Study To Predict The Electromagnetic Interference For A Typical House in 2010

Study to predict the electromagnetic
interference for a typical house in 2010
MDC001D002-1.0 Copy 1
Anita Woogara
17 September 1999
Cover + 40 pages
List of contents
1 Introduction 3
1.1 General 3
1.2 Objectives 3
1.3 Content of the report 3
2 Electromagnetic compatibility 5
2.1 Background 5
2.2 Susceptibility/ immunity 5
2.3 Regulations and standards 6
2.4 Testing for electromagnetic compatibility 7
2.5 Solutions 8
2.6 General public awareness 11
3 Electromagnetic interference in a typical house today 12

3.1 Natural interference sources 12
3.2 Power supply irregularities 12
3.3 Electrostatic discharge 13
3.4 Household wiring 14
3.5 Domestic appliances 14
3.6 Baby monitoring 15
3.7 Electronic wheelchairs 15
3.8 Hearing aids 15
3.9 Mobile phones 15
3.10 Hobby radio 16
3.11 Automobiles 16
3.12 Aircraft 17
3.13 Railway systems 18
3.14 Trams 18
3.15 Nuclear electromagnetic pulse 18
4 Future developments 19
4.1 General 19
4.2 Teleworkers 19
4.3 Computing environment 20
4.4 Home networking 21
4.5 Phones 24
4.6 Entertainment 25
4.7 Kitchen appliances 26
4.8 Garden equipment 26
4.9 Health 27
4.10 Transport 28
4.11 Change in environment 29
MDC001D002-1.0 Page 1
List of contents
4.12 Alternative ideas 30
5 Conclusions 31
5.1 Summary of today’s problems 31
5.2 Future trends – Change in culture 31
5.3 Change in electronic equipment 31
5.4 Change in communication between devices 32
5.5 Lack of communication between manufacturers and users 33
5.6 Old environment 33
5.7 Lack of communication between installers and manufacturers 33
5.8 Suitability of regulations and testing procedures 34
5.9 Actions to be taken to reduce future problems 34
5.10 Further work 35
A Appendix 1 37
A.1 Digital versus analogue 37
A.2 Sharing frequencies 37
A.3 Models for separate devices 37
B References 39
C List of companies contacted 40
MDC001D002-1.0 Page 2
1 Introduction
1.1 General
This report has been prepared by Anita Woogara, a vacation student on a placement with The Smith
Group, on behalf of the Radiocommunications Agency.
1.2 Objectives
The main objectives for this project consist of predicting the Electromagnetic interference (EMI)
situation in a typical household in 2010 with the aim of seeing if there is anything that can be
implemented now which would reduce or prevent problems later.
For the purposes of this project a typical house means a two floor semi-detached house in the suburbs of
a major city. So this house has to deal with a fair amount of traffic from the roads, airports and possibly
from underground trains. The following items among others are considered:
- medical devices such as hearing aids, pacemakers, electronic wheelchairs, etc;
- automobiles as they are started near the house;
- traffic as discussed above;
- garden equipment;
- overhead lighting;
- electronic toys;
- security systems;
- electronic tagging.
1.3 Content of the report
This report is organised as follows:
· Section 2 (Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) ) introduces the concepts of electromagnetic

compatibility and interference, why they need to be considered and how interference manifests
itself. The present regulations are looked at and any exceptions to these are noted. The ways, in
which companies test for EMC are examined, especially the options open to smaller
companies. Typical solutions to EMI are also examined, those available to the customer and
techniques used by the manufacturer.
· Section 3 (Electromagnetic interference in a typical house today) discusses the ways in which EMI
can occur. Then a closer look is taken to sources of emissions such as: natural interference,
manmade interference, nuclear electromagnetic pulses and electrostatic discharge.
Susceptibility and immunity of objects is examined such as the immunity to power supply
irregularities.
Error! Style not defined. Error! Style not defined.
· Section 4 (Future developments) describes future technologies and assesses the impact on EMC. As
part of this task, manufacturers and other relevant organisations have been contacted. The
answers provided by these companies are examined. A mention of the wilder ideas is also
given and then an informed analysis follows. Finally, alternative ideas of transferring
information, other than electronically, are discussed here.
· Section 5 (Conclusions) presents the conclusions of the report: the implications raised and some of
the actions that can be taken now to reduce problems in the future are discussed.
2 Electromagnetic compatibility
2.1 Background
Radio waves are generally considered to be the frequencies between 9kHz and 105GHz 1. Magnetic
fields are generated by wires carrying current. In order for this current to flow, there needs to be a
potential difference and hence there is an electric field. These fields can exist in any substance
including a vacuum. If these fields are strong enough they are able to affect other electrical devices.
When this interaction is unwanted it is called electromagnetic interference (EMI).
EMI can manifest itself in several ways; it can range from simple annoyance to more serious problems.
Some examples are shown below:
- a radio broadcast transmitter audible on a telephone line;
- television screens being interfered with by an electric hair dryer;
- a computer screen turning blue and corrupting text due to magnetic fields from an
underground train.
Interference can occur not only between unrelated devices but also between the subsystems of the same
piece of equipment, for example, the monitor and the Central Processing Unit (CPU) of a PC could
interfere with each other. If, as in this case, two systems have to operate together, the susceptibility of
the one has to be at such a level that it is not affected by the interference created by the other; they can
then be said to be electromagnetically compatible (EMC). Therefore, in order to minimise EMI it is
necessary to reduce emissions and increase immunity of devices.
2.2 Susceptibility/ immunity
When assessing whether equipment can withstand a certain amount of interference it is important to
define the point at which interference can be tolerated, for example, should it:
- be just discernible, but tolerable;
- cause a data error to occur;
- cause a program error to occur;
- be just short of component burn out?
The second and third options can be, to some extent, manual or self-correcting if the programmer has
taken the possibility of EMI into account. The general public is unlikely to tolerate anything past this
level of severity.
Continuous interference is less likely to be tolerated than short bursts of interference, because
infrequent interference can be dismissed, especially if it does not last long.
1 Radiocommunications agency, UK Spectrum Strategy, 1997

2.3 Regulations and standards
The International Special Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR), a sub-committee of the

International Electrotechnical Commission Council, meet and set out standards. These
recommendations do not become law until the individual countries decide to implement them, this leads
to incompatibilities between countries. In an attempt to unify EMC standards, the European
commission introduced the European Community Directive.
Radiated electromagnetic interference can affect equipment other than that owned by the person with
the interfering device. The interfering device may work perfectly while rendering someone else’s
equipment completely useless. Regulations seek to minimise the risk of EMI. However, they seem to be
mainly involved with protecting particular frequencies and services associated with them, rather than
being concerned with increasing electromagnetic compatibility as a whole.
There are two classes for equipment to fall in:

- A Commercial equipment
- B Equipment marketed for home use
In this report we will be concentrating on class B. Below is a table showing some of the emission limits
covered by the CISPR 22.
Frequency (MHz) Class A (dBmV) (from 3m) Class B (dBmV) (from 3m)
30 – 88 40 30
88 – 216 40 30
216 – 230 40 30
230 – 960 47 37
960 – 1000 - 37
> 1000 - -
Table Error! Style not defined.-1: Emission limits for Class A and Class B equipment 2
This table shows that the emission limits increase slightly as the frequency increases and that the
emission limits placed on equipment classified for home use is more stringent than that for commercial
equipment.
The European EMC Directive, 89/336/EEC, states that the apparatus shall be constructed so that:
- the electromagnetic disturbance it generates does not exceed a level allowing radio and
telecommunications equipment and other apparatus to operate as intended;
2 Ellis N, Electrical interference handbook, Reed Educational and Professional Publishing Ltd, 1998
- the apparatus has an adequate level of intrinsic immunity to electromagnetic disturbance
to enable it to operate as intended.
The following relevant devices are exempt from the directive 3

