Electromagnetic Compatibility Essentials from edX

Why can’t I connect to WiFi? Why does my Bluetooth stop working when I use USB 3.0? Oh! I just sparked into my computer after sitting down; is it damaged now? All of these issues have to do with electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). International EMC experts David Pommerenke and Bernd Deutschmann break down situations that seem highly complex in order to highlight the causes of interference.

This course is designed to gain essential know-how in today’s world of very high frequencies. For instance, smartphone CPUs already work with clock frequencies above 3 GHz. But did you know that such fast switching disturbs other devices nearby? Such disturbances are either simply annoying or can become a real problem. As a consequence, international regulations exist which demand for emission and immunity tests before selling an electronic device.

The topic of EMC must be considered in all aspects of circuit design in order to reduce the number of prototypes. We would like you to gain an intuition for EMC with the help of lab examples. We emphasize basic physical principles and avoid highly complex mathematical derivations instead. After completion, a certificate will be awarded. We are already working on three follow-up courses to obtain a professional EMC certificate, backed by Graz University of Technology.

TU Graz offers more than 10 on-campus lectures on the subject of EMC, most of them in small laboratory groups. More than 10 full-time employees investigate electromagnetism in a variety of applications just in our research group only. We would like to share this expertise with the community, since EMC must be considered by all electronics engineers and project managers.

The FREE version of this course includes all material except final exam questions and the certificate. This is a self-paced course, so there are no weekly deadlines. You can join this class completely free of charge and purchase the certificate later in case you liked it. Give it a try and dive into the fascinating world of EMC.

What you'll learn

Learn where these electromagnetic interferences (EMI) come from.
Fundamental knowledge on how to keep them under control.
Techniques such as the analysis in time and frequency domain.
Noise travels in two modes: differential and common. Knowing in which mode the noise occurs opens doors to suppression (EMI filtering).
Not only radiating fields matter, but electrostatic discharge (ESD) as well. How large are the voltages after walking on a carpet? How stressful are the discharges to my computer?
And much more! (e.g. EMI receiver, lumped-element models, most important EMC standards)

What's inside

Learning objectives

Learn where these
come from.
on how to keep them under control.
Techniques such as the
.

Noise travels in two modes:
. knowing in which mode the noise occurs opens doors to suppression
Not only radiating fields matter, but
as well. how large are the voltages after walking on a carpet? how stressful are the discharges to my computer?
And much more! (e.g. emi receiver, lumped-element models, most important emc standards)

Learn where these
come from.
on how to keep them under control.
Techniques such as the
.
Noise travels in two modes:
. knowing in which mode the noise occurs opens doors to suppression
Not only radiating fields matter, but
as well. how large are the voltages after walking on a carpet? how stressful are the discharges to my computer?
And much more! (e.g. emi receiver, lumped-element models, most important emc standards)

Syllabus

Week 1 (Introduction): Learn what EMC is and why we should bother with it. Understand the theory of galvanic, capacitive, inductive, and radiated coupling. Time and frequency domain awareness. Spectrum analysis.

Week 2 (EMC Design): Learn the most common EMI filtering methods. Understand that an EMC-aware PCB design makes a tremendous difference. Consider parasitic elements of components and create simple lumped element models.

Week 3 (EMC Testing): Learn the purpose of international regulations. Understand basic laboratory equipment. ESD testing. Emission measurements. Procedure with an accredited test house.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Appeals to students interested in computer science and engineering

Relevant to jobs in industries that use computers, electricity, or radio

Provides knowledge to obtain a professional EMC certificate

Taught by instructors who are experts in the field of EMC

Covers basic physical principles and avoids complex mathematical derivations

Includes lab examples to provide a practical understanding of EMC

Offered with a free version that includes all material except final exam questions and the certificate

Requires students to have a basic understanding of electronics

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Electromagnetic Compatibility Essentials with these activities:

Follow tutorials on EMC regulations

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Familiarizing yourself with EMC regulations will aid in understanding industry requirements.

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Browse online tutorials on EMC regulations
Identify relevant regulations for your industry and application
Understand the testing procedures and certification requirements

Compile an EMC resources folder

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Gathering materials and resources will help you feel organized, prepared, and motivated to master EMC.

Browse courses on Electromagnetic Compatibility

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Subscribe to EMC-related blogs and newsletters
Create a folder on your computer to store materials
Save copies of presentations, notes, and assignments
Bookmark helpful websites and articles

Review electromagnetic theory

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Reviewing electromagnetic theory will strengthen your foundation for EMC.

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Revisit concepts of electric and magnetic fields
Review Maxwell's equations

Three other activities

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Review circuit analysis fundamentals

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Refresher on circuit analysis will make EMC concepts easier to understand.

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Review basic circuit components (resistors, capacitors, inductors)
Revisit circuit analysis techniques (Ohm's law, Kirchhoff's laws)

Practice EMI suppression techniques

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Practicing EMI suppression techniques will improve comprehension of EMI mitigation strategies.

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Apply different filtering techniques to simulated EMI sources
Analyze noise spectra to identify EMI sources

Design an EMC-compliant circuit

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Designing and testing an EMC-compliant circuit will enhance your understanding of EMC principles in practice.

