Week 4 Update
Total Distance Walked: 5,920 miles
Similar Distance:

Benjamin the Brave is a young man from Glen Ellyn, IL who is battling TCell All leukemia.  He and his family have an awesome spirit that draws people in to help hold them up when the going is tough.  Benjamin is a 7-year-old kid that was diagnosed after a visit with a suspected ear infection.  When he was at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, his mom told them that he LOVED baseball and the Chicago Cubs; they passed the word to Anthony Rizzo’s Family Foundation and they have become BFFs!

Knowing his mom through the local Jazzercise classes, Elite has taken the opportunity to have fun as a group and SUPPORT BBB.  Elite recently had a blood drive and collected 15 pints of blood; each pint helps 3 patients!  We will do this again to continue to help this young man as he gets platelets after chemo treatments.>

Elite also decided to do a fitness challenge! We have a number of employees, family, and friends tracking their steps each week.  At the end of 44 days (Anthony Rizzo’s number), there will be a winning team to split the pot of the registration fee with BBB.  We have pretty big hearts around here and think BBB will get the whole enchilada!  We have been getting additional donations along the way!

If anyone would like to contribute to our cause of helping BBB, you can send checks made out to BBB-Jennie Burke to Elaine at Elite to help with any medical expenses that insurance is not covering.  We are lucky and blessed……and so fortunate to be able to share in our community.

Starting this September, following us on social media—particularly LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter—will be the best way to stay interactively up-to-date with what’s going on with Elite and with the industry. We will still be sending out our monthly newsletters to recap news and events, but with the continuous changes in this business, it’s essential to stay ahead of the curve, learn what’s happening, and be able to ask questions and communicate efficiently. Time is of the essence, and these social media tools we’re now utilizing present opportunities as timely as it gets:

Targeted LinkedIn Banners— Professional development and training are crucial in this field and LinkedIn is a great place to find what seminars, webinars, and expos are taking place we’ve just made them easier to find and sign up. 

Facebook Live Streaming–We have a free webinar covering EMC Compliance for e/E Mark that you can access from your feed, submit questions, or just tune in for exactly the info you need. We’ll have more webinars covering relevant testing topics each quarter.

Twitter Chat Forums–With so many changing standards, new recruits, and tests to run, chat forums are an excellent way to pose technical questions and get brief, but real responses that might make the difference in your next test.

Social media has evolved beyond cat videos and friend requests to be an essential tool in furthering professional development, being in tune with a rapidly changing industry, and finding answers to pressing questions.  Don’t fall behind—follow us now by clicking the icons at the bottom of the site.  You’d be surprised what you’re missing out on if you delay.

Labels:

• Elite Live Webinar
• Social Media Tools

Elite Electronic Engineering, Inc. is deeply saddened to announce the passing of Marilyn Klouda, Co-Founder of Elite and wife of the late James C. Klouda. Marilyn died peacefully on September 7^th surrounded by her family.

Marilyn’s contribution to Elite cannot be understated. From the beginning, she worked side-by-side with Jim Klouda and helped create the early vision of Elite as a world-class electronics testing business. In addition to raising Klouda’s five children, Marilyn’s responsibilities at Elite included office manager, technical writing, and typist, along with sales and marketing support.  However, her greatest contribution to the success of the company is the family-oriented culture and spirit that she championed and remains a part of Elite today. Her belief in having employees working together as a family to achieve success is very much a product of Marilyn’s influence and will be her lasting legacy at Elite.

Labels: Elite news

For 10 years we’ve surveyed our customers asking what they look for when choosing a test lab. We’ve also asked how Elite meets its expectations and for input on ways to improve our services.

The feedback we get reveals that the majority of Elite clients look for technical expertise first followed second by quick lab access and prompt test completion.  In addition, they tell us to deliver this higher standard of service at competitive prices.  Simply stated, Elite clients, want a trusted service partner who can provide the absolute best value and benefit to their organization.  

When we send a client survey or discuss our services with customers, we look closely at survey results, client suggestions, and customer input and then uses this information to align our business direction and decisions with their most important needs.

For example, to keep scheduling lead times low we recently added two new EMC engineers, Justin Ibarra (EE) and Ricardo Parrales (CET). This brings our full-time EMC test staff to a high mark of 26 engineers and technicians.  Having the largest single-site EMC test staff along with multiple sets of test equipment and chambers gives Elite tremendous flexibility in test scheduling. Our resources can be shifted and optimized so we can be more agile than other labs and respond dynamically to customer requests for priority start dates.  