- self built amateur radio apparatus (but not Citizen Band (CB) equipment);
- medical devices and active implantable medical devices (all phenomena) (now covered
by the Medical Devices Directive);
- electricity meters (immunity);
- motor vehicle ignition systems (emissions pending the Automotive EMC Directive).
2.4 Testing for electromagnetic compatibility
These regulations are self-certifying and the Trading Standards Committee only investigates
complaints. Products found to be producing excess emissions are removed from the market.
It is expensive for small companies to have large test houses so there are a variety of options:
- Join a group of similar companies in the same situation so that a test house can be
financed jointly.
- Use an independent test house for all EMC requirements
- Use in house testing equipment.
The first option has not been well established in the UK yet. With the last two options there are
problems with measurement uncertainty as there is no guarantee that a test at one facility will give the
same results as an apparently similar test at another. In house testing is not always done in a controlled
environment and the equipment can still be quite expensive. Staff training is also required and there is a
need to keep up to date with the changing EMC requirements. Companies often combine in house
testing with independent test houses in order to compare with their own standards.
Devices are only tested just before being placed on the market. Later they may emit more as the
products age due to the capacitors in the filters drying out or poorly fitting microwave doors. Also if
they are repaired badly.
2.5 Solutions
2.5.1 Reduction of electromagnetic interference
EMI can be reduced by:

- having an EMC engineer work with the designer during product design, to solve
problems effectively during manufacture and to make sure that EMC problems are
taken into account;
3 Williams T, EMC for Product Designers, Reed Educational and Professional Publishing Ltd, 1996
- reduce interference on printed circuit boards (PCBs), as EMI can be affected by the
position of the electronics;
- increasing awareness in the general public and manufacturers. (An understanding of
EMC will encourage the public to enquire about interference before buying
electronic items. If manufacturers are educated then many problems can be solved
before products are placed on the market);
- reducing bandwidth. If the bandwidth is large then the probability of interference is
higher.
2.5.2 Shielding
The materials used to protect electronic equipment need to be considered very carefully, as a substance
that protects at low frequencies may be useless at higher ones. Shielding can not only be effective at
protecting internal equipment from external radiated emissions but also at preventing inside emissions
escaping. Both these functions are important in order for products to meet EMC requirements.
When choosing what material to use for shielding, it is important to remember there are two
components of electromagnetic waves: electric and magnetic. Metals need to be electrically conducting
and magnetically permeable (high permeability means the metal is highly conductive to lines of
magnetic force). If metal is not going to be used to shield the product and the design calls for plastic
instead, it is possible to coat the plastic with metal giving a similar effect to the metal casing. The use
of plastics could become more popular since the colourful iMac has been such a success. It is simple to
effectively shield a closed box, although in practice this will be entirely useless, as most electronic
equipment needs to be accessed in some way.
As the electromagnetic current will take the path of least resistance it will run around the outside of a
seamless box but at any joint it will move to the inside surface instead and affect the electronics. The
amount a hole compromises the shielding depends on the frequency of the radiation it is attempting to
block. Radiation with low frequencies and long wavelengths are not affected much by small holes,
however, these same holes in shielding for high frequency waves would severely affect its performance.
The use of apertures for ventilation is excluded if significant attenuation of high frequency signals is
required 4. Where there is a need for joints and seams, gaskets are often used to reduce the loss of
shielding integrity.
Ventilation
Equipment running at high speeds often needs ventilation and this involves a hole in the shielding.
Honeycomb vents can be used, which allow airflow and reduce Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) to a
certain extent. Dust filters can also be used these perform the same task and reduce the amount of dust
allowed into the device.
Viewing apertures
4 Molyneux-Child J, EMC Shielding Materials A Designer’s Guide, Reed Educational and Professional
Publishing Ltd, 1997
The need for displays compromises shielding integrity. Wire mesh can be laminated between two layers
of glass or acrylic, providing an anti-reflective surface that can be used to display information and also
give some continuation to the EMI shield.
Flexible shields
It is possible to produce textile EMI shields that can then be made into items such as curtains in offices
or houses, which will provide an EMI shield compromised slightly by the windows.
Photonic band gaps
This technology is being researched in America but could be available in ten years. Materials are being
developed which will absorb frequencies of a certain range and will be transparent to other frequencies.
This could be used as effective shielding for electronic products.
Disadvantages
The disadvantages with shielding are that: It makes the product heavier; more expensive and could
restrict the appearance of the device.
2.5.3 Filters
Interference sources within the equipment circuit or its power supply are coupled onto the power cable.
Interference can also be coupled from another cable to the power cable. The resulting interference may
appear as differential mode (between live and neutral, or between signal wires) or as common mode
(between live/neutral/signal and earth) or as a mixture of both. Filters are used to reduce this type of
interference.
It is possible to fit filters to electronic devices so that they become less susceptible to emissions and
reduce unwanted radiation. Examples of filters are: 5
- High pass filters, which can be used in the line between the television set and the
antenna to prevent unwanted signals from entering the tuner. An ideal high pass
filter would pass all frequencies above a certain point and nothing below it. This
would prevent strong signals interfering with the reception of the television.
- Low pass filters, which are used in the cable between an Amateur Radio transmitter and
station antenna to suppress unwanted signals above a certain frequency.
- Power-line filters, which are fitted between the AC line cord and outlet an ideal filter
would pass energy at the frequency used on the power line and nothing above it.
The disadvantage of relying on filters is that they rarely cut off unwanted signals sharply and so cannot
be depended upon alone.
5 Hutchinson C, Radio Frequency Interference, How to Identify and Cure It, The American Radio Relay
League, Inc, 1987
2.5.4 Defensive programming
It is possible, using error correction mechanisms, to programme software to check that it is receiving
the correct information from the expected source. This is called defensive programming and would
reduce the probability of the device acting on an unrelated signal. This method is used for military
applications where it is important that electronic devices operate in a wide range of situations and the
consequences of interference are more serious than in the domestic environment. Microsoft is presently
investigating defensive tools that could be used by the consumer if problems occurred due to EMI
frequently.
The disadvantage with using defensive programming is that it will require more planning during
production and could reduce response times.
2.6 General public awareness
Although the public are aware that objects can interfere with each other, such as mobile phones and
television sets, this does not seem to influence the products they buy. This is because people’s attitude
towards products is heavily influenced by the media and so EMC may become a greater issue after the
‘Millennium bug’ scares have died down and consumers might ask more questions before buying
electronic products.
2.6.1 Health scares concerning mobile phones
In the future, users of mobile phones could be suing the manufacturers for causing health problems.
Companies are aware that they could be accused of covering up any health problems and are very eager
to provide information. It is the job of the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) to respond to
matters that relate electromagnetic fields to health problems.
Present research is inconclusive on the effects mobile phones could have on health, however, the
mobile phone companies themselves are funding most of this research and very little independent study
is being done. Some research suggests that users of ‘hands free’ equipment, where the phone is clipped
to the belt, causes problems for the liver and kidneys. This is likely to be because phones at waist height
need to use more power to produce a reasonable signal than those near the head.
3 Electromagnetic interference in a typical house today
It is important to examine the electromagnetic interference problems that exist today and what the
sources are, as these problems are unlikely to have disappeared in ten years.
3.1 Natural interference sources
Lightning can be a natural source of electrical interference. Lightning is caused when there is a build up
of static charges on the clouds; this discharges in the form of a spark when a sufficient potential is
reached with respect to the ground.
The current of a lightning strike can be between 3 – 200 kA, about 1% are over 100kA. This current is
dissipated over the area around the strike and, due to the soil resistance, differences in potential can
develop. If two systems are grounded in different areas and connected to each other for communication
purposes, this would cause a lightning-induced interference signal to be injected into the system.
Electromagnetic fields from lightning discharges can also induce currents in conducting material in the
vicinity.
Remote lightning and electrical storms create electromagnetic fields, which cover a wide frequency
spectrum. The strength of these fields varies depending on the time of year and geographical location.
Phenomena, such as sunspots can cause a low-level noise over a wide frequency spectrum, rising to a
maximum every 11 years.
Impact on domestic environment
In the domestic environment lighting can cause problems on the power and telephone lines, particularly
where overhead distribution is used. Apart from this it does not have that much effect other than
causing interference in TV reception.
There is nothing that can be done to prevent natural interference, such as lightning from occurring. The
only way to reduce the effect on electronic equipment is to increase protection. Lightning is unlikely to
have disappeared in ten years time, in fact, the effect of lightning is likely to get worse due to modern
telephones being earthed in the home, thus providing a path for the induced charge.
Although manufacturers are unlikely to try to protect against a direct hit, some attempt is made to
protect against lightning electromagnetic pulses. Telephone companies should place protectors in
people’s houses, at telephone exchanges and repeater stations to reduce the effect on the customer. The
bandwidth of broadcast receivers is relatively narrow and so is unlikely to be affected adversely apart
from some interference with the picture and a crackling noise.
3 Electromagnetic interference in a typical house todayError! Style not defined.
3.2 Power supply irregularities
Mains powered equipment in the UK is expected to work within ± 10V. Even DC supplies can
fluctuate due to load changes. Battery operated devices need to be able to work when fully and partially
charged.
This is important because electronic items will be expected to perform to the same standards whatever
their power situation is. If items become more susceptible when only partially charged then this is a
concern.
3.3 Electrostatic discharge
ElectroStatic Discharge (ESD) is due to objects sliding over each other and the resulting displacement
of charges. Discharge is affected by the humidity; in the UK where it is relatively humid a potential of
about 15,000V is to be expected. Below is a table of some typical ESD potentials, it considers two
bands of relative humidity (RH). It can be seen that as the humidity increases the electrostatic voltages
are reduced by the leaking of the built up charges.
Electrostatic voltage (V)