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Choose a simple circuit to design
Apply EMC design guidelines
Simulate the circuit to verify EMC compliance
Fabricate and test the circuit for EMC performance

Career center

Learners who complete Electromagnetic Compatibility Essentials will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Electromagnetics Engineer

Electromagnetics Engineers design and test electromagnetic devices and systems. They may also work in research and development, and they may specialize in a particular field, such as electromagnetics theory, electromagnetics simulation, or electromagnetics applications. This course may be useful to Electromagnetics Engineers who want to learn more about the fundamental principles of EMC.

See salaries and explore the career path for Electromagnetics Engineer

EMC Engineer

EMC Engineers design and test electronic products to ensure that they meet EMC regulations. They may also work in research and development, and they may specialize in a particular field, such as EMC testing, EMC design, or EMC simulation. This course may be useful to EMC Engineers who want to learn more about the fundamental principles of EMC.

See salaries and explore the career path for EMC Engineer

EMI Engineer

EMI Engineers design and test electronic products to ensure that they meet EMI regulations. They may also work in research and development, and they may specialize in a particular field, such as EMI testing, EMI design, or EMI simulation. This course may be useful to EMI Engineers who want to learn more about the fundamental principles of EMI.

See salaries and explore the career path for EMI Engineer

Reliability Engineer

Reliability Engineers ensure that products are reliable. They may also work in research and development, and they may specialize in a particular field, such as reliability testing, reliability design, or reliability management. This course may be useful to Reliability Engineers who want to learn more about EMC, as it can help them to ensure that products are less susceptible to EMI.

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Quality Assurance Engineer

Quality Assurance Engineers ensure that products meet quality standards. They may also work in research and development, and they may specialize in a particular field, such as quality assurance testing, quality assurance design, or quality assurance management. This course may be useful to Quality Assurance Engineers who want to learn more about EMC, as it can help them to ensure that products meet EMC standards.

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Electrical Engineer

Electrical Engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the installation and maintenance of electrical systems and equipment. They may also work in research and development, and they may specialize in a particular field, such as power systems, telecommunications, or computer hardware. This course may be useful to Electrical Engineers who want to learn more about EMC, as it can help them to design and develop electrical systems and equipment that are less susceptible to EMI.

See salaries and explore the career path for Electrical Engineer

Electronics Engineer

An Electronics Engineer designs, develops, tests, and supervises the production of electrical and electronic equipment. Electronics Engineers may also work in research and development, and they may specialize in a particular field, such as telecommunications, computer hardware, or power systems. This course may be useful to Electronics Engineers who want to learn more about electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), as it can help them to design and develop electronic equipment that is less susceptible to electromagnetic interference (EMI).

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Product Safety Engineer

Product Safety Engineers ensure that products meet safety regulations. They may also work in research and development, and they may specialize in a particular field, such as product safety testing, product safety design, or product safety management. This course may be useful to Product Safety Engineers who want to learn more about EMC, as it can help them to ensure that products meet EMC regulations.

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Failure Analysis Engineer

Failure Analysis Engineers investigate the causes of product failures. They may also work in research and development, and they may specialize in a particular field, such as failure analysis testing, failure analysis design, or failure analysis management. This course may be useful to Failure Analysis Engineers who want to learn more about EMC, as it can help them to investigate the causes of product failures that are related to EMI.

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RF Engineer

RF Engineers design and test radio frequency (RF) systems and equipment. They may also work in research and development, and they may specialize in a particular field, such as RF communications, RF signal processing, or RF power amplifiers. This course may be useful to RF Engineers who want to learn more about EMC, as it can help them to design and develop RF systems that are less susceptible to EMI.

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Telecommunications Engineer

Telecommunications Engineers design, develop, and maintain telecommunications systems, including telephone networks, cellular networks, and satellite systems. They may also work in research and development, and they may specialize in a particular field, such as network architecture, signal processing, or network security. This course may be useful to Telecommunications Engineers who want to learn more about EMC, as it can help them to design and develop telecommunications systems that are less susceptible to EMI.

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Power Systems Engineer

Power Systems Engineers design, develop, and maintain power systems, including power plants, transmission lines, and distribution systems. They may also work in research and development, and they may specialize in a particular field, such as power generation, power transmission, or power distribution. This course may be useful to Power Systems Engineers who want to learn more about EMC, as it can help them to design and develop power systems that are less susceptible to EMI.

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Computer Hardware Engineer

Computer Hardware Engineers design, develop, and test computer hardware, including processors, memory, and storage devices. They may also work in research and development, and they may specialize in a particular field, such as embedded systems, computer architecture, or computer graphics. This course may be useful to Computer Hardware Engineers who want to learn more about EMC, as it can help them to design and develop computer hardware that is less susceptible to EMI.

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Microwave Engineer

Microwave Engineers design and test microwave systems and equipment. They may also work in research and development, and they may specialize in a particular field, such as microwave communications, microwave signal processing, or microwave power amplifiers. This course may be useful to Microwave Engineers who want to learn more about EMC, as it can help them to design and develop microwave systems that are less susceptible to EMI.

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Antenna Engineer

Antenna Engineers design and test antennas. They may also work in research and development, and they may specialize in a particular field, such as antenna design, antenna testing, or antenna simulation. This course may be useful to Antenna Engineers who want to learn more about EMC, as it can help them to design and develop antennas that are less susceptible to EMI.

See salaries and explore the career path for Antenna Engineer