We’re also very fortunate to have a great mix of new and seasoned EMC test engineers. Each is passionate about their work as well as professional and customer-focused. Our test software is developed by two EMC engineers dedicated to creating the test automation that makes us more and more efficient. We have eight senior EMC engineers including team leaders and managers. They provide an invaluable depth of knowledge and mentoring role with the goal of helping our growing staff learn their trade quickly. We’re proud to boast that many of our senior EMC engineers have 20 to 30 years or more of EMC experience with Elite. 

We have also grown our Environmental Stress Lab group by adding Eric Lindberg (EET) and two part-time co-op technicians Alex Dolecki (EE) and Kegan Orloff (EE). Also, during the summer months, we’ve put the talents of three bright engineering interns to work including Jessica Klouda (ME) and Jeff Klouda (CSE) both currently studying engineering at Notre Dame along with Henry Thompson (EE) studying at the University of Illinois.

We greatly enhanced our in-house expertise for mechanical and electrical test automation by bringing senior mechanical engineer Todd Bruhl (ME) to Elite. Having Todd now on board we can respond more efficiently with our life-cycling automation and fixture development. The automation we engineer can be used to support testing either at Elite or for clients to use at their own facilities. Todd is already moving ahead on initiatives to retool and optimize many existing Elite test systems and is working to develop new test stands that will make us even more efficient, accurate, and productive.

Finally, we’ve brought-on Ed Allfrey as a management consultant to help Elite navigate our path through growth and put more structure to our process improvements. We’re leveraging Ed’s 35 years of business consulting and training expertise to keep our business thinking strategic and focused on the most important people and process goals.

It’s an exciting time to be at Elite Electronic Engineering and we look forward to meeting the next challenge our customers present to us. Thank you for partnering with Elite and we always appreciate hearing how we can more effectively meet your expectations.

Labels: Elite Expands capabilities

Elite has been very active in participating in training and industry events including seminars and conferences that span a wide range of subjects.  Three interesting seminars we attended include the IoT North America, AEM Product Liability Seminar, and the TCB Council Workshop.

Internet of Things North America- Elite personnel attended the two-day event in Schaumburg IL which included conference sessions and exhibits with a wealth of information including:

• Ingenu- Ingenu is creating a wireless network providing an M2M network based on RPMA technology to provide 2.4GHz license-free operation over significant distances. But other networks exist and new low-power unlicensed options are emerging for IoT. Over the next few years, it will be interesting to see how technology evolves and how markets respond. 
• Google’s BigQuery-  In order to be successful with the IoT, businesses need to understand how to work with big data sets that will come from extensive sensor and information networks.
• Security-  No doubt about it, there’s a sober understanding by engineers, managers, and entrepreneurs on the need to secure information and network access throughout the information chain.

Contact Steve Laya or Robert Bugielski for additional discussion regarding this IoT event and for more information about regulatory requirements for wireless IoT.

Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Product Safety & Compliance Seminar-  

For two days Elite’s Steve Laya participated in technical seminars covering the essentials of product safety relating to agricultural, construction, and industrial machinery. The focus of the seminar was to describe the importance of procedures for conducting a risk assessment and risk reduction exercise. Standards such as ISO 12100 for general machine safety along with ISO 14121 for risk assessment were described.  Other seminar sessions keyed in on standards like ISO 25119 for safety-related controls on tractors.

The conference included a hands-on project using a mock machine where participants worked through the hazards analysis as a team and developed a risk assessment. The team members were given a role to play in a hazards analysis exercise (i.e. design engineer, service tech, marketing staff) and were allowed to present the project parameters and constraints to other team members so that the risks could be ranked and preventive measures developed.   

Contact Steve Laya for additional information on this AEM program and for more information on Elite’s role in the machinery safety evaluation process.  Our services and understanding of EMC testing for machinery are just one aspect of our capabilities. 

TCB Council Workshop-

Dan Crowder attended the annual TCB Council workshop in Baltimore, MD.  The sessions spanned four days and included a range of topics from general to very specific.  The first group of sessions covered the basics of FCC & IC rules as well as how to use FCC and TCB resources. Specific topics covered U-NII, 3650 MHz Band, and MIMO.

Several presentations came from NIST regarding Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) so that manufacturers can leverage testing that is done at one location for several purposes. Updates and the present status of the new European Union Radio Equipment Directive as well as information on Japan MIC, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and Korea.

We have the latest information so contact Dan Crowder if you have a specific question to review. 