Generation method 10 – 20% RH 65 – 90% RH
Walking across carpet 35 000 1 500
Walking on vinyl floor 12 000 250
Worker moving at non-metal bench 6 000 100
Opening a vinyl envelope 7 000 600
Picking up a polyurethane bag 20 000 1 200
Sitting on a polyurethane foam padded chair 18 000 1 500
Table 3-2: Some typical ESD potentials 6
Almost all ESD problems result in digital upset. This is mostly due to the fact that ESD produces
wideband interference and most digital devices concentrate on being immune to narrow band
interference. The ESD process rarely affects analogue devices, as the extremely brief transient is too
short to affect most analogue circuits. The most common problems are reset, lockup and data errors.
Materials can be categorised by their surface resistivity. Items with a low resistivity discharge quickly
and can cause some damage, compared to items with antistatic and insulative properties which
discharge more slowly and are, therefore, safer. Earthing equipment is also an important way of
reducing ESD. Due to more digital devices being available, ESD is likely to become more of a problem
in the future.
6 Ibid at 1
3.4 Household wiring
The methods used to wire houses have changed very little in the past 25 years. Traditionally,
electricians take no precautions against EMI when wiring a standard house. Competition in the market
is great and as a result the emphasis is on price rather than reducing any EMC problems. It can
therefore be said that this competitiveness is holding back many of the advancements that could be
made in this field. In houses where EMC is a requirement, such as those similar to ‘Smart homes’,
particular attention is paid to reducing EMI from household wiring and making sure that the wiring can
cope with the amount of electronic equipment being used. Electricians must comply with the BS 7671:
1992 Requirements for Electrical Installation (The Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE) Wiring
Regulations).
Power cables should not have any radio frequency (RF) on them. However, power line
telecommunications (PLT) have been investigated and unless designed carefully has a tendency to
interfere. Signal cables, however, may have to carry RF currents. If the cable is carrying a current that
returns via a nearby conductor on the same cable then it is known as a differential-mode current. The
fields are proportional to the current loop; thus if the cable is small so is the radiation. Currents that
only flow in one direction, common-mode currents, are more troublesome and at the point where they
enter the shield the interference behaves as if the noise source is located at the hole.
As cables are used by most electronic items and every house has wires running through the walls there
is a potential for interference from these sources everywhere. In the future, problems will continue to
arise due to the density of some housing estates. There has been an increasing interest in pre-fabricated
houses, where the lack of ducts in the walls will provide little or no shielding of EM fields from the
wiring.
3.5 Domestic appliances
Devices such as television sets are quite susceptible to electrical interference; this is usually seen as
sparkly lines across the screen. If digital signals are interfered with by wideband interference it is
usually more noticeable than if it were an analogue transmission, as it corresponds to the total loss of
signal (e.g. no picture on TV) instead of a degraded signal with analogue (e.g. sparkly lines across the
screen). Digital TV uses a positive pulse to mark the start of a new image on the screen, unfortunately
car ignitions emit a similar pulse and this could confuse the TV ruining the image. As there is a move
towards digital transmissions and a larger bandwidth, shielding of domestic appliances needs to be
increased.
3.6 Baby monitoring
Many parents use an electronic baby monitoring device, which consists of a transmitter set up near the
child and a receiver placed in the parent’s room or carried with them. However, these products are
prone to interference especially in urban areas, from cordless phones other baby monitors or echoes
from concrete walls. To reduce interference it is recommended that devices with a small bandwidth are
purchased.
3.7 Electronic wheelchairs
Technology for wheelchairs has increased dramatically in the last 15 years. It is now possible to move
the chair using a joystick, which is appropriate for elderly people who may not have enough strength in
their arms to move the chair manually. Although only a minority of people use these wheelchairs, the
susceptibility of these devices will become more of an issue, as the ageing population increases and the
cost of sophisticated wheelchairs decreases.
There are many diagnostic circuits incorporated in devices such as wheelchairs to ensure that if there is
an electronic failure, possibly due to EMI, this does not result in injury. In the future wheelchairs could
become much more sophisticated, catering for the more disabled by analysing eye movements. So care
has to continue to be taken so that problems are not caused by electromagnetic interference.
3.8 Hearing aids
Hearing aids operate between 200 – 4000 Hz. Manufacturers have to comply with the Medical Devices
Directive and the IEC118-13 ‘Immunity of hearing aids from interference with cellular phones’.
However, due to the interference experienced, it is not felt that these standards are adequate for those
users who also wish to use items such as mobile phones, although Nokia provides accessories for
hearing aid users so they can use the induction loop with their mobile phones.
The amount of people obtaining hearing aids from the NHS is not increasing, this may be due to the
stigma attached to them, especially as the NHS only issue large visible ones. People could be obtaining
ever-increasing numbers from private sources.
The technology for hearing aids has allowed them to become smaller and more discrete this involves
placing the electronics even closer together, and so the problems will get worse especially as people
with hearing aids will want to use all electronic equipment.
3.9 Mobile phones
The layout of a mobile phone network is based on a set of cells. Each cell has a separate channel and
they are arranged in such a way that no two cells with the same channel touch. This usually takes the
form of seven different cells forming a cluster.
As mobile phone usage increases, people are going to expect a better service from their phone suppliers
and in particular the continuation of the signal when moving into a building. It is important to consider
this as it could lead to interference and more transmitters being built to reduce the problem. The amount
of signal lost depends on factors such as the amount of glass on the outside wall and the way in which
the floors are divided. The amount of signal received also depends on how far from the ground the
phone is; the ground just outside the building will be obscured from the base station and will suffer
from diffraction effects from the building next to it. As the building is ascended, the signal may become
clearer as there is less diffraction loss. One way to reduce signal loss in buildings is to use a ‘leaky
feeder ‘ (a type of coaxial cable with a leaky outer screen so that energy is radiated from it along its
length) to distribute the signals around the building. This improves the signal but could cause more
problems with electromagnetic interference, as the signal is now stronger near other electronic
equipment.
Since mobile phones contact the base station when moving from one cell to another, this signal can
interfere with other electronic equipment such as the TV, computer or radio.
3.10 Hobby radio
Hobby radio has been around for a long time and, since it started, enthusiasts have been very wary of
any interference they may cause to other people innocently watching their TV or using their phone.
They take many precautions to prevent spurious emissions and to increase immunity of their own
equipment. However, although their equipment is getting more advanced, they may find their bands
being swamped by commercial users as they try to find less heavily used frequencies to operate on.
This has become a worry in America where there has been a call to buy the frequencies from the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to ensure that they are only used by amateurs. In ten
years time there is likely to be the same amount of interest in Hobby radio as there is now. Attention
should continue to be given to these users so that they are able to continue using the spectrum without
interference.
3.11 Automobiles
Cars and other vehicles now contain many electronic systems. These range from electronic engine
management systems to achieve maximum efficiency to electronically operated airbags to protect the
driver in the event of a crash. Unfortunately this leaves cars more vulnerable to electromagnetic
interference. Mobile phones and passing taxi radios have been known to interfere with Anti-skid
Braking Systems (ABS) and airbags, causing drivers to lose control of the car. Car ignition has been
changed recently to a short high voltage spark, although better for exhaust emissions this causes
wideband interference. As the car industry is very competitive, cutbacks are often made on the wiring,
which increases the risk of susceptibility.
The inclusion of computers in cars for navigation purposes will also increase the susceptibility.
Automobiles are covered in the Automotive Directive; this excludes them from the EMC Directive on
sub-assemblies and devices that may be sold separately from the vehicles. All of the systems in the car
have to be able to work simultaneously without interference from each other; ignition interference and
external radiated interference. However, interference from objects brought into the car, such as mobile
phones and laptops, may have been missed out. Additionally, household electronics can be affected by
cars outside, in the street or garage, which is especially relevant in houses with small front gardens.
3.12 Aircraft
Aircraft rely heavily on radio systems for navigation and are therefore susceptible to EMI. Some of the
frequencies used for communication and navigation are as follows:
Usage of Frequency Frequency

