Academy of EMC

The Reference EMC Book

Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineering (2009) by Henry W. Ott

​​This book gave me the initial start to understand what good EMC design is. Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineering is a must-have for every electronic design engineer, especially PCB design engineers and layout designers. It really gets you to know the subject and more important to understand the subject EMC! If you want to buy just one book on the subject EMC: buy that one, the money is very well invested, the book is worth every penny.

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• Very well written and understandable

• Dives deep into the EMC/EMI theory

• The EMC reference book

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Reviewed and recommended for every electrical engineer by Reto Keller, 2018.

The EMC Book For Lectures

Introduction to Electromagnetic Compatibility (2006) by Clayton R. Paul

​​This book contains a huge amount of information to the very last detail about EMC. This is one of my all-time favorite books on EMC because it strikes a good balance between mathematical formulas and practice. I don't know why it is called "Introduction to..."?! This book presents the topic of EMC from the mathematical side. Many formulas, calculations and numerical examples. To be honest: This book explains EMC in such an accurate and detailed manner, like no other book I know of. For me as an EMC enthusiast, it is a pleasure to read in it. Every single time I open this book, I think that Clayton R. Paul can not be honored enough.

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• EMC explained from the mathematical side

• Dives deep into the EMC/EMI theory

• Many mathematical calculation examples

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Reviewed and recommended (especially for lectures) by Reto Keller, 2018.

The Signal Integrity Reference Book

Signal and Power Integrity - Simplified (2018) by Eric Bogatin

​​This book is the best signal integrity book which I have ever read. It is up-to-date and it contains countless useful and well explained step-by-step examples about decoupling, PCB layer stackup, cross-talk and simulation examples (SPICE) and so on. The Power Distribution Network (PDN) chapter about combining multiple capacitors for decoupling is one of my favorite sections in this book.

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• Best book about signal integrity I know

• Comprehensive and well explained

• Perfectly structured

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Reviewed and recommended for every electrical engineer by Reto Keller, 2019.

For Installers

EMC for Installers: Electromagnetic Compatibility of Systems and Installations (2018) by Mark van Helvoort, Mathieu Melenhorst

This book discusses​ EMC for immobile installations in buildings and EMC for large and complex systems. It gives guidance for many topics with focus on installations and with reference to current IEC standards: risk assessment, grounding, earthing, shielding and wiring of mains and data (Ethernet) cables. This book is not suitable for engineers who would like to get an introduction to EMC in general. The book is an excellent choice for engineers and installers in the field of immobile installations and large and complex systems.

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• Excellent and a must have for installers and engineers in the field of large and complex systems

• Very well structured from basics to special topics

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Reviewed and recommended for installers and EMC engineers of large and complex systems. Reto Keller, 2020.

For Shielding Experts

Shielding of Electromagnetic Waves (2019) by George M. Kunkel

This book describes shielding of electromagnetic waves and why the current widely applied approximation for Shielding Effectiveness (SE) needs improvement. It is written by a real expert and it is especially useful for engineers, who work in areas where requirements regarding shielding and reliability are very high (e.g. military, defense, space, aircraft or medical industry). It is a book from an expert for experts. The introduction to the topic is very short and not suited for beginners.

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• Explains shielding with lots of math and physics

• Written by a real expert in shielding

• Not recommended for EMC newbies

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Reviewed and recommended for EMC and shielding experts. Reto Keller, 2020.

For Troubleshooters

Create Your Own EMC Troubleshooting Kit (Volume 1, 2020) by Kenneth Wyatt

Kenneth Wyatt is a well known EMC expert with over 30 years of experience. In this handy book, you will find all sorts of useful hints and honest views on price and value of EMC troubleshooting equipment. It is a perfect starting point if you consider to build up an inhouse EMC troubleshooting.

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• Overview of EMC troubleshooting equipment

• Useful price estimates of EMC test equipment

• Do-it-yourself instructions for EMC equipment

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Reviewed and recommended for EMC design engineers and troubleshooters. Reto Keller, 2021.

Very Comprehensive EMC Book

EMC for Product Designers (2017) by Tim Williams

Mr. Tim Williams deserves lots of respect. In my eyes, it is one of the most comprehensive EMC book these days. The book has three parts: Legislation and standards, Testing and Design. All chapters are well structured and the topics are explained without complicated mathematical formulas. If you are already familiar with electronics design and you just want to buy one single book about EMC: this is a good choice.

Last but not least, this book is up-to-date (e.g. it even contains details about CISPR 32, the CISPR 22 replacement).

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• A lot of historical background

• EMC explained with a minimum of math

• Very comprehensive and well structured

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Reviewed and recommended for every EMC engineer by Reto Keller, 2019.

The Troubleshooting Guide

EMI Troubleshooting Cookbook for Product Designers (2014) by Patrick G. André, Kenneth Wyatt

​​Compared to Henry W. Ott's book, this book contains more concrete examples and very good step-by-step instructions on how to find and fix EMC/EMI problems. It is a must-have for every engineer who does in-house EMC-testing and compliance testing at an external test lab. There are plenty of good Do-It-Yourself (DIY) instructions on how to troubleshoot with bargain equipment.

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• Basic EMC/EMI theory

• Excellent guidance for troubleshooting

• Tips on how to build your own low-cost pre-compliance test equipment.

