Introduction to Electromagnetic Interference and Compatibility (EMI/EMC) and Best Practices

Dive into the critical aspects of EMI/EMC, focusing on best practices and practical applications. Learn about the fundamental principles and regulations governing emissions and susceptibility. This course provides a comprehensive understanding of system and board layout issues, shielding, grounding, and filtering techniques.

View course details

Who Should Attend?

Electrical engineers, mechanical design engineers, and system engineers who need to understand EMI/EMC principles to ensure their designs meet regulatory standards and function reliably in real-world environments.
Project engineers and system integrators responsible for managing EMI/EMC requirements throughout the project lifecycle and integrating best practices into complex systems.
Program managers and technical leaders overseeing EMI/EMC compliance across multiple projects, fostering innovation while maintaining compliance and reliability.

What You Will Learn

Master the principles of EMI/EMC and their practical applications.
Identify and mitigate common noise coupling mechanisms.
Implement effective shielding, grounding, and filtering strategies.

Course Details: RA01371-E140

Introduction – Examples of EMI/EMC Considerations

Power electronic circuits (inverters and DC/DC converters)
Hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in electric vehicles
Appliances and computers

EMI/EMC Background

Emissions and susceptibility
Important electromagnetic laws

EMI Specifications and Standards

Emission regulations (DO 160, FCC, CISPR)
Susceptibility regulations (DO 160, IEC)

Path of Lowest Impedance

Examples of high frequency current flow
Review of current paths

Noise Coupling Mechanisms

Four types of noise coupling

Common Impedance Coupling

Circuits sharing electrical connections

Magnetic Coupling

Meaning of Faraday’s Law
Understanding magnetic fields
Equivalent circuit of magnetic coupling

Electric Field Coupling

Electric and magnetic field comparison
Equivalent circuit for electric field coupling

System and Board Layout Issues

Power bus decoupling
Return (ground) planes
Board layout priorities and board level concerns
Common susceptibility problems

Electromagnetic Coupling (Radiation)

Characteristics of radiation
Dipole antenna characteristics
Characteristics of unintentional radiators

Shielding

H-field shielding and skin depth
Electric field shielding

Bonding

Seam bonding and faying surfaces
Bonding methods

Grounding

Signal grounds
Single and multiple point grounds, hybrid grounds
Signal reference subsystem
Equipment and facility grounding

Lightning

Specification
Test methods
Indirect and direct effects

Filtering

Models
Common mode filtering, differential mode filtering
Low-pass, high-pass, band-pass filtering
Signal filter design techniques
Filter damping

Shielding Practical Considerations

Cabinet and enclosure design
Cables and connectors
EMI gaskets
Slots and seams

Antennas for EMC

Antennas for emissions and for susceptibility
Monopole and biconical antennas for EMI tests

Best Practices to Pass EMI Tests

Design practices for passing EMI qualification tests
Conducted and radiated emissions and susceptibility

System Issues Excited by AC Drive CM and DM voltages

Motor over-voltages
Bearing damage

Course Location

Pyle Center

702 Langdon Street
Madison, WI 53706

Map

608-262-1122

866-301-1753

Lodging

DoubleTree by Hilton Madison Downtown

525 West Johnson Street
Madison, WI 53703

Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor's Club

One West Dayton Street
Madison, WI 53703

Fluno Center

601 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53706

Map

Accommodations include: Your stay includes hot breakfast buffet, fitness center, business center, convenient on-site parking. Guest rooms are complete with Keurig coffee maker, refrigerator, complimentary high-speed Internet, and 40-inch, flat screen, high-def TVs.

Online Reservations

877-773-5866

608-441-7117

More Madison Lodging Options

This is a HyFlex (in-person and online) taught course. Your registration is for one teaching platform only: in-person or online. Please be prepared to attend all days either in person or online. Contact us if you have any questions or if you need to make a change.

Registration confirmation will guide students through accessing the Canvas course site.

Students will create and log in to the Canvas course site with a NetID. Course assets such as instructional materials, participation certificates, and course evaluations will be available to all students through the Canvas course site.