Navigation 10 – 14 kHz
Direction finder 190 & 1750 kHz
HF communications 3 – 30 MHz
VHF communications 118 – 136 MHz
Beacons 74 – 75 MHz
GPs 1.575 GHz
Collision warning 1.05 – 1.09 GHz
Altimeter 4.3 GHz
Storm radar 5.4 GHz
Table 3-3: Frequencies involved for communication and navigation of aircraft
Radar is used at airports for air traffic control; it consists of a strong pulsed signal that can interfere
with electrical equipment in the surrounding area. Aircraft could also create problems. However, EMI
from the aeronautical industry represent an issue only where the house is situated near an airport.
3.13 Railway systems
Both over and underground railway systems use electrically powered locomotives (25,000 Volts). The
EMI can be produced by the sparking from the pick-up shoes on overhead lines, ground currents, or
induction from the power lines themselves. Sparking from the pick-up shoes can be minimised by
reducing the power demand, either automatically or manually, by the driver before discontinuities are
reached in the catenaries.
Railways cover most of the country and as the demand for housing increases, they can pass quite close
to residential buildings and hence affect equipment inside them. Additional immunity constraints are
placed on the users of information technology equipment in the near vicinity. However, it is unclear
how suppliers know that their users will be situated near railway systems.
3.14 Trams
Trams have the potential to cause more problems in the domestic environment than railways, as they
can pass as close as 5 meters from houses. Tramlines are also more likely to be placed near crowded
council estates due to the lower house prices. The building of tramline networks in cities such as
Croydon also mean the use of CCTV cameras and electronic information terminals at tram stops. As
well as the overhead cables carrying electricity the drivers will be in contact via radio with the co-
ordinators.
Both types of railway have a corridor that extends 10 meters from the centre of the track, within this
EM emissions are completely unregulated up to the boundary. Due to housing pressures, many houses
fall inside this corridor, and are therefore subjected to a lot of interference. This fixed width corridor
should be changed for a more flexible one that does not allow households to fall inside an unregulated
area.
3.15 Nuclear electromagnetic pulse
This would occur during wartime or during the testing of nuclear bombs. The gamma rays from these
bombs can seriously affect electrical equipment. If an explosion occurred 500km above the North Sea,
it could damage sites as far as the south of Spain and the north of Norway. In the future, it is likely that
wars will be fought in this way and much defensive equipment is designed specifically to be less
susceptible and shielded rooms are also created. This report will not analyse this situation in detail as
more important problems than domestic electromagnetic issues are likely to require attention.
4 Future developments
4.1 General
In the next ten years there are likely to be many new items brought into the market that are accessible to
the average person, such as, advances in TVs, audio equipment and communication. This will lead to
the purchase of many more electrical items which will not necessarily replace those previously bought
and so there will be a mix of old and new technology working in close proximity. Many houses have a
TV in every bedroom; there will often be more than one computer and numerous radios.
On the other hand, there will be a convergence of products, the most obvious example being the TV and
computer. With the introduction of interactive digital TV it will be possible to browse the net, check e-
mails and watch a program on TV simultaneously. As well as being able to listen to the radio using a
computer, graphics have advanced to allow TV programmes to be watched. Other items converging will
include mobile phones with access to the Internet. As manufacturers of devices seek to incorporate
more technologies in smaller and smaller units, EMC is going to become more of an issue, both in
terms of immunity and emissions.
4.2 Teleworkers
A teleworker is someone who works remotely from their employer or client and uses technology to link
to them. Most predictions are that teleworking will increase significantly in the coming decade. This,
however, depends on a number of factors. Teleworking is not suitable to all professions or all
individuals. Many people may feel a sense of isolation from working at home, while others see it as a
way of cutting down on commuter time and an effective way of working inside school hours. In order to
be successful, teleworkers need a separate room in the house to work in. This provides a clear division
between work and home and should allow the worker to switch from one to the other.
As regards EMC, if teleworking does become more popular then the amount of electronics being used
in the home will increase as well as the amount of networking. Teleworkers will require equipment
used in offices such as fax machines, scanners, a fast Internet connection and possibly video
conferencing. This could mean that these houses should be given more protection from natural
interference sources as well as better wiring of homes. Some teleworkers convert part of the garage into
an office, since they require planning permission for this. Advice on solving EMC problems could be
given at this time.
4.3 Computing environment
4.3.1 Personal computers
PCs are already an essential part of the majority of households, in ten years time there are likely to be
more computers, the majority of which will have a connection to the Internet. The speed of computers
is likely to increase dramatically, as well as the storage space available. Advancements like these mean
that interference from computers will increase as more electronics are placed inside
As well as this, there will be technology normally associated with computers placed in other devices,
such as hard disc drives in video recorders, which will increase potential EMI effects.
Computer memory
A university in Britain has already developed a 3-D memory system that acts just like a hard disk. It can
store nearly three-and-a-half terabytes, which is hundreds of times bigger than those available presently.
Because of its small size and cheap price this technology is likely to be fitted into items such as watches
enabling them to become more sophisticated and will encourage more electronics to be placed inside,
thus increasing the susceptibility to interference.
4.3.2 Displays
The most popular type of display used at present is the Cathode Ray Tube (CRT). This display causes a
fair amount of interference in the near vicinity with radio receivers. It is likely to be used increasingly
before it is replaced, by the new technologies currently being developed. Some of these are detailed
below:
Continuous grain silicon
Continuous Grain Silicon (CGS) is being developed by Sharp. This allows ‘paper thin’ screens to be
produced leading to the production of wrist videophones, and maybe wrist Internet browsing.
Light emitting plastics
Cambridge Display Technology is researching light emitting plastics (LEPs). The plastics emit light in
response to the electric field created around them. The advantage of this technology over silicon based
screens is that it can be more easily scaled to larger sizes. This technology could, therefore, lead to
having screens hanging on walls looking like wallpaper until activated. Presently they are being
suggested for use as backlights for the automotive and telecom industries.
Virtual reality
At the moment this is expensive and is only really used seriously for military applications. Research is
being done so that the images are directed straight into the eye and a headset does not need to be worn
in order to experience the virtual world. If this succeeds virtual reality could become a commonly used
piece of equipment, possibly used for browsing the web.
EMI problems
It has been difficult to find information about the EMI impact these new types of displays will have,
this is due to the fact that these technologies are still in the design stage and also because EMC is
possibly not the main concern. We can, however, assume that Light emitting plastics may be a problem,
as they require an electric field around them to work.
4.3.3 Artificial intelligence
There has always been some interest in building a device that can think like a human being. This began
by requesting the computer to search through a list of rules and apply the appropriate one; this is the
method used to make ‘Deep Blue’ the computer that beat the world chess champion. Research has now
turned to making machines that are like children and can learn from their environment. It is unlikely
that there will be walking robots in households, however, household objects could become more
‘intelligent’. The television could learn what type of programmes members of the household liked to
watch and inform them when they were on. All this will require more microchips inside items and
hence electromagnetic interference could be more of a concern.
4.3.4 Video cameras
Lucent technologies have made a colour video camera the size of a coin, with a video quality similar to
a camcorder. This could lead to small cameras in laptops, computer monitors, and doorbells and thus to
more electronics being placed in small devices and so their susceptibility to interference will increase.
4.4 Home networking
As many homes now have a computer and research has shown that an increasing number have more
than one, home networking becomes an issue. This could also expand to include televisions, VCR’s and
CD players along with kitchen equipment such as refrigerators and microwaves. This technology needs
to become easier to use as consumers consistently fail to adopt new technologies that are difficult to set
up and use.
As it is often cost prohibitive for consumers to rewire portions of their houses to support a home
network, technologies that use existing wiring and also wireless technologies are likely to be more
successful.
Ethernet
Ethernet is fast and reliable but it is necessary to install new cables in order to use. This type of
networking is notoriously complicated so while it will remain a vital component of corporate
networking, home users are not expected to adopt this in large numbers.
AC power lines
It is possible to control household appliances via AC power lines. The most popular piece of equipment
to use for this purpose is known as X10. This consists of a controller/ transmitter, which is plugged into
a standard electrical outlet. Then each appliance to be controlled is plugged into a X10 module, which
in turn is plugged into a standard electrical outlet. Each device can be programmed, via the module, and
controlled individually.
The advantages of this type of networking are that it is simple and uses existing wiring. However, the
data integrity is a concern especially in old houses and data security between houses and apartments is
not sufficiently protected. Efforts to standardise home networking over AC power cables have lagged
behind wireless/ RF and home phone line technologies, and as such is unlikely to become the prevailing
technology.
Wireless technologies
Wireless technologies use radio frequencies to communicate rather than wires. At the moment most of
this technology is too expensive for the average home user, although Apple has recently introduced an
iBook, a portable version of the iMac. This is now available in America and can connect wirelessly to
the Internet by communicating with a small base-station, which can cover an area of 150 feet radius.
Bluetooth and Home RF Working Group are also trying to produce affordable wireless technologies.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth was first set up by a small number of companies but now has over 600 members. Bluetooth
aims to link several different electronic items together. The gadgets will communicate with each other
via short-range radio waves. Bluetooth is designed to work in an electromagnetically ‘loud’
environment. It locates a frequency and then synchronises all the devices in the same group to jump
from one frequency to another (up to 1,600 hops per second) this reduces any interference caused and
also any susceptibility from any other objects.
Bluetooth hopes to ultimately enable:

- household items to contact repairmen when broken;
- refrigerators, freezers and bathroom cabinets to report when items are running low;
- instant photos and video clips to be sent from any location by cordlessly connecting the
camera to a mobile phone;
- information to be shared cordlessly with other people in a meeting;
- laptops to be used to access the Internet whether they are wirelessly connected or
otherwise.
Home RF Working Group

The Home RF Working Group was established in March 1998 and is a subset of the International
Telecommunication Union. It currently provides for wireless Ethernet transmission for as far as 40
meters and four personal communication services including quality voice channels for cordless
telephones. They are also developing a Shared Wireless Access Protocol (SWAP) which operates in the
2.4 GHz range and can perform up to 50 hops per sec. It is expected to support 127 devices per
network, up to 50 meters apart.
The objective of the Home RF Working Group is to develop wireless technologies that have the
potential to work with minimal interference. This shows that EMI would be reduced if devices were
properly designed.
Hybrid networks
It is unlikely that one method of networking will be used exclusively in a household, especially
considering that equipment will be utilised both at work and home. This will result in a hybrid network,
consisting of a resident PC operating as the gateway, which is ‘always on’ i.e. it maintains a broadband
connection with the Internet access service. Other PCs are plugged into existing phone sockets and can
use the Internet without having to ‘dial in’. Lights and audio equipment can be controlled via AC power
lines and portable laptops and mobile phones could be connect to the network via wireless technologies
such as Bluetooth.
Electronics like this could ultimately lead to owners being greeted by their houses, which then turn the
lights on when they walk through the door. Saying goodbye would cause the lights to turn off and the
answer phone to be switched on.
This will mean, however, that all these different types of networking need to be able to work together
so any EMI problems will need to be solved.
4.5 Phones
Popularity
Since December last year there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people using mobile
phones, this is because prices have decreased and ‘pay as you talk’ phones have been introduced.
Mobile phones are now seen as being affordable to everyone. As the market is unlikely to be saturated
in the near future the number of people owning a mobile phone will increase.
Mobile phones are becoming so popular that in America it is difficult for people to have a phone call
without being cut off due to the interference. This is leading to people suing mobile phone companies
for not providing the advertised service.
Third generation mobile phones
It is planned to implement the third generation of mobile phones late 2001/2002, which will utilise
wireless information and interactive services for personal and location-based use. This will enable
virtual work teams, even when on the move, to focus on common tasks and projects. By incorporating
multimedia capabilities, data and images can be shared simultaneously with users, who are connected
with a voice or video connection.
Communicator
Nokia have already brought out a phone called the Communicator, which opens up to reveal a small
keypad, allowing e-mails to be checked and faxes to be sent. Some companies are starting to offer a
phone email service for normal mobiles via the text messaging facility. The Wireless Application
Protocol (WAP) being developed by Nokia will provide the facility, among others, to access the
Internet. This has already been used successfully to access details of the Edinburgh festival.
One phone
BT is presently advertising the use of one phone. This will mean that, while the owner is in the house it
will act as a cordless phone using the Digitally Enhanced Cordless Telephony (DECT) system,
transferring to the Global System for Mobiles (GSM) when it moves further away. When the phone
enters a house it will send a signal to ask whether it has permission to use the DECT system, this signal
is likely to interfere with other equipment but it should be brief. This transition from a mobile system to
a home system should prevent the use of ‘leaky feeders’. See section 3.9 for more details on this issue.
Pagers versus mobile phones
Since mobile phones can now be used for two-way text messaging, pagers seem to have lost
importance. However, pagers may still survive if they continue to offer other services such as better
coverage, information such as football scores and remain cheaper. Pagers may, in the future, be used
more by network engineers so they can be informed if something goes wrong.
Conclusion
Mobile phones will continue to be a popular method of communication, due to their convenience.
However, if companies are not careful they could suffer from their own success and people could
receive a reduced service, similar to America.
4.6 Entertainment
Analogue services withdrawn
It has yet to be announced when analogue television services will be terminated, when this does occur
everyone will be using digital televisions.
Interactive television
This has been considered a lot as something for the future. In order for interactive TV to be realised, a
broader bandwidth will be required. It could, for example, change the way our government is run, as
voters could be polled electronically for referendums. Television may take on a new role with people
actively taking part in programs to such an extent that they can download their own personal videos for
viewing by others. Technology to this extent is unlikely to be launched before 2010 but some form of
interactive TV might be available earlier.
Electronic books
In the future it may be possible to buy just one book that will look like a hardback book, with turnable
pages, but will have a control panel on the spine, which enables the reader to choose which book to
read. This involves the use of very thin and cheap displays and so is unlikely to be very widely used in
ten years time. What is more likely is that it will be possible to download the books to be read onto a
device which is handheld, or a CD or minidisk can be inserted from which the information can be
gained.
Speakers
It is already possible to buy speakers which are so thin they can be made to look like picture frames,
and hung on the wall. This would mean that it would be possible to have speakers in every room of the
house and if the appliances were networked it could be programmed so that the music followed a person
as they moved from room to room.
Toys
At the moment most toys do not contain a large amount of sophisticated circuitry and are therefore not
very susceptible to emissions, nor do they tend to emit much. The regulations for toys are lower than for
other household items. This should be considered carefully since the sophistication of toys is increasing
due to technology becoming cheaper and many toys will continue to mimic real life items such as
mobile phones and laptops.
EMI problems
Home entertainment is a growing market for technology, so there are always going to be interference
problems, especially if lots of electrical equipment is packed closely into a room.
4.7 Kitchen appliances
Broadcasting Food
A new idea, being investigated by Motorola, is to remove barcodes and replace them with a microchip,
which has enough memory to store 110 characters and has its own built in radio antenna. This will
enable information to be picked up by a trolley, which can calculate how much is owed and also deliver
the information to the food manufacturers telling them that their products have been bought. The
problem with these products is that the tags will continue to broadcast while they are sitting in the
fridge and cupboards and there could be a potential for interference.
Products could instead be made to emit at the supermarket by firing a high frequency beam at them,
however microwave ovens would have the same effect and would therefore cause the tags to emit in the
home, causing interference with other electronic items.
Surfing Microwaves
It may soon be possible to access the Internet using the microwave. It will allow recipes to be found and
can also inform food manufacturers what is eaten. This will again require a larger bandwidth, and
therefore be more susceptible to EMI problems.
4.8 Garden equipment
Nowadays electronic equipment is not just kept in the house, the garden too can be automated. When
electromagnetic interference occurs from sources such as lightning, it can lead to equipment, which is
controlled remotely, starting apparently of its own accord. It is important that potentially dangerous
devices, such as power tools, are designed to avoid this problem.
Robomo
An automatic lawnmower has been invented. Once a perimeter wire has been placed around the lawn
the mower can automatically sense the edges and avoid the flowerbeds. The wire carries 4.5 V and is
therefore unlikely to be an interference problem. The same manufacturers are now turning their
thoughts to a similar type of machine that would hoover a house. This would cause more problems than
the lawnmower because of the possible interference with other domestic appliances.
4.9 Health
Medical devices
Currently, very few electronic devices are implanted into the human body and only a small number of
the population use hearing aids. It is, however, very important that items such as pacemakers are not
interfered with as this could have dire consequences. BT is doing some research into a ‘wired man’,
which is an investigation into how people’s internal and external electronics will interact. They feel that
in the future people will have more medical devices implanted into the body, and perhaps some non-
medical implants, which enable external electronics to be operated by thought.
Cochlea implants, small electronic devices placed under the skin to assist hearing, are already available.
Unfortunately, they are prone to interference with objects, such as the security checks at shop entrances
and airline security, which can damage an implant. People with cochlea implants have also been told
not to use mobile phones.
Electronic wheelchairs
An increasing number of people are using these to move around their house and to get to places a short
distance away. Advances could be made so that a track of some sort could be laid in the home and the
wheelchair would electronically follow it. See section 3.7 for more details.
Monitoring
As medical equipment becomes cheaper it is conceivable that monitoring systems may be installed in
homes. These could be used to monitor heart rates of people who are susceptible to heart attacks or
have had previous heart conditions. This type of technology is likely to be introduced in America first
and then Britain, but probably not in a major way for another 15 years or so.
4.10 Transport
The 1997 ‘A vision for transport 2020’ published by the Civil Engineers on behalf of the Engineering
Council mentions the need for concern over global warming but not for EMC. Many ideas are put
forward to improve transport, most of which involve more electronics inside the cars and on the road
for speed control etc. All of these items will be next to houses and, if not properly shielded, could cause
interference. Handheld navigation systems were also considered, these would be carried into people’s
houses and used next to mobile phones.
The government is trying to encourage people to use public transport, as congestion is becoming a
major problem. An incentive to use public transport would be punctuality. BT is investigating an idea,