Labels:

• Internet of Things
• Product Safety
• TCB

On April 13^th, Elite was recognized by Boeing at the Global Supplier Conference for our efforts to connect with Illinois congressman Peter Roskam  (R-IL 6th District) and advocate for the reauthorization of the U.S. Export-Import Bank. The Ex-Im Bank helps support funding for key defense programs and protects incentives that secure manufacturing jobs for our clients and other US businesses. 

In June 2015 the Ex-Im Bank authorization lapsed, but in November 2015 the Export-Import Bank received its congressional reauthorization through 2019.

Congressman Roskam visited Elite in June of 2015 where he toured Elite and met with our ownership, management team, and staff in a company town-hall style event. During the event, Elite employees asked several questions of the congressman including his stance on the Ex-Im Bank.

Kevin Halpin represented Elite during the 2016 Boeing Global Supplier Conference in Seattle, WA, to accept the Excellence in Advocacy award and take part in other meetings.   

Overall, the conference provided a great opportunity to network with Boeing staff and executives, as well as learn about their vision and corporate goals. There was a very positive and bullish outlook from Boeing. However, they also realize that competition is strong in all their markets and that Boeing needs to be an innovator and leader in order to remain successful.  In this competitive environment, Elite is tasked with working hard to do “more for less” with Boeing placing reliability, responsiveness, and first-time quality as top priorities.

We welcome clients to share information with Elite on important regulatory matters or other government/industry actions that may impact your business’s success. In many cases, we may be able to support your cause through our local, state, and federal elected officials in instances where we have mutually beneficial interests. 

Labels:

• Boeing
• Advocacy Award
• EMC Testing

Find out a little more about our first lady of finance, Elaine Russo…

Quick Team Member Facts 

Title:  Finance Manager

Year Started at Elite: 2002

Education:  BS Elmhurst College Business/Urban Studies ‘82 (double major and Urban Studies is like PoliSci); MBA in Business ‘08, MHRM (human resource management) ‘13 Keller Graduate School; CBAP from UIC 

Any unique hobbies, talents, skills, experiences, etc.: 

• Knitting
• Quilting
• Cooking
• Singing
• Baking for the soldiers

How did you get into EMI/testing?

Not testing…behind the scenes. The funny thing is I did start my 1st semester in college in an engineering program……yeah. 2nd semester was in the business program!!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of working at Elite?

I love that I can wear many hats.  Being the finance manager is nice but I also get to dabble in HR; I have donned my Oktoberfest dress on occasion, at Christmas parties, and summer events…..we truly are an extended family and that feels nice.

What’s your proudest moment so far?

There are a few moments but one that sticks out in my mind is getting my first MBA and having my parents in the stands.  Before I finished the second one my dad passed; the second one was in HR management and my dad was in HR his whole career.

Another big one was finishing the Komen 3-day breast cancer walk…60 miles in 3 days. I never thought I could do it; not the fundraising or the walking.  Friends and family were so generous I made my financial goal and the walking was hard, fun, tiring, and exhilarating! Finishing the race and seeing Kathy at the finish line made me realize I really was done! Tears flowed; the feeling of accomplishment was overwhelming during the closing ceremonies when each walker took off one shoe and held it up as a sign we made it.

What would you consider to be your passion outside of work? How did you get started in it? Any advice for anyone looking to try this activity?

I am a foodie….born and raised. I love finding new vegetables/fruit in season and growing my herbs each summer. I have gotten proficient in being a container grower as living in a townhome there are rules about planting a garden.

I got started cooking at my grandmother’s side.  When my brothers would go to scout camp I went to grandma camp. It is where I learned to experiment with spices…no measuring; using my senses to cook, smell….taste…true food porn! My grandmother grew up on a farm in Rhode Island where they lived off the land; raised their animals for slaughter and food for the rest of the year and lived off the land, preserving vegetables and fruit in jars and freezers. It is how I learned to make spaghetti ‘gravy’ from scratch and know how to make Italian sausage from scratch too! Grandma and I would watch cooking shows on PBS (way before Food Network came to be) whether I was sitting with her or on the phone with her we would talk about what the chefs were doing/making.

If someone wanted to know more about cooking find a store that does frequent demos (usually free) or classes that can be relatively inexpensive. Look for farmers’ markets and ask questions….people love to talk about their passion for growing. I have learned tips for cooking items I had never seen before.  Don’t be afraid to try. At farmer’s markets you can find produce, locally raised meats (no antibiotics, growth hormones, etc.), oils, and vinegar……..sorry, I get carried away because it is so exciting to me!

Anything that customers/colleagues would find surprising about you?

Hmmm…..that I used to dance ballet (on pointe); I had to learn to play the accordion before I could play the organ (I don’t play instruments anymore); I am working on a cookbook.