The course materials are all digital and only available on the Canvas course website.

Online attendees will access sessions via the Zoom web conferencing platform. The Zoom link will be provided a few days before the course.

Please watch the email address that you provide during registration for release dates and pre-course information.

Instructors
Kenneth Wyatt
Kenneth Wyatt is principal consultant of Wyatt Technical Services LLC and served three years as the senior technical editor for Interference Technology magazine from 2016 through 2018. He has worked in the field of EMC engineering for over 30 years with a specialty in EMI troubleshooting and pre-compliance testing.
He is a co-author of the popular EMC Pocket Guide and RFI Radio Frequency Interference Pocket Guide. He also co-authored the book with Patrick Andre, EMI Troubleshooting Cookbook for Product Designers, with forward by Henry Ott. He recently completed and released a three-volume “EMC Troubleshooting Trilogy”, which is now available through Amazon. See his web site for ordering info.
He is widely published and authors a monthly column, “Practical EMC”, for the Signal Integrity Journal, has blogged for EDN.com or many years, has a monthly column, “Benchtop EMC”, for InCompliance Magazine, writes regularly for EEWorld and continues to write for Interference Technology Magazine. Ken is a senior life member of the IEEE and a longtime member of the EMC Society. To contact Ken, or for more information on technical articles, training schedules and links, check out his web site: emc-seminars.com
Todd Hubing
Dr. Todd Hubing is a Professor Emeritus of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Clemson University and President of LearnEMC. Dr. Hubing holds a BSEE degree from MIT, an MSEE degree from Purdue University and a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. He was an engineer at IBM for 7 years and a faculty member at the University of Missouri-Rolla (now the Missouri University of Science and Technology) for 17 years before joining Clemson University in 2006. As the Michelin Professor of Vehicle Electronics at Clemson, he established the Clemson Vehicular Electronics Laboratory where he supervised research projects and taught classes in vehicle electronics, electromagnetic compatibility, and digital signal integrity. In 2015, he retired from Clemson and moved to Stoughton, Wisconsin. Currently, he provides EMC instruction, consulting and design assistance to engineers working in the electronics industry. He is a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a Fellow of the Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society, and a Past-President of the IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society.
Todd Hubing
Dr. Todd Hubing is a Professor Emeritus of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Clemson University and President of LearnEMC. Dr. Hubing holds a BSEE degree from MIT, an MSEE degree from Purdue University and a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. He was an engineer at IBM for 7 years and a faculty member at the University of Missouri-Rolla (now the Missouri University of Science and Technology) for 17 years before joining Clemson University in 2006. As the Michelin Professor of Vehicle Electronics at Clemson, he established the Clemson Vehicular Electronics Laboratory where he supervised research projects and taught classes in vehicle electronics, electromagnetic compatibility, and digital signal integrity. In 2015, he retired from Clemson and moved to Stoughton, Wisconsin. Currently, he provides EMC instruction, consulting and design assistance to engineers working in the electronics industry. He is a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a Fellow of the Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society, and a Past-President of the IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society.
Program Director
Erick Oberstar

Total Credits:

CEU 2.2,

PDH 22,

Applies to this Certificate:

Electrified Systems,

Course Administration

If you are planning to attend an Interdisciplinary Professional Programs course, payment is required at the time of registration. Below are the payment options:

Pay by Credit Card

Enroll online and pay by credit card.

Search for the course on the website and then click on the Enroll Now button from the course webpage.
Enter all necessary course attendee information and payment information on the course enrollment page.
You will receive an email to confirm successful enrollment and payment.

Pay by Check

Mail in a completed registration form and check payable to UW Madison.

Fill out a registration form (found either in the back of the course brochure you received in the mail or here).
Prepare a check, made payable to UW Madison.
Mail the registration form and check to: CERC Registrations 21 N Park St, Ste 7101 Madison, WI 53715
You will receive either a mailed document or an email to confirm successful enrollment and payment.