which would enable the time of arrival of the bus to be checked by using either the web a mobile phone
or a pager. The bus would be fitted with a GPS tracker, so that its position could be monitored. This
technology would be useful but in large cities such as London, GPS on buses may not be that reliable,
due to the interference.
Alternative fuel vehicles
With concern rising over decreasing amounts of fossil fuels and air pollution, electric cars may be seen
as an emission free alternative. However, depending on how the electricity is generated it could just
move the pollution from exhaust pipes to the power stations. Other problems with electric cars are that
the battery does not last for a very long time. Also although they are more energy efficient, electric cars
are unlikely to achieve the range and performance of cars running on petrol. Electric cars may cause
interference with other electronics inside the car, but these problems would have to be solved before
these cars are marketed.
A hybrid car, which runs off the battery until it is exhausted and then switches over to petrol is a more
likely alternative. However, this will only be phased in gradually and only a small percentage will be
around by 2010. Solar power is unlikely to be an option for much of Britain due to the lack of sunshine.
Cars that run on ethanol are possibly a better solution. This fuel can be home grown in the form of corn
and is a cleaner fuel. It is also a more obvious solution in light of dwindling oil supplies.
Satellite radio receivers in cars
Ford has announced that they will start producing cars in America with satellite radio receivers as early
as 2001. This results from a deal made with CD Radio. These receivers will be used very close to the
house and could interfere with automatic garage controls. See section 3.11.
4.11 Change in environment
Smart cards
Many companies, including Motorola, are researching smart cards. The ultimate idea is that the ‘Smart
Card’ can be used to pay for items such as plane tickets, bus fare etc. The card will hold personal
details, such as medical details, personal preferences (e.g. non-smoking and bank details). Although
these cards themselves obviously do not produce any emissions or are susceptible in any way, the idea
does show that society is moving towards integrated technology. This means that more devices will
perform more than one task and it will be expected that one type of technology is compatible with
another. There may be an introduction of laptops that accept the card in a slot, which then can send the
information to an airport to buy the plane tickets. Although it is unlikely that these cards will be used to
this extent, however, an identity card of some sort will be introduced.
Customisability
Increasingly, electronic items are being made more customisable, for example mobile phones have a
number of settings, it is possible to tailor voice mail or to decide whether international calls are to be
received. This all requires an increase in bandwidth, making it more susceptible to outside EMI and
increasing the interaction with other items.
Electronic tagging
Electronic tagging takes the form of a small bracelet worn around the wrist or ankle. Presently the
Home Office is the main user of electronic tagging, keeping track of prisoners in the community. The
use of this will increase, as problems increase, due to lack of space in prisons.
Tagging could have other uses, such as helping to increase the security of children on their way to
school. Children could be fitted with the bracelet before setting off and, if linked with GPS, parents
could be notified if the child wanders off the route via mobile phone or pager. This will have the added
benefit of reducing traffic as more children will be able to walk to school safely.
The problem with this would be, when the GPS signal was interfered with and incorrectly showed that
the child was off the route. This interference is likely to take place in cities where children walk to
school. These problems already occur with prisoner tagging.
4.12 Alternative ideas
Optoelectronics
The Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) is researching the method of using photons rather than
electrons to transmit, store and process information at Southampton University 7. Using photons means
that the information is transmitted at the speed of light making it a lot faster than anything built using
electrons so far. The research has also led to the development of optical fibres that amplify light,
eliminating the need for electronic repeaters, hence reducing EMI problems. Optical fibres are already
available and are used in some places to transmit information, this continued research should increase
its use.
Quantum computing
This could be the next big step for computers; it will directly employ the principles of quantum
mathematics to perform calculations that are infeasible on today’s computers. Although there is a lot of
research being done, mostly in universities around the country, it is mostly theoretical at the moment.
This type of technology will not be around within ten years and is therefore out of the scope of this
report.
Electromagnetic powercoupling
Electromagnetic powercoupling could mean that a wireless lamp could be placed on a desk, where it
would detect the lamp and supply the correct amount of power to it. This could be established possibly
by modulating the impedance through the desktop. This type of technology may be around in 14 years.
It is unknown exactly what kind of EMI problems this may produce, obviously it would be important to
supply the power carefully and only to those devices that required it. On the positive side, it should
remove the need for power leads.
Sulphur lamps
The introduction of sulphur lamps could revolutionise home lighting. The lamp is the size of a golf ball
and emits a bright and efficient light when energised by microwaves (2.5 GHz). A hollow pipe
distributes the light from the sulphur lamp evenly throughout the building providing a softer light. The
main problem with this idea is that it utilises microwaves that could cause problems if not properly
shielded. This form of lighting could conceivably be used in the home in 10 years.
7 Kenward M, Photonic clusters promise bright future, Physics World, Vol. 12 No 6, June 1999
5 Conclusions
5.1 Summary of today’s problems
Many changes are taking place in the electronics industry, some of these are causing EMC problems.
The increase alone in the number of items containing electronics means that almost anything can be
susceptible to emissions. Most of these items are not self contained and usually send and/or receive
information either via cables or radio waves. This move towards communication, coupled with the
devices becoming more portable, means that these products are used everywhere, often in close
proximity to other electrical appliances. As digital signals become more popular, their susceptibility to
broadband emissions, such as car ignition, becomes more serious.
5.2 Future trends – Change in culture
New Technology
When trying to predict what sort of technology may be around in our homes in 2010, it is important to
take account of public reaction to new inventions and radically new ideas. If the general population
does not accept these technologies, then they will never be adopted in a large way.
Health
There will continue to be concerns about the effects of electronic equipment on health, especially due to
the number of people using mobile phones, possibly leading to worries about other electronic items.
This would result in the public demanding reduced emissions and possibly safety warnings to be placed
on mobile phones. This scenario is likely to reduce emissions a lot faster than any public concern over
interference. On the other hand there could be very little concern, as companies will have carried out
their research and acted quickly on their findings. However, I find the latter to be less likely.
Concerns such as these could also lead to people adding objects to devices, for example, covers for
mobile phone aerials, to reduce the effect on their health. Unfortunately, such items cause the phone to
increase the power of its signal as it has difficulty contacting the base station with a cover over the
aerial. Thus, the cover causes the electromagnetic field around the phone to be more intense.
5.3 Change in electronic equipment
Quantity
Not only will there be an increase in the amount of electronic equipment owned by a household, there
will also be an increase in the sophistication, which will leave these objects more susceptible to EMI.
For example, thermostats used to be made from bimetallic strips. Now they are made using computer
chips, which are susceptible to EMI.
Add-ons
When new services become available that require new equipment to receive or utilise, such as digital
TV or Sky, there will always be items, such as set-top boxes, that have to be produced to persuade
customers to use the service for a minimum cost. This will encourage people to buy more electronics to
use with their older items which were not designed to run with other electronic devices, and so
interference may occur.
Low voltage items
Items that are powered by low voltages are more susceptible to electromagnetic interference. This is
because they detect a smaller signal to noise ratio. Low voltage items are likely to become more
popular, especially in portable devices.
5.4 Change in communication between devices
Quantity
The main items which cause the most EMI problems are those which communicate with others. Mobile
phones interfere with other devices when they are contacting base stations; television sets are most
susceptible to interference via the leads connecting it to other items such as a power source and the
aerial. When items do not need to communicate with anything else and have their own internal power
supply, they tend to interfere less with other objects, although they may still be susceptible to emissions
from others.
Technology seems to be moving towards more items communicating with each other, giving the user
control over many devices through one medium. So interference along cables will increase unless the
communication is wireless, although this could create its own problems. As concerns increase over
declining fossil fuels and therefore the availability of petrol for transport, there could be an even more
concentrated effort to improve communications in the form of video conferencing or something similar.
Bandwidth
Most of the future items talked about involved a connection with the Internet in some way. This would
involve an increase in bandwidth. Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) technology could be
used to provide broadband Internet access as it will allow a superfast connection which is ‘always on’.
As it is unlikely that only one company will install these lines, there is an increased potential for
interference between mismatched cables running through underground ducts. There is some worry that
Internet connections through ordinary phone lines will be endangered by electromagnetic interference if
many companies offer this service. However, it is conceded that competition is required to prevent one
company, such as BT, from maintaining a monopoly.
Wireless
Bluetooth and other similar projects are unlikely to produce devices that will interfere with other
electronic items due to the continuous switching of frequencies. The only place interference is likely to
occur is between the electronic objects themselves. As this is an aspect the designers have to overcome
before the devices will operate as specified, this too is unlikely to be much of a problem after a while.
Bluetooth has a lot of potential and, if handled well, it will contribute to the growing convergence of
