2000 Meetings

The linked titles of some meetings are the presentations speakers provided.

December 12, 2000: "Equipotentiality and Grounding - Derivation of grounding resistance for equipment" by Richard Nute

Bio: Richard Nute has been in the field of product safety since 1973. Prior to that, he was a manufacturing engineer, R&D engineer, and engineering manager. He received his Bachelor of Physics degree from California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. He has participated on national and international standards committees and contributed to those standards. He is currently a member of ECMA TC-12, working on the generic safety standard. He is author of "Technically Speaking", a regular column of the Product Safety Newsletter. Some of these articles have been re-published in national and international magazines. He is author of "Dynamic Aspects of Body Impedance", appearing in Electrical Shock Safety Criteria, Proceedings of the First International Symposium on Electrical Shock Safety Criteria, edited by J.E. Bridges, Pergamon Press. He is co-author and teacher of "Hazard Based Safety Engineering", a Hewlett-Packard Company proprietary course in product safety.

November 14, 2000: "Impulse Bandwidth Specifications of EMI Receivers" by Werner Schaefer

Bio: Werner Schaefer is currently a senior compliance engineer with Cisco Systems, corporate complinace department, in San Jose, California. His educational background includes degrees received from the Technical University in Darmstadt, Germany (RF and Microwave Major, MSEE, received in 1982), and the Hochschule für Berufstätige, Germany (Marketing Major, MBA, received in 1990).

He joined Hewlett-Packard (HP) Company in Frankfurt, Germany as a Microwave Systems Engineer in 1983. He has worked at HP and Agilent Technologies, Inc. as an EMC business development manager, EMC Product Marketing Engineer, EMI Software Design Engineer and Technical Contributor for EMC applications. As of May 2000 he is responsible for EMC standards work and EMC test development at Cisco Systems, Inc.

He has 15 years of EMC experience involving extensive conducted and radiated emissions measurement practices, Open Area Test Site qualification and antenna calibration, measurement equipment calibration (e.g. LISNs, antennas, EMI receivers, spectrum analyzers), semi-anechoic chamber verification, measurements of shielded effectiveness (cables and shielded rooms), EMI troubleshooting, development of EMI software, development of conformity modules and check lists for emissions measurement assessments of EMC laboratories, assessments of EMC laboratories and development and teaching of EMC classes at universities.

Mr. Schaefer is an active member of CISPR/A, CISPR/H, ANSI C63, SC1, SC3, SC6, TC 77B, SAE-AE4, ASQ, the IEEE EMC society and the VDE in Germany. He was appointed as a Distinguished Lecturer of the EMC Society in March 2000 for the years 2000-2001.

Mr. Schaefer is a NARTE certified EMC engineer and an assessor for EMC laboratories for A2LA. He has published many papers on EMI and microwave measurements and has co-authored a book on microwave measurement techniques.

October 10, 2000: "Bluetooth™ - A Viking King" by Kurt Fisher

Abstract: This month's topic is Bluetooth™, a new 2.4 GHz wireless standard for communication between devices, named after a 10-th century king of Denmark. More information can be found at www.bluetooth.com.

We will hear about Bluetooth from Kurt Fisher, president of Hyper Corporation. A major concern is whether various wireless devices based on several standards or specifications can peacefully coexist within the same 2.4GHz band. The IEEE 802.15 Coexistence Task Group (TG2) addresses the issue of coexistence between Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) and other wireless devices, such as the IEEE 802.11 Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). IEEE 802.11 is a wireless extension to Ethernet that is expected to be widely deployed in office and home environments over the next few years. The Coexistence Task Group was recently formed and has established as its goals to fully characterize and understand the effects of mutual interference and to produce a Recommended Practice for WPAN devices operating in a WLAN environment. An extended vision is to assist standards development in minimizing the potential for interference among different radio systems in the unlicensed bands.

Bio: Kurt is a member of Bluetooth Test and Interoperability Working Group, a Bluetooth Qualification Body, and a voting member of IEEE 802.15 WLAN. Appointed the first Bluetooth Qualification Body (BQB) in North America, Kurt Fischer, President of Hyper Corporation has over twenty years of experience in conformity assessment services for high technology electronics. He is a member of the Bluetooth Technical Advisory Board (BTAB), a Certified A2LA Lead Laboratory Assessor and BQTF Technical Assessor, a voting member of IEEE 802.15 Working Group on Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN), and a NARTE Certified EMC Engineer. He listed the first product on the Bluetooth Qualified Product List. He has an extensive background in conformity assessment in the wireless and telecom industries. Kurt has had two articles on Bluetooth Qualification published this past December, and February in Approval Magazine.

