individuals consisting of 16 IEEE EMCS members and 10 guests attended the meeting. The Chapter has scheduled the next meeting for Wednesday July 21st. The speaker will be Distinguished Lecturer Professor Michel Ianoz who will present his topic “Lightning Electromagnetic Effects.” This meeting was previously scheduled for December 4, 2003 but had to be postponed due to illness of the speaker.

Frank Krozel (right), Chicago MiniSymposium Chairman (for last six or so years...who is counting?) presents an award to speaker Tom Van Doren of the University of Missouri at Rolla.

 

Jack Black, Chicago Chapter Chairman, presented an award to Carla Robinson, EMC Person of the Year! Carla is from US Robotics and she attended the MiniSymposium.

 

Ray Klouda of Elite Electronic Engineering and Steve Muchow, Shure, winner of the IEEE EMC raffle gift certificate at the Chicago MiniSymposium.

 

Speaker Jim Brown of Audio Systems Group, Inc. at the Chicago Chapter’s MiniSymposium in May.

Chicago
Frank Krozel reports that 2004 was the Chicago Chapter’s best year yet for its annual IEEE EMC MiniSymposium. They had new faces, a record turnout, and truly a great time at the 6th Annual MiniSymposium! Vendor tables at the Chicago MiniSymposium were sold out this year! “While I cannot say that the EMC industry is coming back in Chicago, I am very encouraged by the quality of the attendees. I look forward to 2005 with our MiniSymposium (same place, same time, same people!), and……the 2005 IEEE International Symposium on EMC! Come to our beautiful and entertaining Navy Pier in August! Experience the Energy - EMC 2005 CHICAGO!” says Frank Krozel, Chairman, Chicago Chapter EMC MiniSymposium. See the Chicago Chapter website for more details at https://emc2005.org/

A welcome dinner was held the evening prior to the Dallas EMC Chapter’s Colloquium and Exhibition. Jeff Tregre of Texas Spectrum Electronics (left) enjoyed the opportunity to personally speak with Clayton Paul about his new book, Electromagnetics for Engineers.

 

Teng Tip and Mark Szewczul (right) of Dallas Semiconductor and Dallas EMC Chapter Chair, enjoyed the welcome dinner for Dr. Paul.

 

Dallas EMC Chapter members busy networking during the reception included (from left) Phillip Havens, Robert Fort, Mark Szewczul and Jeff Tregre.

 

Colin Brench of Hewlett Packard is the most recent member of the Dallas EMC Chapter having moved to Texas from Massachusetts. He enjoyed the jumbo shrimp during the reception following Clayton Paul’s presentation.

 

Austin Truit of Lockheed Martin dropped by to visit with exhibitors Bob Ydens and Tom Koons of EMI Solutions (from left) at the Dallas EMC Chapter Colloquium and Exhibition.

 

Shelby Ball of Laird Technologies thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition held during the Dallas EMC Chapter event.

 

Chris Faust of Haefely (left) provided a product demonstration to Jeff Tregre during the Dallas EMC Chapter Colloquium and Exhibition.

Dallas
The Dallas EMC Chapter has been very active under the leadership of Chair Mark Szewczul of Dallas Semiconductor. The monthly meetings have been well publicized and well attended. Past speakers include Dr. Vince Rodriguez of ETS-Lindgren and the famous Dr. Howard Johnson. The Chapter recently held their first one-day colloquium and exhibition. Mark Szewczul organized the event along with the help of his Chapter and Section officers. The event was held at The Richardson Hotel on June 14 with Clayton Paul presenting his popular course, “The Fundamentals of EMC.” Some 60 people attended. Over 20 exhibitors of EMC related products and services were on hand to showcase their latest offerings, including locally based Rohde & Schwarz, who donated a USB memory stick as a raffle item to add a little excitement to the activities. Lunch sponsors included exhibitors X2Y Attenuators and Leader Tech. Reception sponsors included exhibitors AR Worldwide, Rohde & Schwarz, Laird Technologies and Mentor Graphics. Dr. Paul’s book “Introduction to Electromagnetic Compatibility” was sold in conjunction with the registration and was an instant best seller. He graciously stayed after the presentation to personally autograph copies of his book for the registrants during the reception. That autograph may well be worth something now that Dr. Paul is the 2005 IEEE Electromagnetics Award winner! Even so, all valued and appreciated the time spent with this noted educator and lecturer. The Dallas EMC Chapter will long remember their day spent with Dr. Paul. If you would like to attend a Dallas Chapter meeting, please visit www.DallasEMC.org for more information.

