1996/1997 Monthly Chapter Meeting Notices

September '96 Meeting Notice

When/Where
Tuesday, September 10, 1996. Piano Bar, Apple Computers, 4 Infinity Loop, Cupertino, CA. 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Topic/Speaker
Annual Social and Planning Session
Details
The Santa Clara Valley Electromagnetic Compatibility Society invites all EMC society members and prospective members to attend the annual social and planning session on Tuesday, September 10 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Building 4 Piano Bar at the Apple headquarters in Cupertino.

Refreshments and hors d'oeuvres will be served, and live entertainment will be provided by Mr. Brian Yoshida. Brian is an award winning pianist, guitarist, who is a two time Grammy Award nominee and a BAMMIE winner, and will play selections from classical, easy listening, rock, blues, show tunes. He will also take requests.

The Chapter has invited Thor Benzing, a recent graduate of Live Oak High School, to come to the social and demonstrate some of his science fair projects based on a Tesla Coil. His first project involved using the coil to determine effects of RF on different types of materials. The next project was to use the Tesla coil in conjunction with a radio to improve the measurement results. His most recent project was to build an enclosure around the coil such that it passed FCC Class B limits. Thor was awarded first place at the Santa Clara County Science Fair, plus received a $50.00 award from IEEE Safety Technical Committee, as well as an Honorable Mention Award from the US Army. Thor will be describing the steps he used at the Tandem Laboratory to design an appropriate containment around the RF generated from the Tesla Coil.

The chapter also invites prospective speakers to attend this session and submit presentation outlines for consideration. Suggested topics include: measurements (techniques, technology, problems, corrections, calibration); test facilities (shielded rooms, open field test sites, screen rooms, anechoic and semi-anechoic chambers); EM noise sources and studies; design for reduced noise; electrostatic discharge; antennas and propagation; EMC standards and regulations; and computer aided analysis and design. Anyone interested in presenting an outline of these or other appropriate topics should contact any of the Chapter ADCOM members.

October '96 Meeting Notice

When/Where
Tuesday, October 8, 1996. Cocktails (5:00 pm) and dinner (5:30 pm) at Chilis, 20060 Stevens Creek Blvd (between DeAnza Blvd and Blainey), Cupertino. Technical meeting at Apple Computers, 4 Infinity Loop, Cupertino, CA at 7:30 pm.
Topic/Speaker
"Demonstration and Measurement of the Effects of a Transient Suppression Plane on ESD" by Douglas C. Smith, Auspex Systems.
Details
On October 8 the Santa Clara Valley Electromagnetic Compatibility Society will hear a presentation by Douglas Smith, of Auspex Systems, on the topic "Demonstration and Measurement of the Effects of a Transient Suppression Plane on ESD".

The effects on high frequency current flowing in a conductor of a transient suppression plane can be dramatic. This talk will cover some of the basics of making high frequency measurements with matched current probes and then apply the concepts to the measurement of the effects of a transient suppression plane on an ESD generated current.

The results of the demonstration are dramatic and point to practical uses of transient suppression planes and the care that must be taken when making measurements of ESD effects.

Mr. Smith graduated from Vanderbilt University with a BSEE degree in 1969 and received and MSEE degree from the California Institute of Technology in 1970. He then joined Bell Telephone Laboratories as a Member of Technical Staff. Currently, he is Manager of EMC Development and Test at Auspex Systems. Mr. Smith has been granted fourteen patents, including one in system level ESD mitigation and three on high frequency measurement apparatus. Mr. Smith has lectured at Vanderbilt University, AT&T Bell Labs, and many public and private seminars on topics including high frequency noise measurement techniques, system level ESD, and Pulsed electromagnetic interference. He was a Distinguished Member of Technical Staff at AT&T Bell Labs, is a senior member of the IEEE, and author of the book "High Frequency Measurements and Noise in Electronic Circuits", published by Van Nostrand Reinhold, Inc.

November '96 Meeting Notice

When/Where
Tuesday, November 12, 1996. Cocktails (5:00 pm) and dinner (5:30 pm) at Chilis, 20060 Stevens Creek Blvd (between DeAnza Blvd and Blainey), Cupertino. Technical meeting at Apple Computers, 4 Infinity Loop, Cupertino, CA at 7:30 pm.
Topic/Speaker
"EMC Measurement Uncertainty" by Edwin L. Bronaugh, EdB - EMC Consultants
Details
On November 12 the Santa Clara Valley Electromagnetic Compatibility Society will hear a presentation by Edwin L. Bronaugh, EdB - EMC Consultants, on the topic "EMC Measurement Uncertainty"ESD".

