Miller Technology, Inc.

TN101: The Simplest EMC Magnetic

Field Proe

When working on EMC (Electro-Magnetic Compatibility) issues, the need often arises
for a means of measuring or snifng near magnetic elds to locate sources of
unintentional EM! (Electro-Magnetic !nterference)"

#lthough probes like the #gilent $$%&'# and $$%&$# pro(ide a calibrated response,
they are often a bit too large and bulky" )heir infre*uent use can also make their
purchase an impediment, as these probes both run about +,- each"

)he simple loop probe nds eudemonic utility with either a spectrum analy.er or a
digital scope (/' ohm input)" )his note describes how to construct your own low
cost probes for comparati(e measurements, and also details a (ery small loop probe
for ne spatial resolution"


)he probe construction starts with a piece of '"'0/1 diameter semi-rigid coa2ial
cable (34&'/ type)" #ttach an 5M# connector to one end" !f you don6t feel like
attaching your own connectors, you can purchase coa2ial assemblies a company
like 7asternak" ! nd that an o(erall length of & to 0 inches is con(enient"
Clean o8 the outside shield with some ne sandpaper" 5lip two to four
9errite beads onto the coa2 to aid in reducing the outside shield
current" )he 9errite beads are 5teward :9;'</',&-''', a(ailable from
=igi-ey, part number ,&'-,$&>-?=" @ou may want to use a small bit of
5uper 4lue to hold the beads in place, Aust to make handling easier"



5trip back the outside shield by '"$1 !nstall a small bend on the center
conductor" )in the outside sheath appro2imately $1 back from the open end"
9orm the loop around a '",/1 diameter mandrel" ! nd the '",/1 diameter
a con(enient compromise between sensiti(ity, spatial resolution, and ease of
probing" !t pro(ides a predictable response to B$4:."
5older the center conductor to the outside shield"

=egrease the assembly with a little !sopropyl #lcohol"

=ip in 7lasti-=ip for a protecti(e non-conducti(e plastic coating" 7lasti-=ip
is a(ailable from your local hardware store, and also on #ma.on"com" #
$&o." can is about +0 and pro(ides enough coating for at least ,' probes"
C#C)!D?E =o not use this probe around ha.ardous (oltages (for
e2ampleE #C power mains)"

)he probe is not perfectF it does not ha(e a Gat
response with fre*uency, and it can also pick up
E elds" !t will certainly be far more sensiti(e at
high fre*uencies, as it is a simple loop probe
whose output (oltage is gi(en by 9araday6s
law" 9araday6s law of induction (for a sine
wa(e)E


whereE f is the fre*uency in :.
; is the magnetic Gu2
density in WbHm
,
() )esla)
(the old nomenclature is
Webers/ m
2
, supplanted by the Tesla)
# is the area of the loop in m
,
and I is the (oltage produced by the loop

)o get the magneti.ing force : in #mpere-turns per meter, we can use the well
known relation that in free space (or in open air, close enough)"

#nd sol(ing for :, we obtainE


)hese simple probes are handy, and (ery easy to make, but because they are not
di8erentially sensed and ha(e incomplete shielding, they will pick up E elds as
well" !f you are a bit fu..y on magnetic eld measurements, ! can recommend J$K
for an entertaining and educational o(er(iew"

@ou may nd the use of a broadband amplier to be helpful, ! recommend a unit like
the #gilent 0&&<= for $''-:. to $'''M:." Calibrating your sensor is
straightforward using a small length of microstrip with a I?# (Iector ?etwork
#naly.er) or spectrum analy.er with tracking generator"
!n many cases, the sources of EM! problems usually boil down to either $E Common-
mode (oltage sources e2citing interconnect cables, or ,E : eld sources" 9or the
purpose of this tech note, we are restricting our attention : eld sources" 5o why
do we usually care about the : (magnetic) eld more than the E (Electric)
eldL ;ecause the E eld is so much easier to stop than the : eld, simply use a
thin conducti(e plate to shield" 3ecall from basic shielding theory, that the
shielding e8ecti(eness is proportional to the ratio of the wa(e impedance to the
shield impedance" )he near eld wa(e impedance for an E eld source is (ery high,
but the near eld impedance of an : eld source is (ery low J,K, JMK" )here is a
Mathcad worksheet on the )echnical !nfo page of my website that shows the wa(e
impedance (ersus distance for E eld and : eld sources (the plot is shown at
right)"
9or 5M) circuits, a smaller probe is re*uired for
careful snifng to a particular pin or ne trace"

)his approach makes use of a (ery uni*ue de(ice,
the M#CDM :-$0M-& $0' degree hybrid" )he
M#CDM :-$0M-& is used as a $0' deg wideband
balun to reAect the coupled E eld, by connection of
the two semi-rigid coa2 cables to the $0' degree
out of phase inputs (port C and =)"

9or (ery ne position magnetic eld
locationHsnifng, only a small loop will sufce, and it
pro(ides a predictable response to BM4:., (tip
magnied in the photo to the right)E

# simple N@O holder arrangement can be helpful in careful positioningHprobingE



















3eferencesE
J$K" :erbert #rthur -lein, The Science of Measurement, A Historical
Survey , Mineola, ?@E =o(er 7ublications, $%00" #lthough a little dated in some
areas, this book is a most readable and entertaining o(er(iew of all measurementsE
electrical, optical, nuclear, physical, thermal P #lthough the title sounds a bit dry,
! nd the book to be continued good reading, and the rst place ! turn to for
clarication of fu..y measurement unit knowledge (and as an e2cuse for work
a(oidance)"
J,K =a(id #"Weston, Electromagnetic Compatibility, ,nd Edition" ?ew @ork, ?@E
Marcel =ekker, !nc" , ,''$"
JMK Clayton 3" 7aul, !ntroduction to Electromagnetic Compatibility, ,nd
Edition" :oboken, ?QE Qohn Wiley R 5ons, ,''>"