EMI reduction techniques in PCB Design - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a PCB design engineer working in a consumer electronics company.

📋 Request: Your manager wants a report showing the effectiveness of different EMI reduction techniques applied in recent PCB designs. The goal is to identify which techniques reduce EMI the most.

📊 Data: You have data from 10 recent PCB designs. For each design, you have the EMI level measured in microvolts before and after applying specific EMI reduction techniques such as shielding, grounding, filtering, and layout optimization.

🎯 Deliverable: Create a dashboard that compares EMI levels before and after each technique, showing the average EMI reduction per technique and highlighting the most effective methods.

Sample Data

Design ID	Technique	EMI Before (µV)	EMI After (µV)
1	Shielding	120	40
2	Grounding	110	50
3	Filtering	130	70
4	Layout Optimization	140	60
5	Shielding	125	45
6	Grounding	115	55
7	Filtering	135	75
8	Layout Optimization	145	65
9	Shielding	130	50
10	Grounding	120	60

1

Step 1: Calculate EMI reduction for each design by subtracting EMI After from EMI Before.

EMI Reduction = [EMI Before (µV)] - [EMI After (µV)]

Expected Result

For Design 1: 120 - 40 = 80 µV reduction

2

Step 2: Create a pivot table with Technique as rows and average EMI Reduction as values.

Pivot Table: Rows = Technique, Values = AVERAGE(EMI Reduction)

Expected Result

Shielding average reduction: 80, Grounding average reduction: 60, Filtering average reduction: 60, Layout Optimization average reduction: 80

3

Step 3: Build a bar chart showing average EMI reduction per technique from the pivot table.

Bar Chart: X-axis = Technique, Y-axis = Average EMI Reduction (µV)

Expected Result

Bar chart with Shielding and Layout Optimization highest bars (80 µV), Grounding and Filtering equal (60 µV)

4

Step 4: Add a table listing each design's EMI Before, EMI After, and EMI Reduction for detailed comparison.

Table columns: Design ID, Technique, EMI Before (µV), EMI After (µV), EMI Reduction (µV)

Expected Result

Table showing all 10 designs with calculated EMI Reduction values

5

Step 5: Summarize key findings in a text box on the dashboard.

Text: 'Shielding and Layout Optimization are the most effective EMI reduction techniques with an average reduction of 80 µV. Grounding and Filtering provide 60 µV reductions.'

Expected Result

Clear summary text visible on dashboard

Final Result

EMI Reduction Techniques Dashboard

+----------------------+---------------------+
| Technique            | Avg EMI Reduction   |
+----------------------+---------------------+
| Shielding            | ████████████████ 80 |
| Grounding            | ████████████ 60     |
| Filtering            | ████████████ 60     |
| Layout Optimization  | ████████████████ 80 |
+----------------------+---------------------+

Details Table:
Design | Technique          | EMI Before | EMI After | EMI Reduction
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1      | Shielding          | 120        | 40        | 80
2      | Grounding          | 110        | 50        | 60
3      | Filtering          | 130        | 70        | 60
4      | Layout Optimization| 140        | 60        | 80
5      | Shielding          | 125        | 45        | 80
6      | Grounding          | 115        | 55        | 60
7      | Filtering          | 135        | 75        | 60
8      | Layout Optimization| 145        | 65        | 80
9      | Shielding          | 130        | 50        | 80
10     | Grounding          | 120        | 60        | 60

Summary:
Shielding and Layout Optimization are the most effective EMI reduction techniques with an average reduction of 80 µV.
Grounding and Filtering show 60 µV reduction on average.

✓Shielding and Layout Optimization reduce EMI the most with an average reduction of 80 µV.

✓Grounding and Filtering both achieve an average reduction of 60 µV.

✓Shielding and Layout Optimization provide the highest EMI reduction.

✓Applying shielding or layout optimization in PCB design is recommended for maximum EMI reduction.

Bonus Challenge

Create a time series line chart showing EMI levels before and after applying techniques across designs to observe trends.

Show Hint

Use Design ID as the X-axis and plot two lines: one for EMI Before and one for EMI After, grouped by technique.