Israel
On June 13th, the “Electromagnetic Influence (ELF) Basic Exposure Limitations and Engineering Ramifications” conference was held in Hertzelia near Tel Aviv, Israel. The conference was organized by the Israel IEEE EMC Chapter, the Association of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IAEEE), and by the Association of Urban Engineers in Israel. The number of participants in the conference was over 220. The conference brought together the experts dealing with EM radiation, environmental office personnel, and legislators dealing with ecology preservation. The conference was an opportunity for engineers, architects, and common citizens to clarify open radiation safety questions, some of which have not been fully addressed by the technical community. The speakers and a brief description of each of their presentations follows: Dr. Stelian Gelberg, Radiation and Audio Noise Commissioner, is best known for his conservative approach to public exposure to magnetic fields and radio frequency radiation. Dr. Gelberg explained the considerations that led him to adopt a public exposure threshold, 1% of the threshold recommended by the world health organization. His lecture emphasized that there is no difference between the wide public exposure and work-related exposure, excluding professions that require exposure, such as electricians and antenna installers. Professor Leeka Kheifets, Vice president of the World Health Organization (WHO) non-ionizing radiation project, delivered the keynote lecture. Her lecture included a thorough survey of the WHO recommendations on the issue of public exposure to radio frequency (RF) radiation in general, and to electromagnetic fields in the Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) in particular. Dr. Eli Stern, the principle scientist of the environmental office, recommended the adoption of the “prudential avoidance” approach to the issue of public exposure, and expanded on the regularity and application principles of exposure to electromagnetic ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. In his lecture he brought up examples of the ionizing standardization, characterized by defining permissible exposure levels in relation to the duration of exposure from a single device, a yearlong exposure term, and a four-year exposure term. Professor Josef Ribak, head of Occupational and Environmental Health and Public Health School, Tel Aviv University, lectured about the lack of consensus concerning adverse affects of non-ionizing radiation on public health, and the misconception of risk by the public. Professor Ribak discussed the waste of resources caused by the public fear of non-ionizing radiation, whereas these resources are desperately required for dealing with real and proven health threats. Mr. Oren Hartal, Rafael’s chief scientist, presented the available engineering measures and techniques for decreasing ELF magnetic field exposure levels, following the recommendations of the environmental office, and cost assessment of each solution. The lecture contained real life examples of efforts that succeeded to decrease the magnetic fields in public facilities and private homes by performing certain actions. Avishai Rash, consulting engineer, presented “Authorized and Unauthorized Radiation and Field Measurements.” Mr. Rash pointed out the absence of law and ordinance regarding unauthorized and unprofessional personnel who are conducting non-ionizing radiation measurements with non-calibrated and inaccurate equipment. Dr. Ehud Ne’eman, former head of the audio noise and radiation department at the environmental office, approached the issue of ELF magnetic field measurement, the abundance of cheap and imprecise devices for radiation measurement, and the existence of common measurement errors that might lead (even qualified professionals) to false conclusions regarding the hazard of magnetic field sources. Moshe Netzer, radiation safety engineer and chairman of the Israel EMC Chapter presented the international standardization in ELF electromagnetic exposure and the known physiological and health effects of ELF field exposure. In his presentation, Mr. Netzer presented a historic list of anxiety waves concerning radiation from various appliances, waves that faded away when it was realized that these fears have no real basis. Lastly, Dr. Yuri Stern, Knesset member, covered the necessity to authorize radiation surveyors by the National Lab Authorization of the Labor Office. He also discussed the necessity to form a committee of experts that would advise the Parliament Internal Affairs and Environmental Committee in areas of legislation regarding public exposure to non-ionizing radiation, including ELF fields.

Korea
Jong Hwa Kwon reports that there has been a change of leadership in the Korea Chapter. Professor Jeong-Ki Pack was elected to a two-year term as the Korea EMC Chapter Chairperson beginning January 1, 2004. Professor Pack received the B.E. degree from the Department of Electronic Engineering from Seoul National University, in 1978. He received the M.E. and Ph.D. degrees in electromagnetic wave propagation from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1985 and 1988, respectively. Currently, he is a professor of the Department of Radio Science & Engineering at Chungnam National University. His research interests include wave propagation and scattering, the biological effects of electromagnetic fields, the design of microwave circuits, and EMI/EMC. This year, the Korea EMC Chapter plans to jointly hold several meetings with KEES (Korea Electromagnetic Engineering Society), including a seminar on Antenna Technology in April, the EMC Korea Workshop in September, and a workshop for “EMF Influence on Humans” in October.

