5 Tips to Reduce the Effects of EMI on your Instrumentation Signals
Electricity and magnetism are two natural forces that are always related to each other. Moving current generates a magnetic field, even if it's a feeble one. Conversely, any change in the magnetic field generates electricity. This co-relation is used in numerous applications like transformers and other electrical instrumentations.
As sure as electricity and magnetism, there also exists electromagnetic interference (EMI). This is the unwanted noise that exists within the environment via natural and man-made sources.
The EMI Problem
Did you ever notice that if you place a cell phone near a speaker, it sometimes causes the speaker to emit a certain disturbance or noise?
That’s a practical example where electromagnetic noise negatively affects the working of an appliance. Depending on the circumstances, it can cause electronics to work improperly, malfunction or even stop working altogether. Instrumentation signals are a type of signal that carries information. Excess interference and it will fail to do what it intended to, so here are a few tips on how to reduce electromagnetic noise.
Maintain Separation
Putting power wiring & instrumentation wiring close to each other increases the chance of electromagnetic interference between them.
It's advised to run these wirings separately as much as possible. You can even run them in different cable trays.
Angle of Crossing
It's quite tough to always maintain the separation between the power wiring & instrumentation wiring.
If you need to cross them, cross at a 90-degree angle while maintaining as much separation as you can between them.
Avoid Loops
There are numerous pointers to keep in mind when doing instrumentation wiring.
One of which is avoiding forming loops amidst the wiring. Current flowing in loops can develop eddy currents which will reduce the efficiency of the circuit.
Twisted Wires
Naked wires generate more electromagnetic signals. Shielding reflects EMI inwards and absorbs the ones that aren’t reflected.
Use shielded cables to help carry the instrumentation signals. Another tip is to twist the cables while laying them out. This method reduces EMI as the twisted wires equalise the electromagnetic effect of both sides.
Grounding
An earthing or grounding system connects excess power to the Earth’s conductive surface.
We suggest using multiple grounding points with the least electrical noise to keep the EMI under control.
Using Cosmo Ferrites
Another option to efficiently reduce the ill effects of EMI is by investing in soft ferrites from Cosmo Ferrites. These cores shield against unwanted frequencies both to and from the application. It also has other features like high magnetic efficiency, low impedance & a compact size that allows a variety of uses.
We have a myriad of core options ranging in shape, size & functionality. All of our cores are tested following IEC 410/IEC 414 sampling plan to ensure an acceptable Average Quality Level (AQL) for major and minor defects. This ensures maximum & consistent quality that helps your applications deliver the best output every time.
Don’t know which core to select? Our team is technically skilled to cater to all your questions. Feel free to Contact us.