September 12, 2000: "Annual Social and Business Planning Session"


May 9, 2000: "Radiation from Edge Effects in Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs)" by Dr. Zorica antic-Tanner, Director, School of Engineering, San Francisco State University; Franz Gisin, EMC Manager, Nortel Networks

Abstract: Propagating electromagnetic fields are generated whenever charge is accelerated. The polarization, direction, and mode of these fields are dependent on the structure that contains the accelerated charge. In printed circuit boards (PCBs), they include radiation from unwanted parasitic modes associated with tangential (planar) structures such as traces routed on outside layers (microstrip), and traces routed between ground and power planes (striplines). Structures normal to the ground and power planes such as vias also generate surface waves in the dielectric strata directly adjacent to the outside ground/power planes, and radial TEM waves between internal ground and power planes. As these fields propagate outward, they encounter the edge of the PCB. The edge presents a boundary discontinuity, and a portion of the energy in the propagating fields is reflected back into the PCB structure, a portion radiates outward from the edges of the PCB, and, depending on the angle of incidence, a portion also propagates tangentially around the edge of the PCB, exciting natural resonant modes within the PCB that also contribute to the total radiated energy. Using analytical modeling tools such as the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithms, one can isolate the time and frequency domain components each of these various propagating modes have on the total radiation from PCB edges, and evaluate the effectiveness of such popular edge radiation minimization techniques as adding a row of closely spaced vias that short together all the ground planes within a multi-layer PCB (fences), and pulling back the power planes from the edges.

The presentation includes a brief theoretical analysis of each of the different kinds of propagating modes, the effect the PCB edge has on each mode, and how fences and pulled-back power planes affect the total radiation efficiency from the PCB edge. The presentation also includes several time-domain animations that enhance the physical understanding of how these propagating modes produce radiation along PCB edges.

Bio: Dr. Zorica Pantic-Tanner is Director of the SFSU School of Engineering, and Director of the SFSU Center for Applied Electromagnetics, a research facility that provides resources for theoretical and experimental studies in applied electromagnetics. She received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Nish in 1975, 1978, and 1982, respectively. After graduating she became an Assistant Professor and then Associate Professor in the Department of Electronic Engineering at the University of Nish. In 1984 she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for postdoctoral research in the area of Applied Electromagnetics with the Electromagnetics & Communications Lab of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 1989 she joined the School of Engineering at San Francisco State University. Dr. Pantic-Tanner's research and teaching interests are in the areas of Electromagnetic Field Theory, Applied Electromagnetics and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC). She has published over 50 conference and journal papers in these areas. Dr. Pantic-Tanner is Chair of the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the IEEE EMC Society, a member of the IEEE EMC Society Education Committee, and Vice-Chair of the IEEE EMC Society Technical Committee TC-9 on Computational Electromagnetics. Under the IEEE EMC Society sponsorship, she has also developed and taught several EMC courses.

Franz Gisin is EMC Manager at Nortel Networks. He received his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Idaho in 1972, and his M.S. degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of Santa Clara in 1986. Franz has been active in the EMC community for over 25 years, and has published numerous papers ranging from measurement uncertainties associated with 1/R extrapolation on OATS to mechanisms of common mode radiation from PCBs with attached cables. He is a past EMC Society Distinguished Lecturer and a past member of the EMC Society Board of Directors. Currently he is steering committee chair of the 2004 IEEE International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility. He also teaches electromagnetics (on a part-time basis) at SFSU.

April 11, 2000: "Comparison of Methods to Evaluate Semi Anechoic Chamber Performance" by Robert German and Charles Devor of Lehman Chambers

Abstract: Bob German will explain techniques used to compare semi anechoic chamber performance in this presentation.

Also this meeting will include the opportunity for you to nominate your choice of candidate for next year's secretary position of the Santa Clara Valley EMC Society. If you or someone you know would like to fill this position, please be sure to attend so that you may nominate your choice for next year. ` Candidates will have the opportunity to speak to the chapter in the April meeting, followed be a written ballot election. Votes will be counted during the April meeting and the secretary-elect will be announced at the end of the April meeting. For questions or nominations, please contact Mr. Franz Gisin, who represents the Nomination Committee for this year.

Bio: Robert F. German is the manager of the German Training and Consulting, LLC. He teaches EMC training seminars, and consults on the design of digital devices and EMC test facilities. He is a NARTE certified EMC engineer, a Senior Member of the IEEE, and a member of the ANSI C63, SC1, Working Group 1-15.6 on antenna calibration.

Prior to 1990, Mr. German was a Senior Engineer at the IBM Boulder EMC Laboratory where he was responsible for reducing the radiated emissions and improving the RF immunity of printed circuit boards used in diskette drives, printers, and copiers. Furthermore, he developed techniques for performing radiated EMI measurements and evaluating test sites in the VHF/UHF range. Mr. German pioneered the volumetric site-attenuation measurement technique for alternate test-sites specified in ANSI C63.4 and EN 55022, explored the use of a monopole antenna for EMI and site-attenuation measurements, and instituted three research projects at the University of Colorado to predict and optimize the performance of RF semi-anechoic chambers.

From 1974 to 1979, Mr. German developed communications software for facsimile machines, laser printers and ink-jet printers at IBM Boulder. He also investigated open waveguiding structures using a microwave model while pursuing the MSEE degree.

He received the MSEE degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1979, the BSEE degree from the University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL in 1974, and was born in Bridgeport, CT in 1952.