Mohawk Valley
The Mohawk Valley Joint EMC/Reliability Chapter hosted a Spring meeting on May 13 with guest speaker Dr. Michael J. Gans of the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, NY. Dr. Gans’ talk was titled, “Some Effects of Mutual Coupling and Noise on Channel Capacity Between Antenna Arrays.” It was an excellent and informative presentation on the application of space-time coding techniques to achieve very high spectral efficiencies in highly scattering environments using multiple transmit and receive antennas. Since the spectral efficiency improves with the number of antennas, one is interested in how many antennas can be crammed into a limited space according to Dr. Gans. Some of the issues which affect the allowable density of antennas in the station antenna array are (a) the mutual impedance between antenna elements in the array, (b) the correlation between the signal and noise fields received by these elements, and (c) amplifier noise contributions. Dr. Gans pointed out that we tend to describe the impact of these factors on the channel capacity achievable by such arrays. These are useful considerations in terms of maximizing the number of channels while at the same time reducing the potential for interference, which is a challenging, but achievable goal. By the way, Dr. Gans is one of the leading experts in multiple input multiple output (MIMO) array technologies which exploit spatio-temporal diversity and EM scattering properties of the local environment within which the arrays operate. He was previously a member of the Wireless Communications Research Department at Bell Labs in Holmdel, New Jersey. He received his Ph.D. Degree in electrical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1965. Prior to his current duties at the Air Force Research Laboratory, he was at Bell Laboratories since 1966. His primary technical areas include mobile radio, antennas, satellites, fiber optics, and infrared communications. In 2001, he retired from Lucent Technologies. Dr. Gans certainly brings a lot of experience to the Mohawk Valley area according to EMC Chapter Chair Irina Kasperovich. Ms. Kasperovich plans for future talks commencing again in the Fall of 2004 that will address such topics as New Paradigms for Spectrum Management, Product EMC Compliance, and Computational Electromagnetics.

Nanjing
Wen Xun Zhang, Chapter Chair, reports that the Nanjing EMC Chapter has held a number of meetings this last Winter and Spring. On February 26, 112 (wow!) attendees listened to a paper by Professor Jin-Au Kong of MIT entitled, “Electromagnetics Conspectus.” Two days later, on February 28, Y. Leonard Chow (University of Waterloo, Canada) gave a presentation entitled “Design Synthesis of Patch Antennas with Direct Feed” to 73 members and guests. In April, the Nanjing Chapter was busy with two meetings and a “Workshop of Microwave Energy Application Technology.” The microwave energy workshop was held on April 15-16 with 85 members and guests attending. The Chapter meeting on April 1 was headlined by with a presentation given by Dr. Lin-Ping Shen of Apollo, Inc. Canada. His presentation dealt with “Modeling and Design of Passive Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs).” The Chapter meeting on April 28 featured Professor Rui-Xin Wu of Nanjing University. Professor Wu’s presentation was called “Microwave Near-field Microscopy and Its Application.” The Nanjing Chapter also had a busy May. On the 19th, Dr. Ji-Ming Song of Iowa State University spoke on the topic: “Fast Algorithm in Computational Electromagnetics.” Then, Ming-Chu Wu spoke to the Chapter on May 20th regarding “Antenna Technology for Modern Phased Array.” Both meetings were well attended with 54 and 62 members and guests, respectively.

 

Henry Benitez (left) and Dave Britton, PSTC and EMC Chair Elects, at the Summer social of the Oregon and SW Washington Chapter.

 

David Britton of Hewlett Packard, the new Chair for the Oregon and SW Washington Chapter.

 

Bill Parker of Parker EMC gets ready for his May presentation to the Oregon and SW Washington Chapter.

 

Mitchell Phillipi of Logitech, the new Oregon and SW Washington Chapter Communications Director.

 

Oregon and SW Washington Chapter Immediate past Chair Derick Skouby and speaker Dr. CW Lam from Apple at the April meeting.

Oregon and SW Washington
David Britton, Vice Chair of the Oregon and SW Washington Chapter, reports that during the April Chapter meeting, Dr. Cheung-Wei Lam of Apple Computer presented “Common Misconceptions about Inductance and Current Return Path.” The attendees enjoyed a pizza dinner before the presentation. There were many questions following. In May, the Chapter’s speaker was Mr. Bill Parker of Parker EMC. His presentation was titled “30 Years of EMC Field Testing.” Mr. Parker described several interesting experiences he has had in his career. In June, the Chapter hosted a summer social in conjunction with the Product Safety Technical Committee. The members and their families met at Kruger Farms on Sauve Island near Portland for a barbeque lunch and an opportunity to pick all sorts of fresh berries. The group concluded lunch with shortcake and strawberries fresh from the field. An election was held prior to the May meeting. Nominations were solicited at the April and May meetings. A new slate of officers was elected for the 2004/2005 season. The newly elected officers are:

 

After David Seabury’s presentation to the Phoenix Chapter, Harry Gaul awarded him the customary jar of salsa. Thanks to David for your informative presentation!