If you had a personal motto, what would it be?

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift from God….that is why we call it the present. We have to be in the here and now and enjoy each moment we are given. 

If you could be paid something other than money, what would you choose?

Bartering would be fun so I would choose fruits and veggies in season. I wonder what I could trade it for?!  I wonder if the mortgage company would accept payment that way

Labels: Elite Experts; Elaine Russo

The IEEE James C. Klouda Memorial Scholarship was established in memory of James C. Klouda and his professional career in the field of electromagnetic compatibility. The Scholarship Fund awards, on an annual basis, a scholarship to a qualified undergraduate student who seeks an electrical engineering degree with an emphasis in the field of EMC or a related discipline, from an accredited U.S. university or college.

This August in Dresden, the 2nd IEEE James C. Klouda Memorial Scholarship Award was presented to Benjamin Conley (unfortunately not in attendance). He was an electrical engineering student at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. We hope that friends and relatives of our customers might benefit from this award as well so please inquire. Contact us for more details on the scholarship and how to apply(or see info below).

Administration:  The selection of the Scholarship recipients will be administered by IEEE EMC-S. EMC-S will serve as administrator of the IEEE JCK Memorial Scholarship Selection Committee.

Eligibility:  The Scholarship Candidate must:

• Be a U.S. citizen
• Be enrolled as a full-time student in electrical engineering at an accredited university or college and inside the U.S. (no distance learning or online course students are eligible)
• Have completed freshman year in an electrical engineering program at an accredited university or college in the U.S.
• Hold a GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale
• Have completed college coursework in electromagnetic compatibility or in a related discipline

Prize Items: The Scholarship Fund will be used to fund on an annual basis the following annual expenses:

• A maximum of US$1,000 for one student for school expenses (tuition, books, students fees)
• EMC-S Student Membership for 12 months to one student

Basis for Judging:

• Evidence of maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• One referral letter from an individual who is qualified to evaluate the applicant’s academic accomplishments (e.g., professor, administrator, employer, internship organization)
• Additional consideration will be afforded to scholarship applicants that reside in IEEE Region 4

Application Deadline: January 31st, 2016 *Deadline subject to change*

APPLY NOW

Stay tuned for more updates.

Click on the flyer to download scholarship information.

Labels: EMC Scholarship; JCK Memorial Scholarship; IEEE EMC

Although few of you have had the chance to get to know Dan Mon yet, this Elite newcomer is a recent Engineering graduate with a passion for power chords and classic rock. You are in good company Dan–among the anechoic chambers and powerful amps here, we have plenty of Strata-masters and rock enthusiasts.  Find out a little more about our new sales engineer and make sure to stop by and say hello if you see a new face around the office. Welcome to the Elite family!

Quick Team Member Facts

Title:  Technical Sales Engineer

Year Started at Elite: 2015

Areas of Interest:  Sales, Electrical Engineering

Education:  University of Illinois-Chicago

Any unique hobbies, talents, skills, experiences, etc.: 

I play a lot of guitars. I picked it up and started teaching myself to play around the age of 16 with friends’ guitars until I was able to get one of my own. I used to play a lot of sports, nowadays it’s mostly golf.

How did you get into EMI testing?

I found out about Elite and I thought all the different kinds of tests were really cool. When you think about it, your average consumer is just going to buy things/devices and expect them to work, they don’t really think about all the tests and behind-the-scenes work that goes into a device.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of working at Elite?

It’s a company that makes sure products can go out safely into the world and into real physical environments. We do all the behind-the-scenes testing so that regular people and consumers, for instance, can drive a car or hop on a flight and go on vacation without anything to worry about. We make sure it works and the things that get done here have an impact on the everyday lives of millions of people.

What’s your proudest moment so far?

Graduating from UIC with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.

What would you consider to be your passion outside of work? How did you get started in it? Any advice for anyone looking to try this activity?

Guitar playing/music are my biggest passions outside of work. I got started in high school at a friend’s house.  We had music playing and I was really starting to get into the classic rock at the time. If I remember correctly, The Lemon Song by Led Zeppelin came on and that was when I decided I wanted to try it out. My friend had a guitar and a Line 6 amplifier so I started to dabble and mess around. He, patiently, showed me some basic chords and terminology and the rest is history, I was obsessed from that point on. My advice to anybody looking to get into guitar playing, or any instrument for that matter, is to not give up. It sounds cliché but it’s true.  Picking up any instrument and trying to teach yourself is difficult but if it is something you really have your mind set on, you will get there. There are plenty of resources these days like YouTube and guitar tablature websites at your fingertips.