March 14, 2000: "Shielding and Grounding for GHz Processors and Beyond" by Bertram K.C. Chan

Abstract: The radiated emission levels of systems, driven by multiple microprocessors operating at 1 GHz and beyond, may be effectively mitigated by the various grounding and shielding designs. Bert will discuss ways to reduce Common Mode Reduction at All I/O Ports using what Bert calls "The Quiet Ground". In his presentation, Bert will cover ways to reduce emissions at the source using specially designed grounding devices. He will also cover hard grounding of the main PCB in computers. Enclosures play a major roll in reducing emissions from Information Technology Equipment as you will find out as Bert discusses effective shielding that is designed to provide 90/180-degree coverage on all the seams of your product. Please join Bert and hear his thoughts on effective EMC Design.

Bio: Bertram is an R&D Scientist and EMC Engineer with extensive experience in Network Servers, Personal Computers, Space systems and Nuclear systems. Bertram has strong analytical and mathematical capabilities, with effective application of EM theory to EMC Compliance design and testing.

Currently a Consultant, Bertram's experience includes 2 years with Hewlett-Packard Company, 7 years with Apple Computer Inc., 10 years with Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. Inc. 2 years with the Atomic Energy Commission of Canada, and has been Tenured Professor, Division Chairman of Mathematics and Physics, and lecturer at several Universities throughout the world including San Jose State University, Atlantic Union University, Middle East College and Loma Linda University.

Bertram holds a Ph.D. in Engineering, as well as an MS and BS in Mathematics, Chemistry and Computer Science, and has published several textbooks, a multiple of scientific research papers and has 2 patents pending.

February 8, 2000: "Simultaneous Switch Noise, Power Plane Bounce and EMI" by Larry Smith, Sun Microsystems

Abstract: Simultaneous Switch Noise (SSN) has traditionally been thought of as an inductance problem. Modern electronic packages with solder bumps, solder balls and power planes have very low inductance. The SSN problem is shifting from an inductance problem to a power plane bounce problem. Return current from signal transmission lines can be used to explain and account for power plane bounce. Noisy power planes are known to be the root cause of many SI and EMI problems. The key to managing power plane bounce is in managing return currents and power plane decoupling. SI Docs Website

Bio: Larry D Smith received the BSEE degree from Rose Hulman Institute of Technology in 1975 and the MS dregree in Material Science from the University of Vermont in 1983. After joining IBM in 1978, he worked in the areas of reliability, characterization, failure analysis, power supply and analog curcuit design, packaging and signal integrity at Sun Microsystems since 1996. His current area of concentration is design of power distribution systems and reduction of simultaneous switch noise.

January 11, 2000: "EMI and the PCB - Fundamental Concepts and Design Techniques" by Mark Montrose

Abstract: This presentation illustrates, in simplified form, how and why EMI gets developed within a printed circuit board (PCB) and the manner in which propagation occurs; radiated or conducted. Basic concepts are examined to remove the mystery on why problems are designed into a product, and how one can prevent making mistakes from happening time and time again. A major focus on this talk deals with the subject "Maxwell Made Simple."

There are many parasitics and concerns that exist in any product design. Failure to recognize these items dooms a product to potential failure. For example, a component is not a component, but must be incorporated using a virtual ground/return structure. In addition, we must solve the complex portion of the impedance equation using device parameters that are not published by component manufacturer. Also, we implement outdated rules-of-thumb based on illogical concepts and bad advise provided by those who use to design PCBs that incorporated vacuum tubes or slow speed TTL logic. Components now operate in the sub-picosecond range, which present new challenges and opportunities for design and compliance engineers.

Regardless of whether one is an entry level or senior designer, fundamental concepts never change. It is interesting to see how much information we have forgotten over the course of many years.

The last portion of the talk will illustrate several design techniques that can be immediately implemented that have a long track record of success. At the completion of the talk, an open forum session will occur where any question related to EMI and PCB can be asked. This forum will last until it is time to get kicked out of the facility.

Bio: Mark Montrose is principal consultant of Montrose Compliance Services, Inc., a full service regulatory compliance firm specializing in Electromagnetic Compatibility and Product Safety. Prior to becoming a consultant, Mark was responsible for regulatory compliance at numerous high technology companies in Silicon Valley, California. His work experience includes extensive design, test and certification of Information Technology Equipment and Industrial products. He is assessed by a European Competent Body to perform CE compliance approval testing and certification.

Mark is a Senior Member of the IEEE, and is a current member of the Board of Directors for the IEEE EMC Society. He holds membership in the dB Society and TC-8, Product Safety Technical Committee. He has presented numerous papers on PCBs and EMC at IEEE International EMC Symposiums and Colloquiums in North America, Europe and Asia. Mark also provides seminars and consulting services to corporate clients worldwide and is a Certified Instructor for Postsecondary Education in California.

Mark has authored several best selling text/reference books published by IEEE Press: Printed Circuit Board Design Techniques for EMC Compliance, 1996 (translated into Japanese and Korean), EMC and the Printed Circuit Board - Design, Theory and Layout Made Simple, 1999, (Japanese translations in process), and is a contributing author to the Electronics Packaging Handbook, 1999 (CRC/IEEE Press).