Unintentional Antennas and Their Role in EMC Problems
Why do electronics fail EMC testing, usually radiated emissions, when they don't have any antennas on board--or at least no antennas for below 500 MHz?
This interactive, virtual event will explain the main ways that cables and boards can act like antennas even though they're not designed to radiate. We'll discuss the two main radiating mechanisms and how they manifest in electronics hardware. Cables and split planes will get the most attention. We'll also include a live hardware demo that shows how these interactions play out in real life.
Speaker Bio:
Karen Burnham has worked in and around the aerospace, defense, automotive, and broader consulting world since 1996. She has a BS in Physics, an MS in Electrical Engineering, and a talent for translating EMC to English. She has managed requirements and test planning for NASA, the Dream Chaser spaceship, and others. She has done troubleshooting on electric vehicles for Ford Motor Company and others. She has initiated innovative SBIRs and STTRs through government centers and worked on classified programs. She has consulted on projects across a wide range of industries and sits on multiple international standards committees, which have led to her current role as Vice President of Standards for the IEEE EMC Society.
Ms. Burnham founded EMC United, Inc. in 2024 to help companies and hardware designers solve EMC problems, ideally before they even start. She believes that, far from being black magic, EMC can be understandable (and even fun!), and she hopes to spread that passion more widely.