 

Phoenix
Glen Gassaway reports that Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant had another packed house for the April 22nd IEEE EMC Society Phoenix Chapter meeting. After a lively social hour (where the drinks were on TMS’s tab - thanks Brent!), Harry Gaul was finally able to calm everyone down and get to business. Harry reviewed a schedule of upcoming meetings, including inviting Bill Parker in the fall for a thorough review of EMC ‘war stories’. Daryl Gerke may also be an upcoming presenter (stay tuned). Finally, the Chapter intends to host a one day colloquium on antennas in January or February. There’s more to come, too! Possibly in light of a strengthening economy, the standard call for EMC employment went unanswered - does that mean everyone is gainfully employed? Harry then introduced our featured presenter, David Seabury, a Senior Business Development Manager with ETS-Lindgren. David gave a presentation entitled: “A Review of Radio Frequency Exposure Requirements of FCC OET65 and the Latest Direction of the IEEE/IEC Standards.” David explained that there are two predominant RF exposure mechanisms that have enforceable standards in the US, including “Maximum Permissible Exposure” (MPE) and “Specific Absorption Rate” (SAR). The FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) Guidelines described in OET-65 Ed 97-01 addresses both mechanisms. MPE typically refers to the operation of RF-emitting devices in the far field (>20cm distances) whereas SAR applies to devices within 20cm of the body. MPE also allows either measured or predicted assessments, whereas SAR almost always requires measured assessments. Control methodologies for MPE involve a variety of options, including limiting output power, time averaging, shielding, antenna pattern management, or (the most popular) implementing personnel access restrictions, including adding signs or fences. Enforcement of MPE standards is increasing, with more actions and on-site reviews taking place. In addition to the FCC, OSHA also enforces MPE limits, focusing on the workplace. OSHA has by and large adopted the OET-65 limits, but also addresses induced currents and covers a lower frequency range. Key websites include www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety and www.osha.gov/SLTC/radiofrequencyradiation. In the United States, SAR regulations are covered by FCC OET supplement C 01-01. It indicates the applicability of the 20cm rule - where the fixed, mobile or portable device has to be operated within 20cm of a human for the rules to apply. Europe’s near equivalent standard is EN50630/50631 and most countries use the self-certification method of compliance. Test methodologies for SAR include setting the device under test at the highest RF power and probing localized temperature rises in a ‘liquid’ phantom (head) or box (body). A signal generator and coupler are typically used for pretest calibration checks and the tests are normally done in an automated fashion, using a robotic arm for probe positioning. The talk concluded with an update of the work being performed in the standards committees and the potential impact to the FCC’s requirements. Information on future meetings is available on the Phoenix EMC Chapter Web site at https://www.ewh.ieee.org/r6/phoenix/phoenixemc/.

 

An attentive group listens to Jerry Ramie’s April presentation to the Santa Clara Valley Chapter.

 

Jerry Ramie of ARC Technical Resources is shown during his April presentation on EMC testing of substation products to the Santa Clara Valley Chapter.

 

Neven Pischl’s presentation on Ethernet was supplemented with this fascinating magnetics demonstration at the Santa Clara Valley Chapter meeting.

 

The Santa Clara Valley audience is captivated by Neven Pischl’s Ethernet magnetics presentation in May.