This month's presentation will review the material Mr. Bronaugh presented at the 1996 IEEE Symposium on EMC at Santa Clara in August. The talk will also include material from the Uncertainty Workshop to be held in Los Angles on November 11. The talk will start off with a review of the paper presented in August and then will go deeper into the subject of uncertainty in EMC measurements. Mr. Bronaugh plans to expand on each topic which was brought up in the Symposium paper. He expects to have lots of interaction with the audience in the form of questions, audience opinions, discussion, and answers.

Mr. Edwin L. (Ed) Bronaugh is a Fellow of the IEEE and an Honorary Life Member of the EMC Society. He has often served on the EMC Society Board of Directors, and is a past president of the Society. He is also a distinguished lecturer on EMC topics. He is a member of the EMC Standards Committee and represents IEEE on ANSI-Accredited Standards Committee C63; of which he is Vice Chairman. He has received a number of awards from the IEEE Society, including the Lawrence G. Cumming Award and the Richard R. Stoddart Award. He is co-author of a book on EMI measurements and over 100 papers. He is a NARTE-Certified EMC Engineer. He is a member of the SAE EMI and EMR Standards Committees, and the Aerospace EMC Committee AE4; and Alpha Phi Omega. He is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, and Men of Achievement. Mr. Bronaugh is Principal of EdB EMC Consultants, and independent EMC consulting firm. Previously, he was Vice President for Engineering at the Electro-Mechanics Company, Technical Director of Electro-Metrics, and Manager of EMC Research at Southwest Research Institute

December '96 Meeting Notice

When/Where
Tuesday, December 10, 1996. Cocktails (5:00 pm) and dinner (5:30 pm) at Chilis, 20060 Stevens Creek Blvd (between DeAnza Blvd and Blainey), Cupertino. Technical meeting at Apple Computers, 4 Infinity Loop, Cupertino, CA at 7:30 pm.
Topic/Speaker
"Physics and Testing of ESD" by David Pommerenke, HP.
Details
On December 10 the Santa Clara Valley Electromagnetic Compatibility Society will hear a presentation by David Pommerenke, HP, on the topic "Physics and Testing of ESD".

David Pommerenke will discuss two important aspects of ESD testing. The first addresses the issue of why air discharge seem to be so unrepeatable, and will cover the dominant variables that contribute to this aspect of ESD including charge and voltage, arc initiation, arc resistance, object impedance, currents, transient fields, and lower rise time limit.

Knowing the physical parameters which determine the severeness of ESD the second part of the talk will compare ESD testing with real ESD guided by the following key questions: Is the standard rise time realistic ? What are unintended radiations? How similar are different brand simulators ?

David Pommerenke was born April 11, 1962 in Ann Arbor. He received his diploma in Electrical Engineering in 1989 from the Technical University Berlin. He worked at the same university from 1990 until 1996 as research and teaching assistant in EMC and High Voltage. In 1995 he received his Ph.D. on 'Transient Fields of ESD'. Since August 1996 he's been employed as an EMC Engineer for the HP Roseville site responsible for the test an implementation of new EMC methods. Over the past several years he has published 20 papers on system level ESD, the breakdown process, numerical calculation of ESD, high voltage partial discharge detection systems and on project oriented teaching.

January '97 Meeting Notice

When/Where
Tuesday, January 14, 1997. Cocktails (5:00 pm) and dinner (5:30 pm) at Chilis, 20060 Stevens Creek Blvd (between DeAnza Blvd and Blainey), Cupertino. Technical meeting at Apple Computers, 4 Infinity Loop, Cupertino, CA at 7:30 pm.
Topic/Speaker
"High Intensity Radiated Fields (HIRF) Testing" by Roger A. McConnell, CKC Laboratories, Inc.
Details
On January 14, the Santa Clara Valley Electromagnetic Compatibility Society will hear a presentation by Roger A. McConnell, CKC Laboratories, Inc., on the topic "High Intensity Radiated Fields (HIRF) Testing".

When solid state communications equipment started being installed in aircraft, more than 30 years ago, it was discovered that this equipment was very susceptible to failure from electrical sources both within and outside the aircraft. It was slowly learned that modern equipment required more protection than had been required with vaccum tube equipment. With the advent of digital avionics and fly-by-wire electronic control of flight critical functions, it became imperative to closely examine the possibilities of harmful interference from both on board equipment and from external sources of radio frequency fields.

