Radiated EMI specifications for power supplies

18th January 2019

Alex Lynn

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Radiated emissions affect a power converter’s EMI signature at high frequencies. The upper test frequency for radiated tests extends to 1GHz or higher depending on the specification, and much above that for conducted emissions. Performing radiated EMI measurements, while not as straightforward as conducted emissions tests, is necessary for compliance testing and can easily become a bottleneck in a product’s development cycle.

In this paper, Timothy Hegarty Applications Engineer from Texas Instruments offers some perspective on standards for radiated emissions, particularly those pertaining to automotive, multimedia and industrial applications.

Today’s automobiles have increased their electronic content, with numerous microprocessors, various radio-frequency (RF) transmitters and receivers, motor drive systems, and associated power management. Tracking all possible interactions that might lead to a radiated EMI problem is a formidable task – particularly given the relatively small volume in a vehicle characterised by densely packed arrangements of power and signal runs in the cable harness.

Nevertheless, it is possible to test components and systems in order to meet automotive EMC requirements. As such, assessing EMI performance is an issue of heightened concern for engineers involved in automotive design and testing.

To read the full paper, click here.