Santa Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley Chapter continued its monthly technical presentations during the early part of 2004. This year there were several informative technical presentations. Attendance, in general, was good, with 67 attendees, including 19 non-Chapter guests, at the January meeting. As an added treat, hot tamales supplemented refreshments at Chapter meetings. Monthly Chapter Administrative Committee meetings were held, as well. At the January Chapter Meeting, Mr. Orin Laney, Kaiser Electronics EMC and Signal Integrity Specialist, made a presentation entitled “Time Domain Reflectometry as an EMI Analysis and Troubleshooting Tool.” The presentation covered time domain reflectometry theory, and there was a demonstration illustrating TDR principles, with measurements of coaxial cable, RG-178, waveguide, microstrip, and LAN cable. Also discussed were the care, handling, and challenges encountered with microwave rate bit streams. Mr. Laney has a B.S.E.E. and an M.B.A., and is a NARTE Certified EMC Engineer (N.C.E.). At the January meeting, Mr. Mike Heckrotte announced two open technician positions at Compliance Consulting Services. In his capacity as Vice Chair of the EMC 2004 Symposium Committee, Mike also announced the need for exhibitors and volunteers for the IEEE International Symposium on EMC in Santa Clara, August 2004. In February, Mr. Werner Schaefer, Cisco Systems Quality Manager and Senior Compliance Engineer, presented “Signal Detection with EMI Receivers.” He discussed how scanning receiver sweep times and stepping receiver dwell times affect the intercept of broadband and narrow-band signals. Other topics were the interpretation of receiver display test results, metrological limitations of test equipment, the nuances of receiver detector modes, receiver display detection mode usage, sampling at predetermined frequencies, the advantages of positive peak detection over sampling with very wide test frequency spans, frequency versus receiver display resolution on signal detection, CISPR 16-1-1 EMI receiver specifications, including dynamic range, different CISPR 16-1-1 receiver IF detectors, the relevance of IF bandwidth, and the proliferation of digital IFs in receivers and spectrum analyzers. Mr. Schaefer is the Chairman of CISPR/A/WG1 and an NARTE certified engineer. The March meeting started on a sad note, with a memorial for our well-known and beloved colleague, Mr. Chris Kendall of C.K.C. Laboratories, given by Mr. Hans Mellberg. There was a moment of silence, and then words in memoriam were also offered by Darryl Ray, Robert Steinfeld, and Mark Montrose, who, for a moment, brought back to us, “the good times” with Mr. Kendall. The technical component of the March meeting was kicked off by Mr. Leslie Bai, Director of Certification at SIEMIC, Inc., in a presentation titled, “Assessment, China Conformity: Issues Facing Companies in the China Market.” This talk cleared up some of the mystery and political ramifications of the Chinese culture and its potentially lucrative telecommunications market, and addressed the regulatory and compliance challenges facing western companies in seeking footholds in this market. Mr. Bai, fluent in several foreign languages, addressed how different Chinese government agencies administrate the Chinese Product Assessment system, certification systems, and different government agencies (CCC, NAL, RTA and MPS). He also gave us a bit of China Product Conformity history and projections for future markets, and ended the meeting with an informative Q & A session. Mr. Bai holds an MSEE, and is a NARTE Certified Engineer. In April, Mr. Jerry Ramie, President, ARC Technical Resources, Inc., presented on “Electromagnetic Compatibility Testing of Substation Products,” and the EMC testing requirements for products that are installed in American or European Generation or Substation plants. The EMC Standards for Substations, including CIGRE 36.04, NEMA ICS-1, IEEE C37.90.X, IEC 60255-X, and IEC 61000-6-5 were discussed. Mr. Ramie also covered EMC and testing for the Resistance to Sabotage in Protective Relays. As the utility products market shows tremendous growth potential, manufacturers will need to know these standards. This discussion offered recommendations for Power Providers. This fast-paced and brief presentation, which included hundreds of slides, allowed a lengthy question and answer period afterwards. Mr. Ramie is a long-time member of the IEEE EMC Society and is also a member of the dB Society. In May, Mr. Neven Pischl, Broadcom Principal Engineer, gave a presentation on the subject of “EMI Considerations in the Selection of Ethernet Magnetics.” The talk was on magnetics used on the WAN-side of Ethernet transceivers. Among subjects covered were the nuances of characterizing EMI properties of Ethernet magnetics, from datasheets, and the factors that define these properties in magnetics used in common systems-level configurations. Mr. Pischl has an MSEE and is a NARTE Certified Engineer. Several very good metrological experiments were made, including overhead projection of dual real-time measurements, facilitated by a colleague of Mr. Pischl’s.

 

Pat André (left) presented “Seattle’s Best” coffee as a speaker gift to C. W. Lam following his presentation to the Seattle EMC Chapter in April.

 

Enjoying the “war stories” at the May Seattle Chapter meeting are (from left) Leo Smale of Lionheart Northwest, Pat André of André Consulting, speaker Bill Parker with Parker EMC Engineering and Janet O’Neil with ETS-Lindgren.

