Educate yourself - upcoming EMC seminars

Kenneth Wyatt- October 12, 2012

The EMC community is rather unique in that there are relatively few of us in the world, as compared to other engineering disciplines. Most smaller companies can't even afford the cost of a full-time compliance engineer. The field of EMC is also not even taught in most colleges and universities, so we all either learn from each other or from the "school of hard knocks" - usually in the reverse order!

A couple times a year, I like to list a few educational opportunities available for us as a community. As a consultant and trainer in this area myself, I don't mind mentioning others in this business, as well, because there are several very good resources from which to choose. But before I list these opportunities, I also wanted to mention this short article on "Finding the right EMC seminar", by Richard A. Quinnell, which may help you choose a particular course.


Figure 1 - Here I am teaching a 2-day seminar in Colorado. Most EMC seminars will be 2 to 3 days long and the best ones will include several demos of basic EMC principles, as well as detailed discussion of specific issues from the participants. Be sure to check in advance that the seminar content and level (basic or advanced) is really what you need before you commit.

So, let's dive into a upcoming training seminars around the country (in no particular order):

Henry Ott Consultants
Although, Henry's public seminars are over for this year, how can he not be mentioned? He was one of my first EMC instructors when I initially entered this field at Hewlett-Packard and I owe him a big debt of gratitude. I invited him in several times to help train our designers when I first started with Hewlett-Packard.
Henry teaches regular 2-3 day public seminars every Spring and Fall.

Dr. Tom Van Doren
"Dr. Tom" as he likes to be called, was my very first instructor when I was just starting to learn EMC back in 1988. And he's still at it! Another big debt of gratitude owed. His seminars are taught at a very practical level and you'll come away really understanding the basics.
Las Cruces, NM: February 26-27, 2013 (Grounding & Shielding)
St. Louis, MO: March 27-28, 2013 (Grounding & Shielding)

Kimmel Gerke Associates
I've known both Daryl and Bill for many years and have used Daryl to help train our engineers at Hewlett-Packard during the time I was trying to build the designer's knowledge in this field. They are both excellent instructors.
Minneapolis, MN: October 15-16, 2012
Phoenix, AZ: November 15-16, 2012

Silent Solutions
I've known Lee Hill for several years, and even worked for him for a time. He's a great instructor and his seminars are down-to-earth and practical with several great demos.
Chelmsford, MA: October 16-17, 2012

D.L.S. Electronic Systems
Northbrook, IL: October 23-25, 2012

Montrose Compliance Services (via UL's Knowledge Services)
I've known Mark for many years and he'll be giving a day-long EMC seminar at the PSES Symposium in Portland this coming November.
San Jose, CA: October 30, 2012 (SI and EMC in PC Boards)
San Jose, CA: November 1, 2012 (Grounding and Shielding)
San Jose, CA: March 20, 2013 (Fundamentals of EMC)

D. C. Smith Consultants (Elliott Test Labs)
Doug Smith is another big-time provider of EMC and ESD seminars and workshops. His seminars are practical and filled with eye-popping demos. He's since relocated to Boulder, NV from the Bay Area, but still retains an office and lab at Moffett Field, CA.
Newark, CA: December 12, 2012 (EMC Lab Techniques)

CKC Laboratories
CKC was one of the first outside test labs I used when I first started at Hewlett-Packard back in the late 1980s. They have since expanded all up the West Coast. Their first facility was based near Mariposa in the California gold country. During the times I brought products for testing, I used to bring along my gold pan and panned for gold in the local creeks during my off-times!
Fremont, CA: October 24, 2012 (ESD Seminar)

Washington Labs Academy
Washington Labs in Gaithersburg offers a comprehensive curriculum of EMC and product safety seminars through their WLL Academy. I occasionally teach through them.
Gaithersburg, MD: Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, 2012 (MIL-STD 461F)

MET Labs
Austin, TX: November 8, 2012 (EMC Design and Compliance)

Wyatt Technical Services
My business manager would lash me with a wet noodle if I failed to at least mention a couple upcoming training seminars - one of which is a free evening presentation hosted by the Orange County Chapter - IEEE EMC Society.
Brea, CA: October 24, 2012 (EMC Troubleshooting & Measurements) - FREE
Portland, OR: November 7, 2012 (EMC Troubleshooting Workshop) - PSES Symposium
There will also be a couple public seminars to be scheduled this coming Spring 2013.

I hope this information helps direct your continuing education in EMC. Our chosen field is always expanding into other interesting areas as the technology continues to advance and it's vitally important to continue expanding our knowledge as well.

If I've missed any presentations, please list them in the comments section.