Vollabsorberhalle (EMV-Kammer) von SAMD Solutions am Standort Harbke
Eigenes Labor · Harbke

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EMC is not a test at the end. EMC is system design from the very start.

When limit values are exceeded, interference occurs or approval becomes uncertain, it is not only about measured values. SAMD makes EMC risks visible and translates them into measures that work in the real system — with our own fully-anechoic chamber (Harbke site) for measurement throughout development.

  • Analysis & fault finding
  • Layout, grounding, shielding
  • Pre-compliance
  • Approval & production readiness

Limit value exceeded, deadline running — and no one knows exactly why.

This is the moment when EMC turns from a side issue into a project risk. Every measure taken on suspicion costs time and money you don't have — and in the end the most expensive surprise looms: failing the accredited test shortly before the start of series production.

Deadline pressure

The test is approaching

The problem only shows up in the test — and time for redesigns is short.

Unclear cause

Symptom instead of source

Layout, cabling, grounding, filter or software? Without localization, every change becomes an experiment.

Added costs

Expensive re-spins

A failed final test delays series production and drives up costs.

Multiple markets

Many standards, one product

CISPR 25, LV 124, OEM standards, FCC, CCC — what fits here is not automatically sufficient elsewhere.

This is exactly where we start.

We replace frantic activity with clarity — first the cause, then the effective measure, validated throughout development in our in-house lab. You go into the test with documented margin.

Locate the cause, optimize precisely, prepare for the test with documented margin.

No action on suspicion: first the cause is located, then the effective measure is verified.

01

Locate

We find WHERE the interference arises — in the signal path, in grounding, shielding, filter or software, not just at the symptom.

02

Measure in our in-house lab

Pre-compliance measurement throughout development in the fully-anechoic chamber — reproducible, without waiting for slots at an external lab.

03

Verify measures

Every measure is immediately re-measured. We don't hope for an effect — we prove it.

04

Prepare with documented margin

Verifiable documentation and documented margin, so the accredited test passes on the first attempt.

Clarify EMC requirements early.

We clarify early which EMC requirements are relevant for your product, its operating environment and the target market. We assess existing systems by measurement, locate root causes and derive concrete measures for design, layout and integration from them.

The result is not mere measurement documentation, but a sound basis for decisions in the further development.

  • Requirements analysis
  • Measurement and pre-testing
  • Assessment of existing systems
  • Interference suppression and optimisation
  • Support through to approval

Measuring in our own fully-anechoic chamber.

A fully-anechoic chamber fully absorbs reflections and allows reproducible measurements of emissions and immunity. Because it belongs to SAMD itself, we measure throughout development and iteratively — without waiting for slots at an external lab.

Fully-anechoic chamber of SAMD Solutions with measurement antenna at the Harbke site
Fully-anechoic chamber · Harbke

EMC engineering — not an accredited test

In our test centres we carry out development-accompanying EMC measurements. We measure, analyse anomalies and verify optimisation measures before a formal test is due. Our measurements are not accredited. If your product requires formal proof by an accredited test house, we prepare the external test technically and support you in interpreting the results.

Why customers entrust their EMC to us.

4

Industries with their own regulatory framework: automotive, railway, medical, industrial

1

in-house fully-anechoic chamber in Harbke — measuring without external-lab waiting times

ISO 9001

Hardware and software development for embedded systems, consulting on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and project management in the automotive domain at the Meine site.

HW and SW

Cause in the overall system: layout, grounding, shielding, filter, software

EMC determines approval, deadline and safety.

In a world full of electronics, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is steadily gaining importance: it ensures that electronic systems work in their environment without interfering with one another — and it is a prerequisite for the approval of electronic devices.

If EMC requirements are considered too late, there is a risk of delays to market launch, additional costs, production downtime and trade barriers — in safety-critical areas such as medical technology, in extreme cases even danger to people. EMC problems usually arise from unfavorable PCB layout, inadequate shielding, unsuitable cable routing or high switching frequencies. That is precisely why we treat EMC as a system question — from the very start.