Seattle
The April Chapter meeting featured the return of Cheung-Wei Lam of Apple Computer. The Chapter was fortunate to have Dr. Lam as a speaker last year when he was Distinguished Lecture of the EMC Society. He was brought back by popular demand! The Chapter especially appreciated this as Dr. Lam is busy these days as a member of the steering committee for the 2004 IEEE International Symposium on EMC in Santa Clara, California. Together with Bob Steinfeld, also of Apple Computer, they are overseeing the experiments and demonstrations presented during the Symposium. Dr. Lam’s presentation lived up to his prior level of excellence and he did not disappoint those who came to hear the topic “Common Misconceptions about Inductance and Current Return Path.” Dr. Lam explained how, in today’s high-speed digital system design, a good understanding of inductance and current return path is important to signal integrity and EMI control. Unfortunately, several key concepts about the two have often been misunderstood or overlooked. His presentation discussed the key concepts and some common misconceptions about inductance and current return path. This was supplemented by many educational examples at the chip and PCB levels. The meeting was held at Microsoft in Redmond, thanks to the efforts of Microsoft’s Gene Obie. Following the meeting, Chapter Chair Pat André made a quick getaway to Disney World for a much-deserved vacation with his family! In May, the Chapter met at CKC Labs in Redmond. The first order of business was the election of Chapter officers for 2004/2005. Re-elected were Pat André, Chair, Janet O’Neil, Vice-Chair, and Stephen Stimac, Secretary. Leo Smale of Lionheart Northwest was newly elected as Treasurer. The meeting’s speaker was Bill Parker of Parker EMC Engineering who treated the Chapter to a unique presentation entitled “Down Memory Lane: 30 Years of EMI Field Testing.” It was humorous as well as educational to see how far we’ve come in this area. There were great photos of Stoddart EMI meters, Hughes TWT Amplifiers, Singer System VII EMI meters, and the nostalgic Genisco Technology Corporation EMI test van. Have you ever thought about how the Aurora Borealis can affect test site conditions? Well, this presentation covered this topic and more. In summary, despite significant unplanned events and conditions, the Chapter learned that “with proper planning and execution, EMI testing can be productive, challenging, rewarding and fun.” It was a light-hearted presentation to end the technical program year. The Chapter will take the summer months off and many members will travel to relatively nearby Santa Clara, California for the IEEE EMC Symposium in August.

 

VIPs at the EMC Sendai Symposium included (from left) Dr. Alexander Worshefsky from Russia, Professor Yougang Gao from China, Professor Risaboro Sato from Japan, and Professor Todd Hubing from the USA.

 

Kimball Williams, President of the IEEE EMC Society, addresses the audience at the Sendai 2004 EMC Symposium.

 

The Sendai Symposium featured a traditional “open sake” ceremony with a special barrel performance. Sake is a well-known Japanese liquor.

Sendai
The 2004 EMC Symposium at Sendai was held starting June 1 for 4 days. The Sendai EMC Chapter, the Japan EMC Chapter, the IEEE EMC Society and the IEEE Sendai Section presented the event. Professor Akira Suigura (Vice-Chairperson of the Sendai Chapter) presided over the Symposium organization committee. EMC’04 Sendai was a great success. Almost 500 participants from more than 20 countries attended. 226 technical papers were presented. The workshop and the tutorials were very well received by the attendees. Exciting social events (banquet, excursion, tea ceremony and flower arrangements) also took place during the Symposium. The Risaburo Sato Award was established and it was awarded by Professor Sato (the former chairperson of our Chapter). Professor Takagi (Sendai Chapter chairperson) presented the excellent student awards, which were financially supported by the Japan and Sendai Chapters. Professor Sugiura presented the Excellent Awards for the people who outstandingly contributed to the EMC fields. The Sendai Chapter is now planning to hold “The EMC Colloquium in Sendai” on a quarterly basis.

Singapore Chapter members and guests listen intently at the “EMI/EMC Evaluation Standards and Test Measurements” short course presented by Dr. Alphones (standing, far right).