Anything that customers/colleagues would find surprising about you?

Our family lived in California when I was younger so I often root for the San Francisco 49ers and the Golden State Warriors alongside my Chicago teams.

If you had a personal motto, what would it be?

Relax. Enjoy life while you’re here.

If you could be paid something other than money, what would you choose?

Guitar strings or golf balls.

Labels: Elite Experts; Dan Mon; request a quote; EMC engineering

ISPCE 2015 (Product Compliance)

When:

Monday, May 18, 2015

Where:

Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O’Hare
5550 N. River Road Rosemont, Illinois 60018, USA
Tel: 1-847-678-4488

Register now

Speaker:

Monday, May 18, 8:00 AM
Stephen Kirk, Vice President & General Manager, Consumer Technology Division, UL

Bio:
Stephen Kirk is a Vice President at UL (Underwriters Laboratories) with worldwide responsibility for UL’s consumer technology business, which includes EMC, wireless approvals, interoperability, product safety, and software.  After studying Engineering Science at Oxford University, Stephen worked for a number of years in the electronics industry; before becoming the co-founder of RFI, an electronics consultancy and testing business. He grew this business over a twenty-year period before selling to UL in 2010.

Stephen has a particular interest in the compliance implications of new and potentially disruptive technologies, with a particular focus on the Internet Of Things and the way technology is changing user’s expectations of words like “safe” and “secure”

Title:
Compliance, Innovation, and Leadership – A discussion of what the future looks like for compliance engineers in a rapidly changing World

Abstract:
We live in a world where technology development and innovation are moving faster than ever before. Many of these new technologies (such as the Internet Of Things, autonomous vehicles, and 3D printing) are potentially disruptive in nature and pose continuing challenges to compliance engineers.  A key question for anyone involved in compliance is how to balance innovation and compliance. In particular, “How do we enhance user safety and satisfaction whilst embracing innovation?” 

Industry standardization programs and compliance are key enablers of new technology. Not only does standardization allow manufacturers to gain the benefits of scale, but it also helps to underpin user confidence in the products and services that are being deployed.  But existing standardization and compliance processes may be inadequate in a world where security threats and user requirements are evolving at an ever faster pace. If we are to maintain user confidence and safety, we need to ensure that our also compliance activities evolve and become increasingly agile – this will require leadership from everyone involved.

Agenda:

Click here for the agenda

Whether you’re looking to advance your career or you’re just starting out, work at a start-up, or a multinational corporation, or need to learn the basics or the latest state-of-the-art design criteria, you should join over 200 industry leaders attending from all over the world. Make new connections, learn the latest global compliance requirements, and meet the rock stars of our specialized field at the 2015 IEEE Symposium on Product Compliance Engineering!

Technical Topics

Compliance 101, EMC Compliance, Energy Storage, Forensics, Failure Analysis, 3D Printing, Hazard-based Safety Engineering & Safety Science, Innovation, Leadership, Unmanned, Aerial Vehicles/Drones, Medical Devices, Fuel Cells, Risk Analysis Assessment & Management, Anti-counterfeiting, Driverless Cars, Components Case studies, Standards, Functional & Software safety, Product Liability & Recalls, Environmental Topics

Register today!

Labels:

• News and Events
• Product Safety

Spring is the time of year when we fertilize our lawns and plant our gardens with the anticipation of enjoying lush green yards and picking fresh fruits and vegetables throughout summer. On Elite’s calendar, spring is also technical workshop season where we present the opportunity to our clients to plant the seeds of knowledge with anticipation of becoming more skilled, productive, and valuable in our professional lives.  

Every year during the spring, several local technical organizations like the IEEE EMC Society sponsor single-day workshops that bring world-class technical experts to our region. These presenters have accomplished EMC industry experts, consultants, and/or academics who deliver interesting single-day focused seminars on technical topics that can you can put to immediate use.

