Three Practical and Effective RF and EMC Experiments for a Computer Engineering Course on Electromagnetics and EMC

摘要

This paper presents three practical and effective electronic hardware experiments which demonstrate respectively (1) use of a common-mode choke to perform common-mode current suppression, (2) construction and analysis of an FM wireless microphone and (3) study of bypass capacitor effectiveness to demonstrate concepts related to electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), signal integrity (SI) and radio frequency (RF) design. The experiments have been performed as part of the laboratory portion of our required junior-level course for computer engineering students on electromagnetics and EMC. These experiments have helped students understand the underlying physics in addition to demonstrating measurement techniques and solution options for the topics discussed in the course. They are easy and inexpensive to implement and perform because they can be set up on a standard breadboard. They should prove useful in any engineering course on RF circuits, electromagnetic, SI and EMC. As high speed, low power, wireless, and hand-held embedded engineering designs become more common, computer engineering students have a growing need for knowledge and experience in design and manufacturing issues related to SI and EMC. We have found these experiments to be valuable and effective in enhancing student interest in RF, SI and EMC.