Singapore
Tim Foo reports that the Singapore Chapter presented their first one-day colloquium on the subject of Printed Circuit Board Design on June 11. The event was held in conjunction with Mentor Graphics and the Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) at the IHPC Auditorium. The theme of the colloquium was “Removing the Black Magic: Designing PCBs to meet EMC Requirements.” A total of 65 members and their guests attended the event. It gave an opportunity for engineers from diverse industry backgrounds to meet and get together. This colloquium presented four technical sessions for engineers dealing with designing PCBs to meet international EMC regulations. Several participants came from Penang, Malaysia. The topics covered regulatory issues, appropriate use of CAD tools and some practical findings related to EMC and ground bounce. Bill Hargin (Mentor Graphics Corporation) spoke on “Multi-Gigabit/SERDES Design and Controlling Emissions by Minimizing Unintentional Common Mode PCB Currents.” Timothy Foo (Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore Chapter Secretary) spoke on the changing landscape of International EMC regulations. Dr Lee, ErPing (IHPC, Chapter Deputy Chair) introduced the EMC Consortium of Singapore to the participants. Dr. See Kye Yak (Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Chapter Chair) spoke on “The Correlation of Ground Bounce and Radiated Emission.” On June 24th and 25th, the Chapter held a two day EMC measurement short course taught by Dr. Alphones (NTU, Senior Member of the IEEE) entitled “EMI/EMC Evaluation Standards and Test Measurements.” The short course was held at the Holiday Inn Park View, Singapore. A total of 21 members and supporters of the Chapter took part in this event. The response was heartening and the Chapter will seek to organize further short courses to meet the needs of the industry. Interested parties please contact Tim Foo at fwj@np.edu.sg.

 

Lunch time during EMC Fest 2004 provided the opportunity for a little socializing and relaxation for Kimball Williams of UL, Tom Van Doren and his wife, Lana, and Steve Laya of Elite Electronic Engineering (from left).

 

Vic Hudson of Rohde & Schwarz (right) drew the winning card of Andre Payant of Siemens (left) during the EMC Fest raffle for a USB flash memory stick they donated. Scott Lytle was there to hold the bowl and announce the winner.

 

A raffle was held during the reception following the technical presentation by Tom Van Doren at EMC Fest 2004. Iskias Naizghi of Yazaki North America (left) won a Home Depot gift certificate from Sam Newman of Micro Sales (center) who drew the winning card from Scott Lytle (right).

 

EMC Fest Exhibitor CMP participated in the raffle by donating multi-purpose tools. The winners included Guy Gillespie from Hummer (far left) and Bill Gilmore of DaimlerChrysler (far right). CMP’s Paul Huyck and SE Michigan Chapter Chair Scott Lytle are all smiles during the festivities.

 

Fair-Rite Products Corporation participated as an exhibitor at EMC Fest 2004 in Dearborn. John Horner (left) and Paul Zdanowicz staffed their tabletop display.

 

It’s break time! Enjoying a pause in the action are (from left) Mark Steffka of GM, Scott Lytle of Yazaki North America, Jim Muccioli of X2Y Attenuators, Phil Dew of Delta Technology Solutions, Tom Faro of Urban Associates and Kevin Baldwin of ETS-Lindgren.

 

The Southeast Michigan Chapter held a dinner the night before EMC Fest 2004 to celebrate the arrival in town of speaker Tom Van Doren. Several Chapter members attended, including Chapter Chair Scott Lytle (left) as well as Ken Musil and exhibitor Tony Anthony of X2Y Attenuators (far right).

 

AR Worldwide brought along two tables of products and literature to EMC Fest 2004. Jason Smith of AR Worldwide (left) and Larry Sheridan of Delta Technology Solutions are there ready to provide customer assistance.

Southeastern Michigan
EMC Fest 2004 proved to be a very popular event with the members of the Southeastern Michigan EMC Chapter. This event was held on May 6 at the Dearborn Inn in Dearborn. The speaker was the popular and energetic Tom Van Doren of the University of Missouri at Rolla. Dr. Van Doren presented “EMI Coupling Mechanisms and Diagnostic Techniques” to a full house of over 100 Chapter members and guests. He explained how reducing electromagnetic interference (EMI) involves a thorough understanding of what path currents take, what are self and mutual inductance, how to contain electric and magnetic fields, and the reasons for grounding electrical circuits. He addressed incorrect concepts, such as: currents go to ground taking the path of least resistance, a single straight wire has self inductance, and the reason for grounding is to return currents to their sources. These are the cause of many EMI problems! Most engineers and technicians using or designing electronic systems have not had any formal education concerning electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) principles and design techniques. Learning how to solve EMC problems on the job can be very expensive for the employer and frustrating for the engineer. Dr. Van Doren showed how most of the electromagnetic and circuit principles involved are very simple. He provided solutions that engineers in attendance could use on the job the very next day! Kimball Williams of Underwriters Laboratories, Mark Steffka of General Motors, Janet O’Neil of ETS-Lindgren, and Chapter Chair Scott Lytle of Yazaki North America ably coordinated the event. Dale Sanders of X2Y Attenuators was on hand to take photos of the event for publication in the EMC Newsletter and for posting to the Chapter’s website www.emcsociety.org. 23 exhibitors of EMC related products and services filled the ballroom adjacent to the technical presentation classroom, including locally based Micro Sales, Dytec/East, and CMP. Lunch sponsors included exhibitors Fair-Rite Products, X2Y Attenuators, Lehman Chambers, and Mentor Graphics. Reception sponsors included exhibitors AR Worldwide and Rohde & Schwarz. Dr. Van Doren’s presentation was well received and the Chapter sincerely appreciated the time he spent coming to Michigan along with his lovely wife Lana. His expertise will not long be forgotten! The Chapter is now busy preparing for a one and a half day workshop on reverberation chambers to be presented on September 14 and 15 at EST in Plymouth, Michigan. Speakers for this workshop include Sean Emerson of Rohde & Schwarz, Garth D’Abreu of ETS-Lindgren, Laura Ball and Kevin Pender of General Motors, and Terry North and Andrew Shune of DaimlerChrysler. Of course, no gathering on reverberation chambers would be complete without industry expert Mike Hatfield of the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia so he will be on hand to lead off the presentations and provide the closing summary. For more information on this workshop and the many activities of the Southeastern Michigan EMC Chapter, be sure to visit their website www.emcsociety.org often! Also, keep in mind that the Chapter is regularly meeting to plan for the 2008 IEEE International Symposium on EMC in Detroit. Many Chapter members will actively participate on this Symposium Steering Committee. Downtown Detroit is enjoying a “Renaissance Renovation” so it’s an exciting time to bring an international Symposium to this city!

