“X, Y, ceramic, baseball, ...”
[Ding] “Alice?”“X, Y, ceramic, baseball, ...”
[Ding] “Alice?”If Jeopardy had categories like this, I might watch it more often. But EMC engineers are a very small percentage of the general population. Most people don’t know (and don’t want to know) what we do. Once in an airplane, I heard someone a few rows behind me use the term “360 degree shield”. I knew immediately that this person was either an EMC engineer or had recently been in contact with an EMC engineer. I couldn’t figure out who said it, but I immediately felt a sense of camaraderie with that person.
EMC engineers share a special bond, kind of like disaster survivors, recovering alcoholics, or parents of twins. When I meet other EMC engineers, I have mixed feelings of respect, pity, and curiosity. I want to talk to them, share experiences, and learn from them. There are few things in life quite as satisfying as an emotionally charged technical discussion where pictures are drawn, equations are solved, and everyone emerges a little weary and a little wiser.
The problem is that EMC engineers are hard to spot. They don’t wear uniforms or carry tools around with them. In public places, they look just like anyone else. It would be nice if EMC engineers were issued special badges or pins that identified them. That way, when two EMC engineers found themselves waiting in the same line or riding the same plane, they could strike up a conversation.
“I couldn’t help but notice that you have the words ‘EMC ENGINEER’ tattooed to your forehead. Are you an EMC engineer?”
“Why yes, I am.”
“I hear static in my cell phone every time I hold it near the metal plate in my head. Could you take a look at it?”
Well ... perhaps we shouldn’t be quite so obvious. Maybe we could have a secret symbol, something that identifies us as EMC engineers, but only to other EMC engineers. For example, we could all wear green wristwatches. [Green is a good color because, as all EMC engineers know, EMI data plotted in green is more likely to meet specifications.]
We could even equip these watches with proximity detectors that would notify us if we ever came within 3 meters of someone else wearing one of these watches. Of course, if we all start wearing watches that emit some kind of EM signal, there are bound to be some interference problems. Also, it wouldn’t be long before enterprising entrepreneurs began marketing devices triggered by this signal to help people avoid EMC engineers. These avoidance devices would probably be quite popular with product engineers, managers, technicians and spouses of EMC engineers.
OK, forget the proximity detectors. Perhaps we can convince the IEEE EMC Society to issue luggage tags with the EMC Society logo to all of its members. At least that way we could spot other EMC engineers in hotels and airports. Let’s all send email to Dan Hoolihan, the society president, asking for luggage tags. Better yet, let’s all ask for watches. That way, when the board votes to give us luggage tags, they can view it as a cost-saving measure.
On May 28, 1998, Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems in Marietta, Georgia hosted a meeting of the Joint EMC/IM Society Atlanta Chapter. After a delicious meal of pizza and chicken wings, Jack Crosscope of Technical Objectives, Inc. presented “A Look at Eddy Current Inspection.” Dr. Crosscope explained the basic physics of eddy current testing, discussed its uses and limitations, and presented some of his ideas for neural network processing of measurement data. Before the lecture, a quick survey revealed that no one in the audience had any prior exposure to eddy current testing. The technical depth of the discussions at the conclusion of the presentation was a testament to the excellent job Dr. Crosscope had done in explaining this subject.
For those who may not have heard, Herb Zajac, the Vice Chair of the EMCS Atlanta Chapter and a member of the EMCS BoD, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in May. At this writing (June 30), Herb is undergoing radiation treatments and chemotherapy - surgery is a possibility after the treatments. Please keep Herb and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Notes and telephone calls are very much appreciated, and may be directed to: Herb and Linda Zajac, 4525 Apache Ct., Kennesaw, GA 30152, Phone: (770) 425-1986.
Dr. Li Shufang and Beijing chapter chair Prof. Gao Yougang report that the domestic EMC academic meeting was held in Laizhou, Shandong province in November. Eighty-three delegates attended and sixty papers were published. During the meeting, some developing cooperation projects from factories and research institutes were discussed with satisfying results.
On Mar. 10-20, 1998, a small-scale international conference on new technology for lightning protection and electromagnetic compatibility was held at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT). About 60 scholars from Germany, Australia, Russia, China and other countries attended the meeting.