HIRF deals with the susceptibility of aircraft to interference from external sources, such as short wave broadcast, military IFF equipment, and radar systems, both ground based and airborne. In this talk, some actual HIRF incidents will be described, and the history of HIRF concerns from the early 1980 s to the present will be reviewed.

Roger McConnell has been with CKC Laboratories, Inc. in Mariposa, California since 1986. He retired at the end of September 1996 and is now working as a part time consultant to CKC. His primary EMC activities have been in open field range calibration, anechoic room performance, and energy transfer in EMP. He has been a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers AE4R Subcommittee which has been advising the Federal Aviation Administration in connection with the threat to aircraft from high energy RF fields. Prior to his employment at CKC, Mr. McConnell was employed for 24 years at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in technical support of high energy physics research. He specialized in the design of very high power CW RF systems, accelerator cavities and phase stable transmission lines. He has co-authored a number of papers relating to particle accelerator radio frequency systems which have appeared in the IEEE Symposiums on Nuclear Science, and has authored six papers on open field range calibration and EMP which have appeared in the IEEE Symposium on EMC. He is a graduate in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.

Frebruary '97 Meeting Notice

When/Where
Tuesday, February 11, 1997. Cocktails (5:00 pm) and dinner (5:30 pm) at Chilis, 20060 Stevens Creek Blvd (between DeAnza Blvd and Blainey), Cupertino. Technical meeting at Apple Computers, 4 Infinity Loop, Cupertino, CA at 7:30 pm.
Topic/Speaker
"Taking the Black Magic Out of Grounding" by Hugh W. Denny (IEEE EMC Society, Distinguished Lecturer).
Details
On February 11, the Santa Clara Valley Electromagnetic Compatibility Society will hear a presentation by Hugh W. Denny (IEEE EMC Society, Distinguished Lecturer), on the topic "Taking the Black Magic Out of Grounding".

Grounding has long been considered a nemesis of the electronics and communications world. EMC practitioners have often referred to grounding as "black magic." The reasons for the mystery surrounding grounding are that (1) it is often left to chance or is ignored until the design is hardening, (2) low frequency grounding techniques are presumed to work at radio frequencies, and (3) fundamentals of electromagnetics are ignored. This presentation reviews the basics of grounding networks and sets forth design principles for all frequencies. The needs of all "users" are considered in the development of an integrated approach to grounding.

Mr. Denny, for 35 years, lead research teams on the development of grounding, bonding, shielding and lightning protection guidelines for the United States air traffic control system, the Department of Defense long-haul communications network, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit system traffic control facilities, and communications and information processing complexes. For 20 years, he directed research faculty conducting sponsored programs in electromagnetic interference control including lightning protection, electromagnetic pulse and high power microwave hardening, and program management guidelines. Mr. Denny has developed electromagnetic interference (EMI) test procedures and instrumentation, and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) specifications and limits for equipment and systems, both domestic and international. For 15 years, he provide designs and guide specifications for the grounding, shielding and lightning protection of military and civilian facilities.

March '97 Meeting Notice

When/Where
Tuesday, March 11, 1997. Cocktails (5:00 pm) and dinner (5:30 pm) at Chilis, 20060 Stevens Creek Blvd (between DeAnza Blvd and Blainey), Cupertino. Technical meeting at Apple Computers, DeAnza 3, Mariani Ave, Cupertino, CA at 7:30 pm.
Topic/Speaker
"Joining of Two Conductors for EMI/ESD Protection" by Richard Haynes, Richard Haynes Consultants).
Details
On March 11, the Santa Clara Valley Electromagnetic Compatibility Society will hear a presentation by Richard Haynes, Richard Haynes Consultants, on the topic "Joining of Two Conductors for EMI/ESD Protection".

One of the most common trouble spots is the electrical discontinuity at the interface between two conductors. Also, secondary ESD events can be caused by electrical discontinuities at interfaces between two conductors. Material choices of such joints are usually compromises between the minimum impedance and the maximum corrosion resistances of the interface. It is possible to calculate the time to failure for a given set of conditions. This talk reviews: (1) conductive materials and surface finishes commonly used in the proper choice of materials. Also discussed are design guidelines for joints that should be used in electronic products.

