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Failing to manage EMI begins with the PCB stackup!
Action list: 1. Get the New EMI Quick Fixes Guide - 2025 The problem is that we are often taught that electronic circuits behave like...
Dario Fresu
1 min read

Is this the best choice to avoid EMI in your PCB?
Action list: 1. Get the New EMI Quick Fixes Guide - 2025 I keep seeing this recommendation for low EMI from many PCB designers, including...
Dario Fresu
2 min read

How To Choose The Stackup For EMC Design
In this third article of the Mastering EMI Control in PCB Design series, we are going to explore is the choice of the layer stackup in a PCB
Dario Fresu
1 min read

GND connections in a PCB
Action list: 1. Get the New EMI Quick Fixes Guide - 2025 How can this create EMI issues? One of the things I am starting to notice more...
Dario Fresu
2 min read

The Problem With Routing Signal Traces Over Power Planes.
What do you notice here? Action list: 1. Get the New EMI Quick Fixes Guide - 2025 For some PCB designers, this might just look like a...
Dario Fresu
2 min read

2-Layers Board Stackup for Low EMI
Action list: 1. Get the New EMI Quick Fixes Guide - 2025 One of the fastest ways to fail EMI with your PCB: Choose the wrong stackup. The...
Dario Fresu
2 min read

Mastering EMI Control in PCB Design: Component Placement for EMC
The second article of the Altium® Mastering EMI Control in PCB Design  series is now live! In this installment, I cover Component...
Dario Fresu
1 min read

Mastering EMI: The Key to Successful PCB Design
One of the most rewarding things you can do as a PCB designer is to specialize in EMI. Some people say that you're either cut out for it...
Dario Fresu
1 min read

You don't have to be 10 years into PCB Design to become an EMI specialist.
In fact, I bet you already have a lot of knowledge on the topic, but what I see people struggling with the most is putting things...
Dario Fresu
1 min read

5 Simple Steps to Avoid EMI in your PCB Design.
Here are 5 simple steps to find EMI issues early in your PCB design process: 1. Check the stackup. The stackup is the foundation of...
Dario Fresu
2 min read

This Is Why You Keep Failing EMI.
Routing over a split in the return reference plane is one of the surest recipes for EMI failure. It took me some time to understand this....
Dario Fresu
1 min read

Does electricity work like water in the pipes?
Many of us approach printed circuit board design as if we are plumbers. We’re still stuck with the idea that electromagnetism in a PCB...
Dario Fresu
1 min read

PCB Design For Low EMI in practice: "Ground is the place where potatoes and carrots thrive"
As simple as this phrase is, it’s one of my favorites from one of my favorite EMI engineers, Bruce Archambeault. It also touches on one...
Dario Fresu
1 min read

Don’t rely too much on your EMI filters!
Most of us get this wrong when we first hear about EMI. They tell us that filters and shields are the key to solving EMI issues and that...
Dario Fresu
2 min read

The Real Job of a PCB Designer: Controlling Electromagnetic Energy
When I first started with PCB design, I thought a PCB designer’s job was simply to take electrical schematics and replicate them exactly...
Dario Fresu
2 min read

EMI: How an invisible force challenges the very essence of PCB design
In cooperation with Altium Designer, we started a new EMI series: Mastering EMI Control in PCB Design. In this first article, I dive...
Dario Fresu
1 min read

Maximising the Value of the Schematics
One of the misconceptions I had about designing a schematic when I started in this field was that the schematic is only a representation...
Dario Fresu
2 min read

Common-mode currents... What a nightmare!
Indeed, they can be! Especially if your goal is to certify your electronic product, and EMC keeps failing test after test. I think this...
Dario Fresu
1 min read

Want to Pass EMC tests? Avoid this...
What classical circuit theory fails to teach you about designing Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) is that it’s not about electrons moving...
Dario Fresu
2 min read

90-Degree Bends in a PCB Trace
Not exactly what you might think. All PCB and Hardware Engineers have heard it at least once: 'Never use 90-degree bends when routing...
Dario Fresu
2 min read

Creepage and Clearance
In this and the next article, we're digging into the basics of high-voltage PCB design, with a focus on two crucial concepts: Clearance...
Dario Fresu
4 min read

Low EMI Layer stackup tips - Picture this first!
If current always flows in loops, how can we visualize the current loop during signal propagations in a PCB? A lot can be said in one...
Dario Fresu
1 min read

Two Layers PCBs - Be aware of this!
Are you designing two-layer PCBs? Then you need to read this further… While reviewing hardware designs for clients, one of the most...
Dario Fresu
2 min read

Capacitors choice in high-frequency EMI issues
Often when dealing with EMC issues, we hear the common phrase: just add a filtering capacitor for the high frequency and the problem is...
Dario Fresu
2 min read
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