Seven new IEEE members have been signed and the IEEE Student Branch in BUPT was formed. The China chapter president, Prof. Gao Yougang, is the student advisor.
John Clarke reports that the April meeting of the Central New England chapter featured Werner W. Paster, of EUROCONSULT, Inc. in Manchester, MA. Twenty-one people attended the presentation titled, “European Compliance and CE Marking.” The European Union (EU) Directives covering EMC, Low Voltage equipment, Machinery and Medical Devices have a major impact on U.S. industries exporting to EU member countries. The speaker discussed new standards and industry requirements regarding EMC and safety that must be met to comply with these Directives. Several related issues have also resulted from the need to meet these new and/or changing requirements, namely; CE marking, component marking and the German Safety(GS) Mark; Self-Declaration as opposed to third party approvals; and the differences between CE Declaration of Conformity and Declaration of Incorporation. Equipment today must be designed for the global market with safety and EMC compliance in mind.
The subject of the May meeting was “Joining of Two Conductors for EMI/ESD Protection.” The speaker was Dr. Richard Haynes, of Richard Haynes Consultants. A common trouble spot is the electrical discontinuity at an interface between two conductors. Material choices for such joints are usually compromises between the minimum impedance and maximum corrosion resistance at the interface. The talk reviewed (1) The representation of corrosion and its prevention using equivalent circuits, (2) conductive materials and surface finishes commonly used in making joints and (3) technical principles used in the proper choice of materials. Design guidelines for joints that could be used in electronic products were also presented.
CNE Chapter Officers for 1998/1999 are:
Chair and Secretary: John Clarke, EMC Consultant
Vice-Chair: John Luchini, Brite Voice Systems
Vice-Chair: Lee Hill, Silent Solutions
Prof. Heyno Garbe reports that the German chapter hosted two presentations this spring at the University of Hannover. 25 persons attended the May meeting where Dr. Oeing, of INCASES, Paderborn, reported on the latest developments in EMC-CAD tools for Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). The auditorium agreed with the speaker that it is absolutely necessary to create software tools in order to decrease the development time. Dr. Oeing pointed out that with the present EMC-CAD tools it is possible to treat a single PCB, but it is a great challenge for EMC engineers to include the whole system into the CAD program.
Germany Chapter Chairman Professor Heyno Garbe
(left) introduces the May meeting speaker,
Dr. Oeing of INCASES. Dr. Oeing spoke
about the latest developments in EMC-CAD
tools for printed circuit boards.
In June, 35 persons were present when Dr. Form, Volkswagen AG, Wolfsburg, gave his talk about EMC concerns in the automobile industry. First, he introduced the typical environment in which cars have to work and the EMC requirements that have to be met. It was very impressive to see that a normal car has to withstand a field strength that is more than fifty times higher than the limit for household equipment.
At the June Germany Chapter meeting, Dr. Form of
Volkswagen AG spoke about EMC aspects
in the automobile industry. Some 35 people attended
the meeting. Dr. Form presented a TEM-cell used
for susceptibility testing.
The speaker also described the different measurement and test facilities that are necessary for automotive EMC testing. He also discussed the EMC management system at Volkswagen AG. After this talk everyone agreed that Dr. Form’s talk was excellent.
The Chairman of the the Los Angeles Chapter, Ray Adams, is one smart cookie. Once Ray heard that Henry Ott would be in Seattle on April 28 for the Seattle Chapter event, he begged, pleaded and borrowed to get Henry to repeat the program for the Los Angeles Chapter. Ray thought that since Henry was already on the West Coast in Seattle, he could make the trip down to Los Angeles fairly easily. Fortunately, Henry agreed, and thus the LA Chapter also sponsored the one-day tutorial with Henry Ott titled “The Ten Most Common EMC Problems and Their Solutions Plus EMC Measurement Diagnostic Techniques.” This was held on April 30 at the Marriott Hotel in Manhattan Beach. Over 130 EMC professionals attended. As in Seattle, attendees were treated to a full day of Henry Ott, continental breakfast, a delicious sit-down lunch and a reception which featured a pasta bar and a bottom-less bowl of jumbo shrimp. All at a luxuryhotel overlooking a golf course! In addition to the tutorial, there was a vendor tabletop display area which featured the latest and greatest in EMC products and services. The highlight of the reception was a raffle. Credence Technologies donated a ScanEM hand-held near-field probe and Fischer Custom Communications donated H and E field sniffers.
