An Analogy for EMI Shielding

Posted on January 6, 2012 by micheals

Analogy is one of the best ways to demonstrate or explain an abstraction. Electromagnetic interference, or EMI, is not necessarily an abstraction, but it can be a difficult concept to grasp, especially for people without backgrounds in electrical engineering or physical sciences generally. One of the analogies that I’ve come to use to help myself understand the concept comes from American football. One of the most frustrating penalties in football is defensive pass interference, which is called when Continue reading →

EMI Shielding Tools

Posted on December 23, 2011 by micheals

It’s no secret to professionals who work in electrical engineering or other disciplines in which the development and use of sensitive electronic devices is important that EMI is an important consideration. In some cases, professionals who work in these industries aren’t necessarily experts on the subject of EMI, and it can be helpful for them to have resources at their disposal that shore up their ability to make products that aren’t affected in negative ways by EMI. This is where Continue reading →

EMI Shielding Utilities

Posted on December 8, 2011 by micheals

I was privileged enough as a young child to have parents who cared vigorously for my health. I was less privileged that their care for my health included care for my teeth, and the expression of that care was two visits to the dentist every year. I’m just kidding about that not being a privilege, of course. But I can’t think of anyone who looks forward to visits to the dentist’s office, unless that person is a dentist. One of my least favorite experiences at the dentist’s office is the oral X-ray. I don’t so much mind the idea of being irradiated, but Continue reading →

EMI Shielding Distributors

Posted on December 5, 2011 by micheals

EMI shielding distributors serve a vital purpose within industry. If you consider the fact that all electronic devices are vulnerable to electromagnetic interference, it should be clear that companies that make electromagnetic shielding products available serve a very important purpose for industry. Basically, there are two types of EMI shielding distributors: those that distribute finished EMI shielding products to customers and those who send EMI shielding products to customers that will integrate the shielding into their own products. Both kinds of products are Continue reading →

EMI Shielding in War Zones

Posted on November 9, 2011 by micheals

July 16, 1945 marked the United States’ first test of a nuclear weapon. It was the culmination of the Manhattan Project’s research phase, and the observations made by the attending scientists would greatly increase their understanding of this new weapon they’d created. In order to maximize their information gathering capability, the research team shielded its testing instrumentation at the request of Enrico Fermi, one of the project’s head researchers, as well as other prominent figures in the Continue reading →

EMI Shielding Materials: Mitigating Hazards

Posted on October 26, 2011 by micheals

As if industry didn’t have to contend with enough hazards. The nature of the world is such that it presents challenges to product engineers at every turn. If it’s not corrosion, it’s uncontrollable temperature changes. If it’s not UV exposure, it’s infrasound exposure. There are many natural forces and artificial forces that threaten the work of engineers and generally make their lives harder. EMI, or electromagnetic interference, is certainly on this list (see above video for some information on EMI and the products used to shield objects from it). It’s everywhere! I can picture a MRI machine manufacturer thinking Continue reading →

Magnetic Shielding and EMI Regulations

Posted on October 18, 2011 by micheals

Title 47, Part 15 of the Federal Code of Regulations is the code that regulates all devices that generate unlicensed transmissions. Many people may think of pirate radio or amateur ham radio broadcasts when they hear the words “unlicensed transmission,” but in reality any electromagnetic emission from an electronic device is an unlicensed transmission, and all electronic devices emit electromagnetic interference to at least some extent. Consumers are likely to realize at least one Continue reading →

Meet Magnetic Shields

Posted on September 28, 2011 by micheals

Magnetic shields contain magnetic interference from within or isolate interference from without. This is the simplest definition of the roles that magnetic shields play. Of course, this definition is insufficiently descriptive to give anyone a meaningful understanding of what magnetic shields do and how they do it. While a truly thorough understanding of the topic would have to involve a crash Continue reading →

MuMetal: First Among Magnetic Shielding Materials

Posted on September 19, 2011 by micheals

Magnetic Shield MuMetal MuMetal image courtesy of Magnetic Shield Corp.

MuMetal’s the name. Low-frequency magnetic field attenuation’s the game. Whether it is needed for magnetoencephalography or for photomultiplication, MuMetal is an excellent magnetic shielding choice. Continue reading →

EMI Coating: Spread it!