Short course
Applying Practical EMI Design and Troubleshooting Techniques
Course status:
Course ended
Dates:
13/04/2026 - 15/04/2026
Study format:
Short intensive
Fees:
£1,260.00
This course gives engineering professionals the ability to successfully recognise, solve and avoid challenging EMI problems, including both regulatory and funtional, self-interference issues.
Demonstrations using working hardware illustrate concepts such as radiated emissions, high frequency antennas, radiated and conducted immunity, electrostatic discharge, and crosstalk in connectors, cables and IC packages.
This course is appropriate for experienced circuit and system design engineers, EMC engineers, as well as those who are new to EMI problem solving.
The course is based on over 30 years of hands-on troubleshooting experience and the latest EMC research.
This course comprises Day 1 (PM only), and Days 2-3 of a week-long programme:
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Days 1-3: Applying Practical EMI Design and Troubleshooting Techniques
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Optional Day 4: Advanced Printed Circuit Board Design for EMI & Signal Integrity
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Optional Day 5: Mechanical Topics (Shielding of Enclosures and Cables) for EMC
At checkout, you may choose to add either or both of Day 4 and Day 5 to your enrolment.
Apply for this course
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Level and demands
This course is for Digital Logic Designers, Analogue Designers, Technicians, EMC Specialists, Printed Circuit Board Designers, Applications Engineers; anyone working with electronic circuits who is concerned with the control of low and high frequency electrical noise in electronic systems.
Accommodation
Although not included in the course fee, accommodation may be available at our on-site Rewley House Residential Centre. All bedrooms are en suite and decorated to a high standard, and come with tea- and coffee-making facilities, free Wi-Fi access and Freeview TV. Guests can take advantage of the excellent dining facilities and common room bar, where they may relax and network with others on the programme.
To check prices, availability and to book rooms please visit the Rewley House Residential Centre website.
Enrolled students are entitled to discounted accommodation rates for the purpose of study, at Rewley House, and can contact the administration team for the promotional code to use for making online accommodation bookings via the website.
Programme details
Day 1 – Monday 13 April, 1:00pm – 5:30pm
Section 1: Measuring and Inducing noise
- The electrical noise model
- Distinguishing the four noise paths by name, electrical driving function, necessary physical features and impact of source to victim distance
- Troubleshooting techniques based on the noise model
- Far-field versus Near-field coupling + DEMONSTRATION
- Practical antenna theory for radiated emissions and immunity + DEMONSTRATION
- Conducted emissions—mode separation, LISNs, troubleshooting
- Practical applications
Day 2 – Tuesday 14 April, 9:00am – 5:30pm
Section 2: Understanding the Physics and Root Causes of Noise Problems
- Capacitance—in ESD, PC boards, decoupling networks, filter networks, cables + DEMONSTRATION
- Electrostatic discharge (ESD). IC and system ESD tests. Problems with test repeatability. Design techniques to improve PCB ESD immunity + DEMONSTRATION
- Inductance—in PC boards, connectors, ICs, high speed signal paths, decoupling networks
- How to use connectors for improved signal quality, reduced emissions and improved immunity
- Behaviour of current paths at low and high frequencies + DEMONSTRATION
Day 3 – Wednesday 15 April, 9:00am – 5:30pm
Section 3: Modelling the Four Noise Coupling Paths with Lumped Element Schematics Functions of “Ground” and “Ground” Loops.
- Common impedance – in PCB power planes, ground planes, cables
- Capacitive – in PCB power filtering, transformers, heatsinks, connectors + DEMONSTRATION
- Inductive – in PCB ground planes, connectors and IC packages
- Radiative – from small electronic products
- Function and definition of “ground”. Distinguishing ground from signal return in PCB and system design
- Diagnosing the two types of ground loops. How to design to avoid ground loops
Section 4: Optimum Use of EMI Control Components
- Control components: capacitors, inductors, ferrite beads, common-mode filters + DEMONSTRATION
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Coping with and improving non-ideal characteristics such as interconnect inductance, DC bias
Section 5: Measuring and Diagnosing Effects of Common and Differential-Mode Sources and Filters
- Differential-mode current, voltages
- Common-mode currents, voltages + DEMONSTRATION
- Understanding the common-mode current and antenna path for emissions and immunity
- Antenna currents and relevance to filter networks and troubleshooting
- Common and differential-mode filtering. Filter network topology and function
- Inherent difficulties in EMC filter design. Effects of filters on intended and unintended signals
Test and measurement equipment for this course is supplied by Rohde & Schwarz 
Attending Your Course
Further details will be emailed to you two weeks ahead of your course, which will include registration information.
If you have not received your joining instructions five working days before the course start date, please get in touch.
In the meantime, you may wish to plan your travel: Travel information
Learning outcomes
After attending this course you will be able to:
- Systematically analyse and solve noise problems by using the noise model to create and analyse a noise circuit schematic
- Minimise radiated EMI by designing low inductance signal interconnects
- Understand ground loops, how to represent them in an equivalent circuit, and how to eliminate them
- Clearly identify and manage the different types of “ground” in schematics and physical circuits
- Identify “accidental antennas” in new designs
- Understand, measure and reduce common-mode current in emissions and immunity, and functional noise problems
- Improve the quality of sensor and instrumentation signals in the presence of noise
Lee Hill
SILENT Solutions LLC & GmbH, USA & Germany
Lee Hill is Founding Partner of SILENT, an independent EMC and RF design firm established in 1992 that specializes in EMC and RF design, troubleshooting and training.
Lee received his MSEE from the Missouri University of Science & Technology EMC Laboratory, emclab.mst.edu.
He teaches a graduate course in EMC as a member of adjunct faculty at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), and is also an EMC course instructor for Texas Instruments, the University of Oxford and the IEEE EMC Society’s Global University, which he currently chairs. He is a past EMC instructor for UC Berkeley, Agilent and Hewlett Packard.
With over 30 years of EMC design and troubleshooting experience, Lee consults and teaches world-wide, and has presented courses in Taiwan, China, Poland, Singapore, Mexico, Norway, Canada, South Korea, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Lee is a past member of the IEEE EMC Society’s Board of Directors (2004-2007).
Certification
In order to be eligible for a certificate of attendance, you will need to attend the whole course. Participants who meet this criterion will be emailed after the end of the course with a link, and instructions on how to access their University of Oxford digital certificate.
The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate, as well as share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Days 1 (PM only), 2 and 3 (standard course fee) | £1260.00 |
| Day 4 – Advanced PCB Design (optional) | £625.00 |
| Day 5 – Mechanical Topics for EMC (optional) | £625.00 |
Payment
Fees include course materials, tuition, refreshments, and lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday. The price does not include accommodation.
All courses are VAT exempt.
Register immediately online
Click the ‘Book now’ button on this webpage. Payment by credit or debit card is required.
Request an invoice
If you require an invoice for your company or personal records, please contact the course administation team to request an application form. Payment is accepted online, by credit/debit card, or by bank transfer.
Module code: O25C690H6T
When applications are open, click the ‘apply’ button at the top of this page.
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