How to diagnose and solve signal integrity and electrical noise problems

Presented by Dr. Tom Van Doren

 Course Content and Schedule

First Day
8:00 am Check-in and Refreshments
8:30 am to 5:00 pm

1. Current Routing & Least Impedance

• Understanding wiring inductance
• DEMO: Path of least impedance
• Controlling the current return path

2. Interference Coupling Mechanisms

• Review of the 4 coupling mechanisms
• Ways to recognize the dominant mechanism
• Equivalent circuit for each mechanism

3. Field Containment, Bandwidth, Balance & Resonance

• Routing to provide field containment
• DEMO: Fields emitted by a coaxial cable
• Relating bandwidth to transition time
• CM currents and impedance imbalance
• Resonances in lumped & distributed circuits
• DEMO: Predicting & reducing resonances

4. Grounding for Safety and Noise Reduction

• Signal routing is not the same as grounding
• Characteristics of a ground structure
• Safety grounding examples
• Single point versus a ground grid
• Avoiding kHz ground loops
• Grounding analog and digital circuits
• Grounding signals to chassis for RF & ESD immunity and to reduce RF emissions

5. Interference Diagnostic Techniques

• Diagnostic analysis & measurement tools
• How to determine the dominant mechanism
• The influence of circuit impedance
• Diagnostic measurement techniques
• Using current and E & H field probes

Second Day
8:00 am Refreshments
8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Review of First Day

6. Filtering to Reduce Conducted Noise

• Current blocking & diverting strategies

• Types of filters
• CM and DM filter techniques
• GHz filtering techniques
• Reducing capacitor mutual inductance
• When to use ferrite beads

7. Field Containment Using Self Shielding

• The low cost & wide bandwidth approach
• Signal routing provides the containment
• DEMO: Twisted pair versus coax cable
• Misuses of twisted pair

8. Reducing Capacitively Coupled Noise

• DEMO: Capacitive shielding example
• Capacitive noise reduction options
• DEMO: Shield connection for twisted pair

9. Reducing Inductively Coupled Noise

• Reducing mutual inductance
• Eddy current shielding
• Magnetic flux shunting
• DEMO: Magnetic shielding option

10. Electromagnetic Wave Shielding

• Skin effect & RF containment
• Making cable shields effective at GHz
• Sizing air flow openings
• Controlling CM currents
• EM containment is more important than grounding