Automotive Standards Development 2014 Recap

Today, Elite's EMC Lab Manager Craig Fanning fills us in on what's been brewing in Automotive and Military standards so far this year. As a featured speaker at this year's ROACH Conference in Seattle, he presented a “Review of Automotive Standards Utilizing Reverberation” and participated in the “Emerging Technologies in EMI/EMC testing” panel discussion.  He also attended several other meeting concerning EMC standards this spring and was kind enough to pass along some notes and a couple snapshots  Read below to see what he has for us this week.

Automotive standards development at the North American and International levels continues to be hectic in 2014. The SAE EMC committees had a meeting in January of 2014 and will be having another in April. At the international level, CISPR/D WG1, CISPR/D WG2 and ISO/TC22/SC3/WG3 had their first of two meetings scheduled for 2014 in February. 

 

Craig at the IEEE EMC Society Seattle sponsored ROACH meeting

Experts from eight countries convened at the ETS Lindgren facility in Cedar Park, Texas to continue work on the CISPR 12, CISPR 25, ISO 11451-xx, ISO 11452-xx, and ISO 7637-x standards. ETS Lindgren was kind enough to host the meetings per the request of the CISPR and ISO USTAG Delegates. The meetings were a great success and a lot of progress was made towards next revisions of the subject standards. The CISPR/D and ISO committees greatly appreciated the support of ETS Lindgren and their staff again for the meetings. The next international level meetings for these standards groups will be held in Frankfurt, Germany in October 2014.

  

The  Chapter hosted the Reverberation Chamber, Open Area Test Site and Anechoic Chamber (ROACH) Users Group meeting in Seattle, Washington in March 2014. The ROACH meetings are a “think tank” for key players in the EMC industry. Standards updates and new technologies regarding reverberation chamber, anechoic chamber and TEM cell testing were presented. This meeting drew experts from around the world. The experts were there to make presentations and were also available for sidebar discussions. This meeting was a great opportunity for people in the EMC industry to talk “shop” with others in the industry. Pat Hall and I had a great time both during and after the formal meetings. Take a look at that pile of Pacific coast seafood… 

Pacific Seafood Feast for the Sake of Science!

Do you have any questions about EMC Standard Changes, Testing in Reverberation Chambers, or other related topics? Please share your comments or questions below and this week's expert, Craig Fanning, will get back to you as soon as possible.

EMC in the Mile High City - Symposium Survival Tips

Our contributor this week is Stacey Klouda--your friendly, neighborhood Content Curator and Marketing Specialist at Elite.  Stacey is one of the newest additions to the Elite team, although she's no stranger to the company or to the field of EMC.  After a year of traversing the trade show circuit, navigating the streams of  B2B/B2C social media, and learning the ropes of a business that's in her blood, she has a couple things to share. Look below for a few tips she's gotten from the seasoned Symposium crew around Elite and elsewhere.

As Elite gears up for one of the biggest events in EMC all year, I can't help but wonder at what's really in store for symposium attendees and exhibitors in Denver next week.  The IEEE EMC International Symposium draws engineering professionals from a wide spectrum (pardon the pun) of industries, and it focuses on better understanding electromagnetic compatibility and its varied applications.

For example during the Symposium our EMC Lab Manager, Craig Fanning, and our President & Sr EMC Engineer Ray Klouda will be taking in workshops, technical sessions, and meeting with exhibitors.  During the week they will participate in formal and informal discussions/meetings to better understand regulations, standards and test technology.  But they will also be providing meaningful input and technical suggestions to committees, technical liaisons, and chairpersons and give guidance on the development of test methods and regulatory compliance with the lab perspective and in mind.  

One of the important meetings they will attend is GEIA G-46 EMC Subcommittee Meeting.  At this conference meeting, our guys will hear DoD experts present information on MIL-STD-461G, MIL-HDBKs, NASA E3 activities, and other relevant topics.  This Tuesday afternoon event is an important meeting which provides a conduit of technical information to Elite.  In fact, we have chosen to co-sponsors this event for the past four years because of the quality and importance of information to Symposium goers. 

Bottom line…. There’s plenty to do at the 2013 Symposium.   But how do you find out about things going on?    Of course, the official program, magazine guides, and event website provide a lot of great information on talk schedules, venues, things to do, and tons more. How much do we know actually about the city that we will be taking by force on Sunday?  And is there anything that I'm missing?  This got me thinking...and asking around. So for your reading pleasure, here are a few tidbits to keep in mind to get the most out of your EMC adventures in the Mile High City:

"Drink plenty of water!" -- Danny Odom, 2013 Symposium Chair, on how to prepare for the change in altitude.

"Be sure to take some time to walk around the Exhibit Hall and don't miss the demonstrations--they're a great opportunity to see EMC in action" -- Ray Klouda, Elite's President and long-time Symposium attendee.

"It's a great opportunity to see suppliers working with the Military Group responsible for the development of G-46" -- Craig Fanning, discussing the GEIA G-46 EMC Subcommittee Meeting.

Surprising Denver/Colorado Laws to Watch Out For*:

-It is unlawful to lend your vacuum cleaner to your next door neighbor.
-It is illegal to mistreat rats in Denver, Colorado.
-You may not drive a black car on Sundays.
-It is illegal to ride a horse while under the influence.
 
Some Helpful Links and Apps:

The IEEE EMC International Symposium 2013 Site: http://www.emc2013.org/ -- The go-to place for symposium info and updates complete with a personal scheduler, final program, and everything you'd need for a successful show.

The City of Denver's Offical Site: http://www.denvergov.org/ -- There's a lot of good info, news, and help here and interesting "How-To" videos on all things Denver-related.

The Official Visitor to Denver, Colorado App: http://www.denver.org/ (Accessed through smart phone or tablet) -- Features things like "Denver Dares" and provides a handy way to look up things on the go, but be careful when it comes to the coupons or deals because you might have to print them out.

Now this is not by any means an exhaustive list.  Personally, I'd like do a couple loops around the expo, find a few talks and demos that look interesting so that I can plan my day out, enjoy a few brewery tours, and just soak up the mountain air.  I encourage everyone to check out the Symposium themselves and please tell me what you might have liked to know before the show in the comments below.  Thank you and hope to see you at Booth 718 starting on Monday!

Sources: *http://www.ahajokes.com/colorado_jokes.html
See the links above and thank you to anyone who contributed their insights!