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
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