Pay by Purchase Order

Request Purchase Order information from registration@cerc.wisc.edu
- If a fee quote is needed, contact custserv@interpro.wisc.edu first
You will receive an invoice from UW–Madison Business Services for payment, usually within 3–5 business days

Military

If using SF-182 form, please call our registration number at 608-262-2451 or email registration@cerc.wisc.edu for details and instructions.

Event Cancellation

We reserve the right to cancel a course due to insufficient enrollment or unforeseen events. If we cancel a course, participants will be notified via email or phone and will be given the option for a full refund or to transfer their registration and any fees paid to another course. We are not responsible for non-refundable plane tickets, hotel reservations, and other travel related expenses. For enrollee Course Cancellation, refer to notes on course page.

Create a custom learning experience

We can deliver this course as an on-site learning experience tailored to your organization’s specific training needs.

Course Details: RA01371-E145

Introduction – Examples of EMI/EMC Considerations

Power electronic circuits (inverters and DC/DC converters)
Hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in electric vehicles
Appliances and computers

EMI/EMC Background

Emissions and susceptibility
Important electromagnetic laws

EMI Specifications and Standards

Emission regulations (DO 160, FCC, CISPR)
Susceptibility regulations (DO 160, IEC)

Path of Lowest Impedance

Examples of high frequency current flow
Review of current paths

Noise Coupling Mechanisms

Four types of noise coupling

Common Impedance Coupling

Circuits sharing electrical connections

Magnetic Coupling

Meaning of Faraday’s Law
Understanding magnetic fields
Equivalent circuit of magnetic coupling

Electric Field Coupling

Electric and magnetic field comparison
Equivalent circuit for electric field coupling

System and Board Layout Issues

Power bus decoupling
Return (ground) planes
Board layout priorities and board level concerns
Common susceptibility problems

Electromagnetic Coupling (Radiation)

Characteristics of radiation
Dipole antenna characteristics
Characteristics of unintentional radiators

Shielding

H-field shielding and skin depth
Electric field shielding

Bonding

Seam bonding and faying surfaces
Bonding methods

Grounding

Signal grounds
Single and multiple point grounds, hybrid grounds
Signal reference subsystem
Equipment and facility grounding

Lightning

Specification
Test methods
Indirect and direct effects

Filtering

Models
Common mode filtering, differential mode filtering
Low-pass, high-pass, band-pass filtering
Signal filter design techniques
Filter damping

Shielding Practical Considerations

Cabinet and enclosure design
Cables and connectors
EMI gaskets
Slots and seams

Antennas for EMC

Antennas for emissions and for susceptibility
Monopole and biconical antennas for EMI tests

Best Practices to Pass EMI Tests

Design practices for passing EMI qualification tests
Conducted and radiated emissions and susceptibility

System Issues Excited by AC Drive CM and DM voltages

Motor over-voltages
Bearing damage

This is an online only taught course. Please be prepared to attend all days online. Contact us if you have any questions or if you need to make a change.

Registration confirmation will guide students through accessing the Canvas course site.

The course materials are all digital and only available on the Canvas course website.

Online attendees will access sessions via the Zoom web conferencing platform. The Zoom link will be provided a few days before the course.

Please watch the email address that you provide during registration for release dates and pre-course information.