Twin Cities Chapter members enjoy their meal before Greg Kiemel’s June presentation on wireless approvals.

 

Curt Sponberg of Medtronic: Up close with the past chair of the Twin Cities Chapter.

 

Dan Hoolihan of Hoolihan EMC Consulting, Twin Cities Program Chair and Treasurer, Greg Kiemel of Northwest EMC, EMCS Distinguished Lecturer, and Joel Peltier of Medtronic, the recently elected Twin Cities Chapter Chair.

Twin Cities
Curt Sponberg reports that the Twin Cities held a Chapter meeting in June that was highlighted with an outstanding presentation by EMC Society Distinguished Lecturer, Greg Kiemel. Mr. Kiemel, Director of Engineering at Northwest EMC, focused his presentation on “EMC Authorization of Wireless Devices in the US and EU.” In addition to the technical presentation, the meeting also included the induction of the new Chapter officers. The new chairman, Joel Peltier, was welcomed into office by the outgoing chair (for six years!), Curt Sponberg. Other new Twin Cities officers are Brody Pedersen, vice-chair; Terrence Brown, secretary; Curt Sponberg, membership chair and Webmaster.

One large table fits not all. But can you spot our EMC Society President Kimball Williams?

 

IEEE German EMC Chapter Chair Heyno Garbe (right) and Dave Giri have time for a relaxed smile while entering a discussion at the end of lunch.

 

Professor Tapan K. Sarkar first delivers an impressive presentation...

 

... and answers many questions in a patient and pedagogical way.

Germany
Meetings of the IEEE German EMC Chapter usually are a matter of the brain and not for the body. They take place in serious conference or seminar rooms and serve to discuss scientific and administrative topics. But why not go for a change? Since the EUROEM 2004 took place in Magdeburg, Germany, it was decided to embed a chapter meeting into the conference schedule and simply turn it into an extended lunch. The greek restaurant “Korfu” was chosen and announced as the meeting place. And, indeed, the announcement attracted, and not repelled, more than 30 members of the chapter and international guests for the meeting and the good food. It was the first IEEE German EMC Chapter meeting with three international members of the EMC Society Board of Directors present. And while it might not deserve mentioning, in spite of the informal atmosphere and the diversity of attendees, many facets of EMC were indeed the main topics discussed in between drinks of Ouzo and a delicous mixed grill.
Nevertheless, during EUROEM 2004, an IEEE Region 8 Workshop on Numerical Field Computation was arranged and conducted by the IEEE German EMC Chapter; this time with no plates on the tables. The Chapter was proud to be able to present Tapan K. Sarkar as the invited speaker. Radiating an atmosphere of decades of scientific experience, Professor Sarkar provided a detailed and excellent presentation on applications of the principle of analytic continuation in computational electrodynamics. The workshop was completed by Arnulf Kost, Dieter Stoll, and Marco Leone, members of the Working Group on Numerical Methods of the Chapter. They outlined EMC-benchmark examples for the validation of numerical field-simulation methods. Solutions of these examples get more and more refined and serve as useful validation tools for the Chapter members and other interested scientists. EMC

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