Dr. Richard Haynes graduated with a Ph.D. in electrochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania and completed a Post-Doctoral in the areas of Li, N, H Magnetic and Electron Spin Resonance in Metal Solutions. After a distinguished 26 year career he recently retired from AT&T; Bell Laboratories. During this period, Dr. Haynes developed expertise in: metal finishing, industrial ecology, reliability, corrosion and film growth, battery technology for portable products, EMI shielding technologies and design, and applications of magnetic probes to EMC. His work has resulted in 7 patents (2 more pending) and over 35 technical papers with 53 technical presentations to professional societies. Dr. Haynes is a member of The Electrochemical Society, American Electroplaters and Surface Finishers Society and ASTM serving on several committees such as Metal Finishing and EMI Materials. He worked on a team that was awarded the IR100 Award given for the Best Industrial Development during 1983 and more recently earned the AT&T; Global Manufacturing and Engineering 1995 Technical Excellence Award. Dr. Haynes started a consulting business and serves as consultant for several large companies.

April '97 Meeting Notice

When/Where
Tuesday, April 8, 1997. Cocktails (5:00 pm) and dinner (5:30 pm) at Chilis, 20060 Stevens Creek Blvd (between DeAnza Blvd and Blainey), Cupertino. Technical meeting at Apple Computers, DeAnza 3, Mariani Ave, Cupertino, CA at 7:30 pm.
Topic/Speaker
"Numerical Methods in EMC" by Professor Jose Perini, Syracuse University.
Details
On April 8, the Santa Clara Valley Electromagnetic Compatibility Society will hear a presentation by Professor Jose Perini, Syracuse University, on the topic "Numerical Methods in EMC".

Since it is much more important for the user of these techniques to understand their physical principles rather than their mathematical foundations, the presentation will be mostly on the physical principles. From this it will be easier to understand the limitations of each technique. There are a very large number of Numerical Techniques that can be used in EMC. Due to the short time available I will only talk about three of the most popular ones. They are the Method of Moments, The Finite Element, and the Finite Difference Time Domain Techniques. If time permits, I will touch a little on the Geometrical Theory of Diffraction.

Professor Perini was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He graduated from Escola Politecnica de Sao Paulo, as an Electrical and Mechanical Engineer in 1952. He worked as the Manager of Radio Maintenance for one of the largest Airlines in Brazil and then returned, in 1956, to Escola Politecnica as an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering. In 1958 he came to Syracuse University where he obtained his PhD in EE in 1991. During this time he also consulted for General Electric Company in the design of Television Transmitting Antennas. He then returned to Brazil to his teaching position in Escola Politecnica. In 1962 he returned to Syracuse University to teach Electrical Engineering where he retired in 1991. During his stay at Syracuse he had many research contracts with the Air Force, Navy, and Army. He was also a consultant for many industries. Professor Perini has published and presented many papers and has also given many invited tutorials. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, a Life Member of the EMC Society, and a NARTE Certified Engineer. He is also reviewer for the IEEE Transactions on EMC, AP, MTT, and Education.

May '97 Meeting Notice

When/Where
Tuesday, May 13, 1997. Cocktails (5:00 pm) and dinner (5:30 pm) at Chilis, 20060 Stevens Creek Blvd (between DeAnza Blvd and Blainey), Cupertino. Technical meeting at Apple Computers, DeAnza 3, Mariani Ave, Cupertino, CA at 7:30 pm.
Topic/Speaker
"Lessons Learned in Designing PCBs for EMC" by John B. Howard, EMC Consultant for ElectroMagnetic Compatibility by Design.
Details
On May 13, the Santa Clara Valley Electromagnetic Compatibility Society will hear a presentation by John Howard, EMC Consultant for ElectroMagnetic Compatibility by Design, on the topic "Lessons Learned in Designing PCBs for EMC".

The EMC Problems associated with hardware/PCB design often result from outdated or misapplied practices. This presentation will highlight a few of these practices and offer some alternatives and solutions. The perspective will generally be from experiences gained in improving the EMC engineering on a variety of new high performance products. Discussion will focus on the impact of vias, power/ground plane noise, bypass capacitance, transmission line structures, and the application of ferrites. Some thoughts will be offered on emerging chip/package EMC issues.

John Howard is currently working as an independent EMC consultant with over eighteen years of EMC engineering experience. John has been an EMC consultant for the past four years. He earned BSEE and MSEE degrees prior to working for several bay area companies as a hardware design engineer, engineering manager, scientific researcher, and EMC design engineer. He has authored or co-authored several technical papers on the subject of design for EMC compliance. John is also the lecturer for EMC courses offered worldwide by the University of Wisconsin. He is a NARTE registered professional EMC Engineer, a Senior Member of the IEEE, and Chairman of the University Grant Subcommittee of the IEEE EMC Society Education Committee.
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