technologies.
5.5 Lack of communication between manufacturers and users
Some manufacturers seem to produce electronic equipment with the idea that it will be used in an office
environment, where the buildings are more likely to be newer and may even have some degree of
shielding to EMI. As opposed to a domestic environment where there are many different electronic
items which will be placed much closer together. This lack of communication between manufacturers
and users could therefore increase EMC problems.
5.6 Old environment
One of the problems is going to be that many people will be using new equipment in old houses, where
the wiring is probably not brilliant or adequate for the amount of electrical devices. People living in
newer houses, where the wiring has been carried out taking into account the electrical equipment, will
not be as susceptible to interference. People could rewire their houses but this is expensive and the
majority of people will not and are unlikely to see the need to.
In an attempt to conserve Green Field sites, houses are being built closer together as demand for
housing continues to rise. This would mean that the probability of objects in one house interfering with
devices from another would increase. In blocks of flats interference could occur from devices in the
apartments above and below, as well as those from the sides.
5.7 Lack of communication between installers and manufacturers
EMC problems can occur if there are communication problems between the people handling the
products. It is possible that two devices can comply with the current regulations when used separately
but it is when they are used in conjunction with each other that the problems arise. The problem might
not be fixed quickly, as the companies will spend time trying to place the responsibility on the other.
Communication can also break down between the manufacturer and the organisation installing the
product, especially if clear instructions about earthing are not given.
5.8 Suitability of regulations and testing procedures
In order to decide whether the EMC environment will get worse in the future, the regulations in force at
present need to be examined and then assumed that all electronic devices are obeying these. If they are
not, then this should be obvious to the Trading Standards Authority who then take appropriate action. If
all devices are working within specifications and there are still problems - there seem to be - then
perhaps these standards need to be changed. However, this will not happen unless there is a large
amount of scientific evidence to show that this is necessary.
Maybe the answer is subtler than that; the standards set at the moment, such as CISPR concentrate on
keeping particular frequencies clear, for example broadcasting. It may be better to change the approach
and seek to reduce the interaction of electronic items. Regulations and standards seem to be around for
most electronic equipment but there are no tests for the buildings that house them. This may not be
feasible as there is still a question of who will be responsible for funding the changes needed if the
home failed any given test.
Products such as automobiles and medical devices have their own regulations, which exempts them
from the EMC directive, so problems arise due to lack of unification of regulations. For example,
interference may occur between medical devices and security equipment in shops, although both
products are conforming to their respective regulations.
When testing for EMC, most manufacturers wish to do everything possible to reduce emissions and
increase immunity, as any major problems could damage their reputation. Some importers, however,
just want to satisfy the minimum requirements so that they can put their product on the market.
There is often a long gap between changes in technology and changes in regulations. This is because
changes in regulations involve many people coming together and discussing the relevant topics.
Possibly a smaller group should meet more often and their decisions could be reviewed at the next
major meeting.
5.9 Actions to be taken to reduce future problems
Awareness
From talking to manufacturers, it is clear that the main problem is awareness of EMC and greater co-
operation between companies needs to be sought. If the public were made aware of EMC problems and
how it is possible for electronic items to work together rather than interfere with each other, there
would be a demand, for products certified by organisations such as Bluetooth. Therefore due to
customer demand companies would have to become more concerned with EMC, and so the situation
would get better.
Due to the rapid increase of electronic items used in the majority of households, it is important that
manufacturers and regulation bodies keep informed of new developments and areas for concern.
Surveys could be carried out to give a better idea of the density of electronic items in homes.
There also needs to be more awareness of EMC problems by manufacturers. This needs to start at the
ground level with more universities offering courses on the subject. This will mean that more electrical
engineers understand how important EMC issues are and how best to tackle them. Companies require at
least one informed person who co-ordinates the projects with respect to EMC. Lack of knowledge in
this field can lead to badly designed products.
Regulations
Devices often operate quite well in a ‘normal’ EM environment, it is only when a new technology is
introduced, which operates in a band or in a way that was not expected, that there are problems.
Immunity regulations should be written with a view to the future.
Regulations often state a limit on the emissions, a certain distance from the source. This distance is
usually 3 meters, however, in a domestic environment electronic items are often put closer together
than 3 meters, perhaps the regulations should be changed to reflect this.
New buildings
Any new buildings that are built need to consider EMC protection from natural interference and power
cable coupling. Floors such as the study and lounge, where typically the TV, hi-fi and computer are
placed, should be anti-static.
New buildings should also be wired to take account of the quantity of electronic items people use; this
will reduce the need for adapters and external wiring. More than one phone socket is required and it
should be accepted that more than one computer would be accessing the Internet at a time. This is
especially true in student residences.
Feedback
There is no direct method for consumers to inform regulatory bodies of problems with the electronic
equipment they have purchased. This would be a useful way of highlighting any problem areas missed.
5.10 Further work
This report has generally covered EMC problems encountered in the home, it could be extended to
include the office environment. This would be different because although offices generally have
equipment such as computers set up closer together, the buildings can be purpose built to reduce the
effects of EMI. Alternatively, a single area such as ‘communications’ could be concentrated on in more
detail.
New advances in technology are being made constantly and so it would be advisable to review this
topic in 12 years time to see how the EM environment and people’s attitude has changed.
Occasionally, it was difficult to find information on how certain electronics are affected by EM
emissions, or whether they are producing any interference which affects other devices. This was
because some technologies are still in the design stages, or EMC was not the main concern of the
developers. In the latter case it shows the lack of concern shown by manufacturers about EMC.
Practical research needs to be done so that a model of EMI between equipment can be drawn up to
quantify the problem, this will then lead to better regulations.
A
B Appendix 1
B.1 Digital versus analogue
Information is transmitted either in an analogue or digital form. The first radio communication was in
the former, although more recent trends have tended towards the latter.
Analogue is any form of transmission where the signals information-bearing characteristic (usually
amplitude or frequency) is in direct proportion to the intensity of the sound or brightness of the picture.
Digital transmissions are in the form of trains of pulses rather than a continuous signal as for analogue.
The advantages of digital over analogue are that a digital signal is more robust than an analogue one,
although if it is interfered with the consequences are worse. The carrier to interference ratio of a digital
signal is higher than that of an analogue one. This means that the spacing of cochannel cells for mobile
phones can be closer without increased degradation to the system performance. Using a digital signal
also allows security through encryption and can easily be made compatible with the Integrated System
Digital Network (ISDN), which can support data as well as voice transmission. However, digital signals
normally require a larger bandwidth.
B.2 Sharing frequencies
Due to the growing use of the radio spectrum very few frequencies are allocated exclusively to one
service. Nowadays up to 6 different services can use the same frequency. Sharing frequencies is a useful
way of letting more services use the radio spectrum and effectively reuses it. However, sharing
frequencies can cause problems such as sharing constraints and co-ordination between same frequency
users.
B.3 Models for separate devices
Most electric and magnetic field sources behave as combinations of dipoles. This means that the field
intensity near a static electric or magnetic dipole decreases in proportion to the inverse cube of the
distance. Thus the field becomes insignificant at moderate distances. However, it is possible for electric
and magnetic fields to interact with each other so that their intensity varies inversely with the distance.
This is often called radiated coupling.
0 A B Appendix 1
Looking at the solution for a source consisting of a small electric dipole or current loop. It can be seen
that:
The region for which r >>  /( 2 ) is known as the far-field region. And the region nearer to the
source, where r <<  /( 2 ) , is called the near–field region. 8
Where:
r = distance between the source and measuring point
l = Wavelength of signal
For a signal of frequency 400MHz (the speed of a typical PC) the value of  /( 2 ) is =
0.12m (2 significant figures). So in most cases it is safe to say that other electronic devices will be in
the far-field. This means that the intensity will decrease inversely with the distance r from the electric
field source. Therefore other electronic objects can easily be affected by the emissions from the source.
8 Mills J, Electromagnetic Interference, Reduction in Electronic Systems, PTR Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1993
C References
Ellis N, Electrical interference handbook, Reed Educational and Professional Publishing Ltd, 1998
Hutchinson C, Radio Frequency Interference, How to Identify and Cure It, The American Radio Relay
League, Inc, 1987
Kenward M, Photonic clusters promise bright future, Physics World, Vol. 12 No 6, June 1999
Mills J, Electromagnetic Interference, Reduction in Electronic Systems, PTR Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1993
Molyneux-Child J, EMC Shielding Materials A Designer’s Guide, Reed Educational and Professional
Publishing Ltd, 1997
Radiocommunications agency, UK Spectrum Strategy, 1997
Williams T, EMC for Product Designers, Reed Educational and Professional Publishing Ltd, 1996
D List of companies contacted
A table showing which companies were contacted and asked for information, concerning this report.
Company Name Main Areas

