Applying Practical EMI Design & Troubleshooting Techniques

December 15-16, 2021

I had the pleasure of attending a synchronized video session of Silent Solutions' EMI/EMC crash course, presented by Lee Hill. This course took place over two very busy and informational days, and although the course is usually held in person, the remote version included all material and demonstrations!

I would highly recommend taking this class yourself if this is a topic relevant or interesting to you. I learned many things in this course that I will be sure to remember going forward, including:

1. Inductors are everywhere! Thinking in terms of impedance paths rather than resistance paths is crucial as frequencies increase.
2. The concept of “inductance of a wire” is not practical or useful in a majority of cases, as inductance requires a loop. I was happy to hear this, as I’ll admit I have been confused when people have brought up the topic in the past.
3. “Ground loops” are not a unique signal path as many people mistakenly assume. These are actually special cases of conduction or coupling.

Special thanks to Lee and the staff of Silent!