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2 min read
The Problem With Routing Signal Traces Over Power Planes.
What do you notice here? For some PCB designers, this might just look like a common PCB design. And fair enough, I was there once too....
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2 min read
2-Layers Board Stackup for Low EMI
One of the fastest ways to fail EMI with your PCB: Choose the wrong stackup. The stackup is one of the most important factors you can...
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1 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...
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2 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...
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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...
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2 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...
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1 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....
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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...
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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...
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2 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...
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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...
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1 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...
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2 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...
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1 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...
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2 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...
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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...
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4 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...
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1 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...
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2 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...
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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...
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1 min read
Transitioning Stitching Vias - EMC Simulations
EMI failures can happen due to small, innocent mistakes. One specific issue, as shown in the picture, is the lack of return reference...
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1 min read
The most important picture you need to see in EMI
This picture helped me bridge the gap between electronic theory and PCB design for EMC in practice. One of the hardest things I found...
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2 min read
EMC - Common Mode Currents Through Parasitic Paths
Switched Mode Power Supply - EMI will catch you when you least expect it! It's always about them: Common-mode current! They always find a...
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1 min read
EMC Design In Practice - Conducted Emissions
One of the final tests for your electronic design before it becomes available on the market will be the conducted emissions test....
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