Consultations
Design Review | Troubleshooting
| Analysis | Site Survey | Seminars
We pride ourselves in being easy to work with - we have
no set consultation practice, but tailor our service to meet our clients' specific needs.
We do business world wide, and are prepared to come to your site to work
your problems.
While consultation needs vary widely, here are some typical scenarios:
Design Review Consultations
EMI/SI problems can best be avoided by addressing early in the design
phase, preferably before any of the electronics or mechanical packaging is committed to
hardware and preferably after the conceptual design is completed. Most EMI solutions are
inexpensive, sometimes free, when designed-in. As the product progresses through the
design phase and prototype manufacturing, the EMI fixes available decline, and cost to
remedy increases sharply.
An EMI/SI design review for typical products can
be conducted in one or two days. This is a highly interactive process, with the consultant
and design team working closely to arrive at an approach which is acceptable to both the
designers and the consultant. Oftentimes, the client will want a detailed written report
of recommendations.
Many clients like to have us come in and review a number of projects
at one visit. This not only provides assistance for ongoing projects, but also provides
time for guidance for problems which, in themselves, would not justify a consultation
visit.
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Troubleshooting Consultations
We like to call troubleshooting the "Third Discipline" in
EMI as it requires a different set of skills than the other two disciplines of EMI (design
and test). A troubleshooting situation may arise when the client has failed an EMI
compliance test, the problem may have arisen in the field after installation, or a self
compatibility problem may have occurred during the design phase.
The goal of a troubleshooting consultation is to isolate and fix an
identified EMI problem. The emphasis is on diagnostic skills and experience. The time to
remedy such a problem varies, but a solution can usually be found within a three or four
day consultation.
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Analysis
Where significant risk is involved, notably with systems, a detailed
EMI analysis may be needed. Oftentimes this is a contractual requirement with the
government or prime contractor, where diverse electronics systems are to be integrated
into a system. Simple analyses may be performed in one day; detailed analysis on complex
systems will take much longer.
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EMC Programs/Plans
Since 9/11, we have seen a resurgence in military programs.
Government contractors who formerly had EMC persons on staff now find themselves short of
the EMC expertise to support proposals and projects (including EMC Control Plan, EMC Test
Plan, etc.). Having worked in this arena for a number of years before starting our
consultancy, we are in an excellent position to support such efforts on a short term or
long term basis. Consultation times vary from a few days to several months on a nearly
full time or part time basis.
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Site Survey
A site survey serves the purpose of identifying an existing or
potential EMI problem at a specific location. The problem may be RFI, power quality,
magnetic fields, ESD, or health hazard. Existing test standards are used as a guide where
appropriate. In any case, appropriate instrumentation is needed and in most cases, the
client wants a formal report. A survey may take a few hours or several days, depending on
the nature of the survey.
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Seminars
We do EMC/SI related seminars at our clients' sites. See our
section on seminars.
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