The
Equipment:
A temperature controller, with an analogue PCB, a digital PCB and a LED
display.The
Objectives:
The product was required to meet the heavy industrial limits for radiated
immunity, but failed at a range of frequencies around 35 MHz with the
temperature reading error well outside of the customers specified accuracy. At
a relatively low frequency it was likely that one or more cables were
responsible for this noise coupling. Cables were disconnected or suppressed one
at a time until the coupling route was identified.
The Investigation:
The system could now be removed from the chamber and the PCB together with the
coupling cable placed on the ETSi 4334. An external noise source was used in
inject a 35 MHz signal into the cable. An X-Y plot of the PCB at the same
frequency showed the areas which were affected; In this case the input stages
of a differential amplifier. From this information the design engineers were
able to apply suitable filtering to just those areas of the PCB that needed it.
The temperature controller was then re-assembled and found to be compliant when
returned to the chamber.
Conclusion:
The use of the ETSi Scanner led to a solution which filtered the noise from the
affected circuitry, and avoided expensive screened cable or impracticable
external ferrites.
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