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Reviewed and recommended for every EMC engineer. Reto Keller, 2018.

EMI Filter Design

Trilogy of Magnetics: Design Guide for EMI filter design, SMP & RF circuits (2018) by Würth Elektronik

The trilogy of magnetics is structured into three parts: basic principles, components and applications. In practice, magnetics are not always easy to handle, as they can saturate and suddenly change their behavior. This book gives a very thorough introduction to magnetic components and shows examples of real world EMI filters with e.g. coils, chockes, TVS diodes and ferrites. There are also examples of LTspice filter and component simulations in the book. And of course, because this book is from Würth, the main focus lays on Würth components: ferrites, chokes, inductors, transformers, coils and varistors and TVS diodes.

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• Real world EMI filter examples

• Thorough introduction to magnetics

• LTspice simulation examples for filters

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Reviewed and recommended for EMI filter designers and every electronics hardware engineer. Reto Keller, 2021.

For Spacecraft Engineers

Spacecraft Electromagnetic Compatibility Technologies (2020) by Hua Zhang, Yuting Zhang, Chengbo Huang, Yanxing Yuan, Lili Cheng

This book gives a thoroughly introduction, guidance and a good overview on electromagnetic compatibility analysis, design, verification and test for spacecrafts, as well as how successfully manage EMC during the development process. The scope varies from components, to Printed Circuit Boards (PCBAs), to cabling, to units and equipment (e.g. power supplies) and finally to sub-systems and system-level. Instead of using extensive math, the book refers often to the already established standards and best practices from the United States's (US) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), military (MIL) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Here my personal three-points-summary:

• Good overview on how to achieve EMC for spacecrafts

• Valuable technical and management guidance for development engineers of spacecrafts

• References to the established U.S. (NASA, MIL) and international (ISO) standards

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Reviewed and recommended for every spacecraft development engineer (especially beginners). Reto Keller, 2020.

Real World Examples

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Design and Test Case Analysis (2019) by Junqi Zheng

This book delivers a short introduction to the topic EMC - with a minimum of math - and 76 real world examples of failed EMC test cases and their solutions. It would have been nice if the introduction to EMC had a couple of additional pictures and drawings. However, it is really compressed to the essence. The real world examples are well structured in different topics. I am sure there are one or several examples for everybody of us, which we already encountered and also some new problems to solve. A well made book.

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• To-the-point introduction to EMC

• 76 real world EMC issues and solutions

• Recommended for every EMC design engineer

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Reviewed and recommended for every EMC engineer. Reto Keller, 2020.

For Space and Aircraft EMC Engineers

Handbook of Aerospace Electromagnetic Compatibility (2019) by Reinaldo J.Perez, Karen Burnham, Martin Gabrisak, Sergio Pignari, Paul Kay, William D. Prather, Ira Kohlberg, Robert C. Scully, Irfan Majid, Leslie R. Warboys, Dr. Clay McCreary, Johannes Wolf, Pablo S. Narvaez

​​This book goes into every detail of aircraft and space equipment EMC design and test. Every chapter was written by an industry expert. If you work in the space or aircraft industry and have to deal with EMC: go for this book. However, it is not thought as introduction to the topic. It is a book from experts for experts.

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• Lightning and HEMP protection circuits for avionic

• Design and test in order to pass RTCA/DO-160, MIL-STD-461, UK DEF-STAN 59-411

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Reviewed and recommended for space and aircraft EMC engineers and technicians. Reto Keller, 2019.

For Those Who Have Everything Else

EMC Made Simple - Printed Circuit Board and System Design (2014) by Mark Montrose

​​There are mistakes in some of the most important formulas and I found the book not well structured (at least for me).

It has some good guidelines and tips in it for PCB layout designers and I am sure the author knows his topic very well. However, if you don't own one of the books from above, I would go with one form above and not with this one. If you own already all the books above, this one may give you a different viewpoint on EMC.

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• Not as good structured as the books above

• Good PCB design examples

• Some obvious mistakes

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Reviewed and recommended for EMC enthusiasts. Reto Keller, 2018.

For Bargain Hunters

Electromagnetic Compatibility Handbook (1987) by J. L. Norman Violette, Donald R. J. White, Michael F. Violette

This book is from 1987. This means that the parts about regulations, compliance and some of the mentioned technologies are outdated. However, the physics and the concepts to fight EMI are still valid. This book has a good balance between practical examples, theory, math, physics and practical simplifications. Because there was no internet and only limited graphical tools available in 1987, the information content of the tables and illustrations in this book is extraordinary. Because of its age, this book is a bargain when bought used.

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• Explains basic physics behind EMC/EMI

• Excellent tables and graphs

• Not recommended for EMC newbies

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Reviewed and recommended for EMC enthusiasts and nerds. Reto Keller, 2020.

Small And Handy

EMC Pocket Guide (2013) by Kenneth Wyatt and Randy J. Jost

​​I wouldn't buy this one if you are new to the subjects of EMC and EMI. Although, it covers some of the most important topics without long sentences, it does not teach you EMC. It is more thought as a quick reference guide for already skilled engineers with EMC experiences. Most topics covered by this book can also be found on this website.

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• Can be used as a quick reference

• Basic overview of EMC/EMI

• Not recommended for EMC newbies

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Reviewed and recommended for EMC enthusiasts. Reto Keller, 2018.