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The faster you stop picturing electrons flowing inside conductors, the sooner you can turn EMI from black magic into something manageable.
What you see here is a simulation of the electric and magnetic fields in a PCB trace routed over the return and reference plane (commonly and wrongly called ground).
If you keep this picture in mind when routing Printed Circuit Boards, you’re already on a solid path to passing EMC tests without countless revisions.
This mindset helped me master the fundamentals of EMI control, allowing me to design electronics that passed EMC on the first try.
The reason EMI felt so elusive was that I was picturing the wrong concepts.
Once I swapped them for the right ones, everything clicked.
It can do the same for you if it hasn’t already.
-Dario
P.S. If you’re still struggling to make EMC first-pass your routine, check out my courses and EMI control guide series here: