Editor's note: EMC in the driver's seat
Richard A. Quinnell, Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 4/1/2004
EMC engineers can look forward to an increasing demand for their knowledge and services, and the Internet is a major driving force. Web connectivity is taking on an ever-greater role in the world, with wireless links becoming key to many emerging applications. The resulting combination of high digital clock speeds, multiple RF linkages, and customer expectation of wire-line reliability levels is making EMC a key to success for many industries.
You can see the growing importance of EMC test and measurement by looking at EMC standards. Some standards are new, such as those for IC testing. Others, such as those for automotive testing, are being revised to extend their scope. Standards bodies are working overtime, it seems, to keep ahead of the technology curve.
Staying ahead of the technology is a challenge. Not only are IC clock speeds doubling every 18 months or so, extending the range of EMC concerns beyond 1 GHz, but the amount of electronic content in products is increasing. With automobiles, for instance, your biggest concern used to be the ignition system in the engine. Now, there are high-speed processors, GPS receivers, broadband Internet receivers, motor controllers, and a variety of data networks inside a car, all generating noise and all susceptible to EMI.
For you, this proliferation of potential radiators and receivers is good news. Many industries will need your expertise. Your problem will be keeping ahead of the standards.
Contact Richard A. Quinnell at richquinnell@att.net .