So now is the time to seed the growth of your professional knowledge.  You’ll be able to put to use the information, training, and enhanced skill even before your first summer tomatoes arrive. Here is the list of Elite sponsored and IEEE local training events we recommend (Email Stacey for additional details on how to register):

FCC Certification of Low Power Wireless Devices
Elite Webinar
April 21st, 2015

Design for Guaranteed EMC Performance
IEEE EMC Society Chicago Chapter
Itasca Illinois
May 5th, 2015

EMC Grounding Concepts
IEEE EMC Society Southeast Michigan Section
Livonia Michigan  
May 7th, 2015

EMI Suppression Skills for Power Electronic System Design
IEEE EMC Society Rock River Valley Section  
Rockford, Illinois  
June 9th, 2015

Click the image for more information–>

Also… Visit Elite at the IEST ESTECH 2015
Technical Training for Environmental Stress Testing
April 27-30, 2015
Danvers, Massachusetts

Labels:

• EMC Training
• ESTECH Environmental Seminar

Whether you are looking to train up for a new project, maintain your PE with Professional Development hours, or just brush up on the basics, 2015 is shaping up to be a great year for workshops, seminars, and other training opportunities.  Below is a compiled list of industry events, seminars/webinars, and online courses available. Although this list is not exhaustive by any means, it’s a good start and might help get the planning juices flowing before the calendar fills up.  Please contact us if you have questions or check out the individual links for more information.            

> Electromagnetic Compatibility

> ETS-Lindgren offers hands-on training courses throughout the year. Below is a list of those courses currently scheduled through ETS-U:

Fundamentals of EMC Testing – A three-day hands-on course designed for engineers or lab technicians who want to expand their knowledge of EMC compliance testing, or are new to the subject and want to “learn how” quickly. Instruction is divided between class lectures and hands-on lab experience. Students are taught how to perform actual tests in a fully instrumented lab that includes a 3-meter anechoic chamber, GTEM, and a demonstration reverberation chamber. Students receive an illustrated textbook written specifically for the Fundamentals of EMC Testing course, with many of the test setups illustrated.

MIL-STD 461F Testing – A three-day hands-on course designed for engineers or lab technicians who want to expand their knowledge of Military-Standard 461F testing, or are new to the subject and want to “learn how” quickly. Instruction is divided between class lectures and hands-on lab experience. Students are taught how to perform actual tests in a fully instrumented lab that includes a semi-anechoic chamber and a conducted susceptibility test station. Students receive an illustrated textbook written specifically for the Fundamentals of EMC Testing course, with many of the test setups illustrated.

Overview of Radiated Immunity/Emissions Test Facilities – A three-day hands-on course designed for engineers or lab technicians who want to expand their knowledge of Radiated Immunity and Emissions test facilities, or are new to the subject and want to “learn how” quickly. This course will provide a basis for making informed radiated emission/immunity testing decisions. In addition, this course will also cover some standards overview, test planning issues, detailed coverage of major test techniques, sources of uncertainty in test results, and uncertainty propagation and impact on test results.

> Henry Ott Consultants offers a three-day course covering the practical aspects of noise and interference control in electronic systems. More information is available on their website, both on the public and in-plant EMC courses.

Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineering – This course will provide the participants with a working knowledge of electromagnetic compatibility principles. Emphasis is on cost-effective EMC design for digital systems. The commercial and industrial aspects of EMC Engineering are emphasized. The amount and complexity of mathematics will be kept to a minimum, and ideas will be illustrated with examples of actual case histories.

> Kimmel Gerke Associates offers several public seminars throughout the year. Following are course descriptions and dates and locations of those courses currently scheduled:

Design for EMC & Signal Integrity (2 days)

EMI Troubleshooting (1 day – optional add-on) – This very popular class has been co-hosted by Kimmel Gerke Associates and Tektronix since 1992. The focus is “inside the box” at the electronics level – components, printed circuit boards, power electronics, grounding, and shielding, with over 30 specific fixes. The class is introductory and is regularly updated to reflect the latest EMC design issues.

> Silent Solutions offers a series of courses designed to expand your skills and improve job performance. Following are their course descriptions.

Electronic Product Design and Retrofit for EMC – This two-day class gives engineering professionals the ability to successfully recognize, solve and avoid common EMI problems. Demonstrations using working hardware illustrate concepts such as radiated emissions, high-frequency antennas, radiated and conducted immunity, and crosstalk in connectors, cables, and IC packages.

EMC – Printed Circuit Board Design – This two-day class provides technical training intended for electrical and EMC engineers interested only in PC board design. It is an excellent follow-up class for students who have recently completed our two or three-day EMC class. Course topics include component placement, signal routing, and stack up, power bus decoupling, signal theory and signal integrity, “ground” splits, and a critique of bad application notes from IC vendors.

Circuit-to-Circuit Interference – This one-day class is for electrical design engineers at all levels challenged by electrical noise problems in products containing RF (wireless), analog, switching power supply, and digital electronics. Through a unique combination of lectures and hands-on experiments, class participants will master the ability to anticipate, solve and avoid electrical noise problems that can inhibit functionality in new product designs. 

