Performance-Based EMC Design Using a Maximum Radiated Emissions Calculator

Meeting electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements can be a significant challenge for engineers designing today’s electronic devices. Traditional approaches rely heavily on EMC design rules. Unfortunately, these design rules aren’t based on the specific EMC requirements for a particular device, and they don’t usually take into account the specific function of the circuits or the many design details that will ultimately determine whether the device is compliant. This paper describes a design methodology that relates design decisions to the product’s EMC requirements. The goal of performance-based EMC design is to ensure that electronic designs meet EMC requirements the first time the product is tested. More work needs to be done before this concept reaches its full potential, but electronic system designers can already derive significant benefit by applying this approach to products currently under development.