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GROUNDED: EMC/EMI & PCB Design Nuggets

Public·20 members

Dario Fresu

PCB Hacker - Team

PCB Hacker - Founder

EMC Problems? Fix Your Cabling First.



In circuit design, small details drive big problems.

Take ribbon cables, for example.


To save costs, engineers often reduce return paths:

“We don’t need multiple wires.”

“One thicker cable will handle the current.”


Sounds logical, right?

Except it ignores one key detail: electromagnetic fields.


Fast forward to your EMC certification:


- Suddenly, radiated emissions spike above 300 MHz.

- Your design fails, and now you’re scrambling to troubleshoot.


Here’s the fix:


Keep your signal and return path adjacent.


Why?


Because emissions are directly proportional to the loop area.

Bigger loop = bigger emissions.


TLDR:


🔹 Tighten that current loop (signal-return).

🔹 Keep return paths low impedance.

🔹 Save yourself costly certification retries.


Cut costs where it makes sense — not on EMC-critical connectors.


- Dario


P.S. Want to make passing EMC tests on the first try a routine?

Grab my new EMI Control Guide Here: https://bit.ly/emi-guide



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