(L-R) Jennifer Fisher of Test Equipment Corporation and
Virginia Fischer of Fischer Custom Communications join
Janet O’Neil of Lindgren RF Enclosures for the raffle
following the Henry Ott event in Manhattan Beach.
Long time EMC Society members and legendary “experts”
reunite at the Manhattan Beach Henry Ott event.
Pictured are Al Parker (L) of Solar Electronics and
Joe Fischer of Fischer Custom Communications.
The spotlight is on Pam Tucker of CKC Labs and
Chris Steding of Electro-Metrics during the Henry Ott
event in Seattle. Pam and Chris also participated in the
Henry Ott event in Manhattan Beach.
Los Angeles Chapter Chairman, Ray Adams (L)
of Hughes, promotes the sales of EMC Society
CD-ROMs at the Henry Ott event in Manhattan Beach.
David Fischer of Fischer Custom Communications
provides good company for Ray.
Lowell Beezley of ARC Technical Resources
clearly enjoys the “bottomless” bowl of jumbo shrimp
at the Henry Ott event in Manhattan Beach.
Henry Ott is shown with Janet O’Neil following the one-day
tutorial he presented entitled: “The Ten Most Common EMC
Problems and Their Solutions Plus EMC Measurement
Diagnostic Techniques.” During the Seattle and
Manhattan Beach tutorials, Henry provided quality
EMC education to over 200 engineers.
The Mohawk Valley Chapter held its first meeting in over a year following a period of significant change in the engineering and technical community of the Rome-Utica, NY area. Our sincere gratitude goes out to outgoing Chair Donald Pflug of the US Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome for his past efforts to keep the chapter active amidst a time when local engineering companies and military facilities were being downsized, relocated, and restructured. The chapter membership roster and cycle of meetings were disrupted as a result of these recent events. Due to the dedication, sacrifice, and planning of the Section members and local community professionals, this situation is improving. We are now in a growth mode and going back to a regular cycle of EMC Chapter meetings. Following in Don Pflug’s footsteps is Andy Drozd. Andy took over the Chapter Chair position at the beginning of this year.
The May luncheon meeting of the Mohawk Valley Chapter featured Don Bush of dBi Corporation as guest speaker. Don’s participation was sponsored through the EMC Society Distinguished Lecturer Program. His talk was titled “A History of EMC, Impacts of the Information Age and Instituting Collaborative/Concurrent Engineering Practices in the Workplace.” The presentation focused on the evolution of EMC measurement methods and how modern information technologies have affected the way engineers perform measurements today compared to comparable practices over the past several decades. Don also highlighted the importance of properly considering EMC in view of other technical disciplines including human factors and safety engineering. His presentation hit home for many who are working directly in the combined areas of EMC, integrated product team engineering, and the application of advanced information technologies in product designs as well as for conducting specifications compliance testing. Over 25 members and guests were in attendance at the May luncheon meeting. Overall, an excellent presentation and a job well done by Don Bush!
The Mohawk Valley EMC Chapter is planning for several more presentations courtesy of the Distinguished Lecturers Program following a brief Summer hiatus.
The April meeting of the Philadelphia chapter featured Dr. William Duff of Computer Sciences Corporation. Dr. Duff gave a very interesting presentation titled, “Danger - Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Communication Systems Overload.”
Joining the bandwagon to promote EMC education, the Santa Clara Valley Chapter organized a one day EMC event titled “EMC ‘98: A Colloquium and Exhibition on Product Compliance, Understanding the Fundamentals.” This was held at the Westin Hotel and Santa Clara Convention Center on June 1. Some 200 EMC professionals attended the event which featured two parallel tracks of presentations; one addressed Product Compliance while the other addressed EMC Design. The objective was to enable attendees to hear nationally and internationally recognized industry leaders and technical experts present up-to-date information on all aspects of regulatory agency approval processes and product design. Featured speakers included EMC Society Board of Directors members Don Heirman, Dan Hoolihan, and Todd Hubing, as well as Dr. Zorica Pantic-Tanner (who was also the Treasurer for the event), Jim Chiappe, Bill Ritenour and Franz Gisin, among others. In fact, Franz Gisin of Silicon Graphics chaired the event and was ably assisted by a planning committee which included Ken Renda of Lockheed-Martin as Vice-Chair, Jennifer Fisher of Test Equipment Corporation for Arrangements, Jay Gaertner of ARC Technical Resources for Exhibitis, John Shelter of of TRW for Registration, Susan Savage of Advanced Performance Materials for Publicity, John Will of Sun Microsystems for the Technical Program, Jon Zobel of TRW for Publications, and Jeff Evans of Silicon Graphics as the Webmaster. It took a big crew to put on this summer blockbuster! In addition to the technical presentations, the exhibition featured over 40 vendors of EMC products and services.