Questions & answers on EMC

What is EMC (electromagnetic compatibility)?
The ability of a device to function satisfactorily in its electromagnetic environment without itself causing impermissible interference. It has two sides: emissions (what the device gives off) and immunity (how robust it is against interference). More in the article Immunity vs. emissions.
Why is EMC so important?
For three reasons: safety (interference in medical or vehicle technology can become dangerous), reliability (the device also works in a disturbed environment) and market access (without EMC conformity there is no CE marking — and no sale). EMC thus determines approval, deadline and safety.
How do EMC problems arise?
Typical causes are unfavorable PCB layout, missing or inadequate shielding, unsuitable cable routing and connectors, as well as high switching frequencies and fast signal edges. They manifest, for example, in unstable signals, communication errors or unexpected behavior — up to and including failure.
How do electromagnetic disturbances arise in the first place?
Via four coupling paths: capacitive (through electric fields), inductive (through magnetic fields), as a radiated wave and conducted (via supply and signal lines). Sources include switching operations, power electronics (inverters, switched-mode power supplies), motors and fast digital circuits.
What effects can disturbances have?
From reversible to irreversible: temporary loss of function and signal/data errors on the one hand, permanent component damage from overvoltage (e.g. ESD, lightning) and reduced service life on the other. In safety-critical systems this can become dangerous.
Which measures reduce electromagnetic disturbances?
Shielding (conductive materials, absorbers), filtering (mains and signal filters, interference-suppression capacitors, ferrites), clean cable routing (separation of signal and power, twisted cables) and a well-thought-out grounding/earthing concept (ground planes, potential equalization). Details in Shielding & filtering.
Which standards and directives are relevant?
Depending on market and industry, among others the EN/IEC 61000 series (e.g. -4-2 ESD, -4-3 RF fields, -4-4 burst, -4-5 surge, -4-6 conducted; emission limit values in the generic standards EN 61000-6-x), the EMC Directive 2014/30/EU with CE, FCC in the USA, GB/CCC in China as well as OEM standards such as CISPR 25 or LV 124. Overview: EMC standards and EMC Directive. (Check the status of standards against the valid version before use.)
What EMC measurement methods are there?
Roughly three: conducted measurement (disturbance voltage/current over the lines, e.g. via LISN), radiated measurement (radiated fields, in the anechoic chamber) and immunity tests (ESD, burst, surge, RF fields). More in EMC measurement methods.
Do I need an accredited lab for pre-compliance?
No. Pre-compliance measurements serve development and validation — they run in our own lab (fully-anechoic chamber, Harbke site). The formal conformity assessment is then carried out by an accredited body. Advantage: you go into the final test with proven margin.
Which tests does SAMD carry out throughout development?
Along the common methods: emissions (conducted and radiated) as well as immunity — ESD (EN 61000-4-2), RF fields (-4-3), burst (-4-4), surge (-4-5), conducted immunity (-4-6) — plus current/voltage measurements for interference source analysis. This is pre-compliance for validation; the accredited final test is carried out externally.
Our device failed the EMC test — what now?
Rapid root cause analysis instead of frantic activity: we locate the most effective points (layout, grounding, shielding, filter, software behavior) and validate every measure in our in-house lab. See EMC test not passed and our EMC troubleshooting.

„Particularly noteworthy is that SAMD Solutions was always on hand whenever problems arose at our end. Their fast and precise way of working has helped us out of complex situations several times — with the grounding concept, with shielding and filtering, with mechanical adjustments as well as with the software.“

Business partner · Schaeffler

Our contribution to the project

  • EMC system responsibility

    Holistic analysis of components, layout and overall system.

  • Cause instead of symptom

    Precise fault localization — in our in-house lab with a fully-anechoic chamber.

  • Measures with deep impact

    From grounding concept and shielding through PCB layout to software.

Suspicious measured value, unclear cause, deadline running?

Briefly describe the situation to us — we'll assess the EMC risk and name the next effective steps.

info@samd-solutions.de
+49 1511 0988717

Harbke — Gesellschaftssitz & EMV-Labor mit Vollabsorberhalle · Am Glüsig 1C, 39365 Harbke

Meine — Technische Entwicklung (Elektronik & Embedded) · Peiner Straße 16, 38527 Meine

Mo–Fr 07:00–19:00 Uhr