Mechanical Design for EMC – This two-day class provides clear applications, theory, and demonstrations for the successful design of mechanical enclosures for good system emissions and immunity performance. Key topics include grounding at the PCB and enclosure, system ground maps, PCB component placement and control drawings, enclosure and cable shielding, PCB device “cans”, resonant slots and enclosures, heat sinks, unintentional antennas, as well as connectors, screw, and conductive gasket spacing.

Grounding for EMC, Signal Integrity and Instrumentation – Theory, applications and hardware demonstrations in this one-day class describes the effective design and troubleshooting techniques. The real-time demonstrations use a spectrum analyzer, oscilloscope, and signal generators to illustrate inductance, common-impedance coupling, and ground loops. Specific examples of single-point, multi-point, “good” and “bad” grounds will be discussed.

Mastering the Spectrum Analyzer for Electrical Noise Measurement – SILENT’s one-day class is packed with practical tips, applications, and demonstrations to help make it easy for you to pick up a spectrum analyzer and start measuring and troubleshooting electrical noise and EMC problems. We will have a minimum of 3 different spectrum analyzers in class to help explain and demonstrate operating techniques that we have honed over the last twenty years.

> Doug Smith is offering the following classes in 2015. For additional information, visit his website or email him at doug@emcesd.com.

Design Troubleshooting, EMC, and ESD – This three-day seminar takes the best points from Doug Smith’s seminars and compresses them into three action-packed days with lectures, videos, and many demonstrations on live circuits. Time is allowed for attendees to operate the experiments if they want. In two days, you will learn how to make accurate measurements in the lab and then apply those techniques to design verification and troubleshooting as well as EMC problems. The techniques and experiments are geared to the development lab and common equipment found there. During an optional third day, ESD/EMI at the system level will be covered as well as applying system level ESD stress to components, such as LEDs, in a test environment.

> Dr. Tom Van Doren teaches participants how to diagnose and solve electromagnetic interference and signal integrity problems.

Grounding & Shielding of Electronic Systems – This course treats signals and currents; explains fundamental grounding, shielding, and signal routing principles; clarifies troublesome terminology; and demonstrates many techniques for identifying and fixing electrical interference problems. The principles will be described as concepts rather than theoretical equations. The emphasis on concepts will make the course useful for people with technical experience ranging from beginners to advanced designers. Since many noise emission and susceptibility problems are related to the mechanical design of systems, mechanical engineers and technicians can benefit from attendance. Several interface mechanisms and shielding techniques will be demonstrated. Additional details about the course can be found here.

> Wyatt Technical Services offers several public seminars on EMC design and troubleshooting throughout the year.

> Product Safety and Environmental Testing 

> AEMC Instruments offers the following public training opportunity:

Understanding Ground Resistance Testing Training Seminar (In Chicago – 9/22/15) – This one-day training seminar consists of two sessions. The first session consists of classroom presentations and discussions on all aspects of soil resistivity and ground resistance testing. The second session consists of on-site field tests demonstrating the different methods of ground resistance testing discussed during the first half of the day. Participants will have the opportunity for hands-on experience and demonstrations of proper testing procedures including measurement of soil resistivity, correct placement of test rods, using the 3-Point method, and proper use of the clamp-on test method.

> CST of America offers the following public courses throughout the year. Additional details and a complete course schedule are available on their website.

EMC/EMI Training – The CST STUDIO SUITE® EMC/EMI training course consists of 2 full days. This training class is intended for Engineers involved in Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), Electrostatic Discharge (ESD), Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3), and antenna integration.

Signal Integrity & Power Integrity Training – This 2-day hands-on training course is focused on modeling and solver overview and focuses on EDA/SI/PI applications. The CST MWS Signal Integrity training course consists of 2 full days. It is helpful to be familiar with the Getting Started manual. This training course is focused on modeling and solver overview and concentrates on SI/PI applications.

Training for EDA / Signal Integrity – This CST MWS training course consists of 2 full days. It is helpful to be familiar with the Getting Started manual. This training course is focused on modeling and solver overview and concentrates on EDA / SI / PI applications.

Microwave & Antenna Training – This 2-day hands-on training course focuses on modeling and solver overview and concentrates on antenna simulation. 

Antenna Placement Training – The training consists of one full day. It is intended for customers that are already familiar with the modeling/ solving part of CST or participated in the 2 days training on antennas. This training course is focused on antenna placement simulations.

Multiphysics Training – The MPS training consists of one full day. It is intended for customers that are already familiar with the modeling/ solving part of CST or participated in beginner training. This training course is focused on various em-thermal and mechanical coupled simulations.

