At E3 Compliance, we have the capabilities to diagnose even the most difficult EMC issues. Our diagnostic tools cover a broad range of methods to isolate the root cause and understand the physics behind performance issues. We find that it’s much easier to identify effective solutions when the root cause is known before trying to fix issues.
The following is an overview of some of our tools:
RF Emissions – Near-field Probes
Near-field probes help us diagnose sources of emissions from cables, printed circuit boards, traces and pins. We use magnetic field and electric field probes depending upon the type of issue we are investigating. We use the following probe kits:
- RF 1 and LF 1 kits from Langer EMV
- MLF-12, MLF-11, MHF-21, MHF-22, MHF-23, EWB-11 and EWB-12 from Dr. Tom Vandoren
- PS-400 series from Com-Power
We also use a low noise RF pre-amplifier to complement our near-field probing capabilities.
RF Immunity – Handheld Antenna
Our handheld MIMIC antenna allows us to expose systems to a controlled field level that correlates back to chamber testing. The RF exposure is done in the near-field and allows us to pin-point sensitive cables, areas of a PCB, components and traces. Depending upon whether the victim circuit is sensitive to magnetic field or electric field will determine the type of countermeasure we choose to improve immunity performance. We also use properties of antenna symmetry and signal wavelength at the given frequency range of the performance issue to help define the solution.
RF Emissions & Immunity – Pin Probe
We have developed a proprietary pin probe tool that we use both to measure emissions and inject an RF signal into a circuit at specific locations. The locations are often defined first by using a near field probe for emissions or by using the Handheld Antenna for immunity issues. We use the pin probe tool to pin point exact sources of emissions or immunity issues in the circuit and develop countermeasures to improve product performance. After applying a countermeasure to improve the victim circuit we measure the circuit again with the pin probe tool to confirm the performance improvement prior to returning to the full chamber test. This allows for quick and efficient troubleshooting to drive to a solution faster and with less cost compared to traditional lab testing.
Instrumentation
Having the right tools for any job makes life easier. That’s why we procure key pieces of equipment that speed up the process and provide more accurate data to our staff. We use several different devices such as a vector network analyzer, mixed-domain oscilloscope, EMI receiver, RF amplifier, power meters, signal generators, etc:
We have the capabilities to diagnose tough issues. Contact us to discuss and schedule your diagnostic testing today.