The UK's premier EMC consultancy
Elmac Services offer design consultancy and training on EMC aspects at all stages of electronic and electrical product development. This includes individual consultancy and training seminars to your own requirements. We have particular expertise in the application of European EMC standards and test methods.Many companies do not have the resources to be expert in EMC and need the services of an EMC consultant. We can help you with
- assessing your designs at an early stage for conformance to EMC principles, and proposing an EMC test plan
- training your staff on how to incorporate EMC principles into their designs, and on the management implications of EMC-related legislation
- advice and training on setting up and using your own test facility, whether for accredited testing or otherwise; and consultancy on achieving accreditation for your lab
- proposing design changes for products which have failed EMC tests or are showing EMC-related reliability problems
- investigating EMC problems in the field and advising on mitigation or remedial measures
Elmac Services have extensive experience in product design to both immunity and emission standards. We number a wide variety of electrical and electronics companies among our clients, from the smallest to the largest. If you have EMC problems, we'll help you solve them.
Training
Meanwhile, if you want your own EMC seminar, get in touch for an in-house training course - our training page lists a whole menu of topics that can be covered, all you need to do is choose. NB we have just added a new one-day module on the EMC Design Review and how to do it.
Power Line Telecommunication
At the beginning of September Ofcom came to a "decision" about PLT, which can be found on their website. Interested parties are encouraged to review this statement. The notable point is that "On the evidence, Ofcom has not so far found that there is a breach of the EMC essential requirements. Ofcom has therefore decided against taking further enforcement action at this time." This despite an acknowledged number of 143 complaints against PLT apparatus; and in the next breath, the statement "It is recognised that EMC compliant equipment may still, in certain circumstances, have the capacity to cause interference to other radio communications equipment. This may happen due to the manner in which it is installed or operated." In the case of PLT in-home adaptors, this means plugging them in and switching them on. Given that Ofcom are the only organisation charged with enforcing the EMC Directive for radio spectrum protection purposes in the UK, it's hard to see who now can have any respect for this Directive.
Tim Williams has now written three articles on the subject in the
EMC Journal (in January, May and July 2009, the last issue having several PLT papers including from Keith Armstrong and Richard Marshall) and these have been added to this site, see the Papers
page for downloads. Also on the same page you will find some sample
audio files of the interference generated by the Comtrend adaptors
supplied with BT Vision.
OJ lists
Another list for the EMC Directive was published on 5th June, it doesn't change the EN 55022 references. But a communication was published on 21st August, which puts back the date of cessation of presumption of conformity of EN 55022:1998 until 1st October 2011; this is on the urging of the PLT lobby, who believe that they can "get away with" using this standard but not the more recent 2006 edition. See "After the EMC Directive" in the Papers page for discussion. One effect of this is to push back the need for testing above 1GHz, referred to above, by another two years.
Another recent change is to the Automotive EMC Directive. There was a four-year transitional period during which a supplier of aftermarket equipment had to submit all relevant information and/or a sample to a Technical Service, to determine whether or not the product was immunity-related. That period is now over and the Commission have published an Amending Directive (2009/19/EC) which removes this requirement.
Emissions measurements using time domain techniques
The workshop on 26th June 2008 on the topic of "Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) method: a sea change in emissions measurements" was very successful. The FFT method is already implemented in instruments from Rohde & Schwarz and Agilent, and it promises to revolutionise some aspects of the cumbersome radiated and conducted emissions tests. Papers from the workshop are available on the EMCTLA website. Tim Williams' keynote paper can be found here.
Fourth edition of EMC for Product Designers
The seminal book EMC for Product Designers is now in its fourth edition.
Changes include:
- complete revision of the chapter on the EMC Directive, to take account of edition 2, 2004/108/EC
- a new chapter on the R&TTE Directive, contrasting its provisions with those of the EMCD
- revision of the chapter on standards to keep it up to date
- a new chapter on other EMC sectors - automotive, aerospace and military, and rail
- expansion of the section on testing, to keep up to date with the ever-extending test regime and to introduce new material on test planning
- revision of the section on design, to introduce a few new interesting topics and techniques
- new chapters on systems EMC, as seen from the perspective of product designers, and on EMC management
- a new appendix of case studies
Got here by mistake?
Not interested in EMC? Looking for a different Elmac? Try this one for flame arrestors; or this one for graffiti art; or this one for Italian gaming machines.
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