Amstrad Audio equipment, TVs etc.
BBC Broadcasting
Cellnet Mobile phones
ECA (electrical contractor association) Wiring buildings
Ericsson Mobile phones + Audio equipment
Goldshield security systems
Hewlett-Packard Printers, test house
IBM Computers
Intel Computers
Kenwood toasters + other kitchen electronic equipment
Medical Devices Agency Electric wheelchairs and pacemakers
Microsoft programming of electronic items
Nokia Mobile phones
Orange Mobile phones
Panasonic House Microwaves etc.
Philips Mobile phones + other electronic equipment
RFI Test House
RSCH Audiology department
Sony UK Limited Hi-fi systems and other electronic equipment
Starkey Laboratories Hearing Aids
Tefal electronic kitchen equipment
Toshiba PC's, Air conditioning, Faxes, TVs
Tynetech security systems
Vtech Electronics Toys
Table Error! Style not defined.-4: Table to show which companies were contacted

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Study to predict the electromagnetic

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3 Electromagnetic interference in a typical house today 12

C List of companies contacted 40

1.3 Content of the report

This report is organised as follows:

· Section 2 (Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) ) introduces the concepts of electromagnetic

2.2 Susceptibility/ immunity

1 Radiocommunications agency, UK Spectrum Strategy, 1997

The International Special Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR), a sub-committee of the

There are two classes for equipment to fall in:

The following relevant devices are exempt from the directive 3

2.4 Testing for electromagnetic compatibility

2.5.1 Reduction of electromagnetic interference

EMI can be reduced by:

Photonic band gaps

2.6 General public awareness

2.6.1 Health scares concerning mobile phones

3.1 Natural interference sources

Impact on domestic environment

3.3 Electrostatic discharge

Electrostatic voltage (V)

Table 3-2: Some typical ESD potentials 6

3.5 Domestic appliances

3.6 Baby monitoring

3.8 Hearing aids

3.9 Mobile phones

3.10 Hobby radio

Usage of Frequency Frequency

Table 3-3: Frequencies involved for communication and navigation of aircraft

3.13 Railway systems

4.3.1 Personal computers

Continuous grain silicon

Light emitting plastics

4.3.3 Artificial intelligence

4.3.4 Video cameras

4.4 Home networking

Bluetooth hopes to ultimately enable:

Home RF Working Group

Pagers versus mobile phones

Analogue services withdrawn

4.8 Garden equipment

Alternative fuel vehicles

4.11 Change in environment

5.2 Future trends – Change in culture

5.3 Change in electronic equipment

Low voltage items

5.4 Change in communication between devices

5.6 Old environment

5.7 Lack of communication between installers and manufacturers

5.8 Suitability of regulations and testing procedures

5.9 Actions to be taken to reduce future problems

5.10 Further work

B.2 Sharing frequencies

B.3 Models for separate devices

r = distance between the source and measuring point

Radiocommunications agency, UK Spectrum Strategy, 1997

Company Name Main Areas

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