Instructors
Kenneth Wyatt
Kenneth Wyatt is principal consultant of Wyatt Technical Services LLC and served three years as the senior technical editor for Interference Technology magazine from 2016 through 2018. He has worked in the field of EMC engineering for over 30 years with a specialty in EMI troubleshooting and pre-compliance testing.
He is a co-author of the popular EMC Pocket Guide and RFI Radio Frequency Interference Pocket Guide. He also co-authored the book with Patrick Andre, EMI Troubleshooting Cookbook for Product Designers, with forward by Henry Ott. He recently completed and released a three-volume “EMC Troubleshooting Trilogy”, which is now available through Amazon. See his web site for ordering info.
He is widely published and authors a monthly column, “Practical EMC”, for the Signal Integrity Journal, has blogged for EDN.com or many years, has a monthly column, “Benchtop EMC”, for InCompliance Magazine, writes regularly for EEWorld and continues to write for Interference Technology Magazine. Ken is a senior life member of the IEEE and a longtime member of the EMC Society. To contact Ken, or for more information on technical articles, training schedules and links, check out his web site: emc-seminars.com
Karen Burnham
EMC Subject Matter Expert | Automotive and Aerospace/Defense | Consumer Electronics | President and Chief Engineer at EMC United, Inc. | IEEE EMC VP of Standards
Karen Burnham has worked in the aerospace, defense, and automotive industries since 1996. She has specialized in EMC Engineering since 2011 and started EMC United in 2024. Previous to that she spent time working on project management for EMA in Denver, and doing vehicle testing and troubleshooting for Ford Motor Company, both on traditional gas vehicles and also newer Hybrid Electric vehicles. Earlier she worked as an EMI Test Director at Northrop Grumman's Environmental Test Lab near Baltimore, MD, focusing on MIL-STD-461 testing. Prior to that she was the Lead EMC engineer for the Dream Chaser space vehicle being built by the Sierra Nevada Corporation for crew transport to the International Space Station. She has worked as EMC lead on the NASA side for the European Service Module that will accompany the Orion spacecraft. Her specialty at NASA was in aerospace pyrotechnic systems, and she has conducted extensive research into the RF and lightning susceptibility of NASA Standard Initiators. She is familiar with requirements generation, verification and validation, systems engineering, and test plans. She is an iNARTE certified Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Engineer and IEEE Senior Member. She received a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Houston and a Bachelor's degree in Physics from Northern Arizona University. She was elected to the IEEE EMC Society Board of Directors in 2020 and in 2021 was appointed both the Assistant Vice President of Standards and also a Distinguished Lecturer. She has team leadership experience on programs up to $1.5M and team sizes up to 10, combining leadership and unusually strong communication skills (writing articles and book reviews for various magazines, publishing a book from an academic press) with technical skills revolving around the E3 field. Her experience includes EMC troubleshooting, antennas, testing, requirements development and verification, transmission lines, simulation and modeling. Specialties: Electromagnetic Environmental Effects, EMC noise in electric vehicles, Systems Engineering, Communication with non-specialists, MIL-STD-461 testing, CISPR 12, 16, 25, 36 testing, automotive component-level issues, MIL-STD-461/464 requirements tailoring
Program Director
Erick Oberstar

Total Credits:

CEU 2.2,

PDH 22,

Applies to this Certificate:

Electrified Systems,

Course Administration

If you are planning to attend an Interdisciplinary Professional Programs course, payment is required at the time of registration. Below are the payment options:

Pay by Credit Card

Enroll online and pay by credit card.

Search for the course on the website and then click on the Enroll Now button from the course webpage.
Enter all necessary course attendee information and payment information on the course enrollment page.
You will receive an email to confirm successful enrollment and payment.

Pay by Check

Mail in a completed registration form and check payable to UW Madison.

Fill out a registration form (found either in the back of the course brochure you received in the mail or here).
Prepare a check, made payable to UW Madison.
Mail the registration form and check to: CERC Registrations 21 N Park St, Ste 7101 Madison, WI 53715
You will receive either a mailed document or an email to confirm successful enrollment and payment.

Pay by Purchase Order

Request Purchase Order information from registration@cerc.wisc.edu
- If a fee quote is needed, contact custserv@interpro.wisc.edu first
You will receive an invoice from UW–Madison Business Services for payment, usually within 3–5 business days

Military

If using SF-182 form, please call our registration number at 608-262-2451 or email registration@cerc.wisc.edu for details and instructions.

Event Cancellation

Create a custom learning experience

We can deliver this course as an on-site learning experience tailored to your organization’s specific training needs.

Introduction to Electromagnetic Interference and Compatibility (EMI/EMC) and Best Practices

2027 and later

Who Should Attend?

What You Will Learn

Course Details: RA01371-E140

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Course Details: RA01371-E145

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Course Administration

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Stay Connected

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Introduction to Electromagnetic Interference and Compatibility (EMI/EMC)