Scenes from under the “big top” at EMC ‘98 in Santa
Clara.
Attendees are shown gathering around the lunch buffet
which was served in the vendor table top display area.
Don Heirman takes a break from the action at
EMC ‘98 in Santa Clara. The dessert buffet was just one
of the highlights of the one day event which featured some
15 speakers, including Mr. Heirman, during the two parallel sessions.
On April 28, over 100 EMC engineers and professionals converged at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bellevue to attend a one-day tutorial with Henry Ott. Titled “The Ten Most Common EMC Problems and Their Solutions Plus EMC Measurement Diagnostic Techniques”, this event was organized by the Seattle Chapter to promote affordable, high-quality EMC education. Tutorial topics included PCB layout, grouding, cabling, and shielding. The morning session of the tutorial addressed the most common EMC problems and provided the designer with a check list of what should be considered at the beginning of a design. The afternoon session addressed simple measurement techniques that could be used in a lab to determine the EMC performance of a design. The objective was successful “up-front” EMC design. Attendees were treated to a full day of Henry Ott, continental breakfast, a delicious sit-down lunch and a reception which featured a pasta station. In addition to the tutorial, there was a vendor tabletop display area which featured the latest and greatest in EMC products and services. There was also a book signing with Henry Ott for those who purchased his book “Noise Reduction Techniques in Electronic Systems”, 2nd edition. All agreed it was a great event, thanks largely to the excellent speaker, Mr. Ott, and the super organizational skills of the planning committee. No detail was left unturned!
Lee Hill of Silent Solutions (L) was the featured speaker at the
May Seattle Chapter meeting. He is joined after the meeting
by Ghery Pettit (center) of Intel and Seattle Chapter Chairman,
and Ed Blankenship of Hewlett-Packard (R) in Camus who
represented the Portland Chapter at the meeting.
(L-R) Del Black of Del Black/McDonald Associates enjoys
a yummy lunch with Tom Lindgren of BF Goodrich Aerospace
and Jim Muccioli of Chrysler at the Henry Ott event in Seattle.
Note the height of the chocolate cake!
In May, Lee Hill from Silent Solutions in Hollis, New Hampshire visited the Pacific Northwest to speak on the topic “Inductance, Ground Plane Gaps, and Radiated EMI in PC Boards.” Lee treated the chapter to a very professional presentation which was lively and informative. He noted that previous work in EMC literature has demonstrated that the presence of common mode current on the external cables of electronic equipment is often the primary source of radiated EMI at frequencies above 30 MHz. To reduce radiated EMI, many engineers have implemented segmented, gapped and/or narrow width ground plane geometries in multi-layer PC board designs. Lee presented the results of recent research and experiments to explore and develop a better understanding of inductance, common mode voltage, and the fundamental mechanisms responsible for radiated EMI from PC boards....all in one hour! In closing, the effects of inductance in PC board assemblies were demonstrated with working hardware and a spectrum analyzer.
Jovial Jerry Page of Northwest EMC (center) welcomes David and
Allen Fischer (Left and Right) to his table top
display at the Henry Ott event in Seattle.
This was the last meeting of the regular year for the chapter. New chapter officers were elected for next year (September 98 through May 99). Re-elected as Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Secretary, respectively, were Ghery Pettit of Intel, Janet O’Neil of Lindgren RF Enclosures and John Kuras of Boeing. Kitty Tam of Northwest EMC was elected as Treasurer, replacing outgoing Treasurer Tom Lindgren. Tom, formerly of Boeing, moved to New Mexico to join BF Goodrich Aerospace. The Seattle Chapter wishes Tom the best of luck with his new job! We’ll miss you!