> Equipment Reliability Institute offers the following public courses throughout the year. Visit their website for more details about each course and a detailed schedule.

Fundamentals of Random Vibration and Shock Testing, HALT, ESS, HASS Measurements, Analysis and Calibration

Military Standard 810G Testing

Understanding, Planning, and Performing Climatic and Dynamic Tests Thermal & Vibration Reliability

> O’Brien Compliance Management offers a training course in IEC 60601, the medical electrical equipment standards for basic safety and essential performance.

IEC 60601 Series, 3rd Edition Training – This course is an intense 3-day training course. There are presentation slides, frequent references to source standards, and skill implementation work group exercises. Participants are encouraged to ask questions about the safety requirements, and how they apply to products currently under development. Our course continues to evolve to stay up to date with the latest standards, interpretations, and regulatory guidance.

> Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) 

> The ESD Association holds educational opportunities throughout the year both online and at events. For full details, visit the ESD Association’s website.

Fundamental Handling Practices, Basic ESD Control Program, and Simplified Measurements – This 2-day tutorial set is specifically focused on providing practical ESD information to small to midsize electronic and related companies who do not have in-house ESD experts but want to ensure themselves that they have good ESD practices and processes in place to protect their products. This series is designed primarily for personnel working in a contract manufacturer, parts distributor, electronic repair facility, and electronic field service organizations.

> Private/Custom Seminars

Many experts offer private seminars designed to train select personnel at your location. These seminars offer companies an opportunity to train multiple compliance personnel with a customized approach designed for their needs. Following is a list of experts who offer private seminars:

> Cherry Clough Consultants – Seminars allow for a customized approach to training in basic and advanced EMC design, the EMC Directive, and EMC engineering practices for EMC testing techniques and EMC functional safety.

> Kimmel Gerke Associates, Ltd. – Kimmel Gerke offers seminars on EMC design fundamentals and techniques for ensuring EMC Compliance.

> Henry Ott Consultants – Henry Ott Consultants offers one to three-day EMC seminars (in plant and public) on over 25 different topics, including “Partitioning and Layout of Mixed-Signal PCBs” and EMC Considerations in Switching Power Supply Designs.”

> Wyatt Technical Services, LLC – An independent consulting firm that specializes in EMC design, troubleshooting and training services to commercial and industrial manufacturers with global distribution in the consumer, computer, network & telecommunications, industrial and scientific industries.

> On-Line Training

If webinars are your preferred style of learning, many companies sponsor on-demand style webinars for viewing at your convenience. Please visit the following sites for specific topics:

> Associated Research – Associate Research’s webinars provide detailed information on many aspects of electrical safety testing.

> CST of America – CST of America offers webinar programs throughout the year that focus on design challenges across the field of electrical engineering, in microwaves and RF, EMC, EDA, and charged particle dynamics.

> Kimmel Gerke Associates – Kimmel Gerke offers webinars throughout the year.

> SIEMIC 2015 Regulatory Compliance Webinars – Presented in a series of monthly one-hour presentations, these webinars will present the latest regulation changes, importation requirements, and hot compliance issues for the most important and dynamic market countries.

> Elite Electronic Engineering, Inc. also offers webinars throughout the year and also offers on-demand viewing of past webinars.

> Industry Symposia and Table-Top Programs

These annual symposia are an excellent resource for extensive technical training, and the exchange of new ideas and technical concepts. The benefit of attending these events is that attendees can sample a vast array of workshops quickly and efficiently while networking with colleagues and professionals with the same interests.

> 2015 IEEE Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility & Signal Integrity (EMCSI)
March 15-21, 2015 – Santa Clara, CA

> 31st International Review of Progress in Applied Computational Electromagnetics (ACES 2015)
March 22-26, 2015 – Williamsburg, VA

> ESTECH 2015: Fostering Revolutionary Thinking (Environmental Stress-Focused)
April 27-30 — Danvers, MA

> 9th Annual International Electrostatic Discharge Workshop (IEW)
May 4-6, 2015 – Lake Tahoe, CA

> IEEE Symposium on Product Compliance Engineering
May 18-20, 2015 – Chicago, IL

> Joint IEEE International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility and EMC Europe 2015 
August 16-22, 2015 – Dresden, Germany

> IEEE EMC Society 2015 Regional Events

Dearborn, MI: May 7, 2015 – Contact: Scott Lytle, Yazaki North America, scott@emcsociety.org

Bloomington, MN: September 15, 2015 – Contact: Dan Hoolihan, (651) 213-0966, danhoolihanemc@aol.com

Labels: Professional Development; Training for Engineers; Webinars

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