EMC and signal integrity
Summary¶
The emc-signal-integrity domain covers how electromagnetic noise is generated, how it couples into sensitive sensors, and how it is mitigated. On a drone, the noise sources (ESC switching, motor transients, buck converter) and the victims (gyroscope, GPS, receiver) are centimetres apart. Mitigation requires a layered approach: physical separation of power and signal wiring, twisted pairs on high-current runs, star grounding to eliminate loops, decoupling capacitors placed directly on noise sources, ferrite beads on conducted noise paths, and conformal coating for environmental protection.
Concept¶
Reference¶
Articles in this domain¶
| Article | Content |
|---|---|
| emc-noise-sources | ESC switching, motor transients, battery leads, buck converter |
| twisted-pairs | Field cancellation physics, application to motor and signal wires |
| star-grounding | Ground loop mechanism, single-point topology |
| capacitor-placement-emc | Wire inductance vs clamping, low-ESR requirement |
| power-signal-separation | Three-zone routing, MIPI channel, EMC geometry gates |
| ferrite-beads | Frequency-selective attenuation, VTX power wire application |
| gps-antenna-placement | GPS signal levels, CF shielding, compass distance |
| conformal-coating | Moisture protection, application sequence, inspection |
Procedure¶
Rationale¶
Why EMC is a dedicated domain¶
EMC issues are invisible until they cause problems. A builder who does not understand EMC will produce a build that works in benign conditions and fails intermittently in the field — and will have no framework to diagnose why. Treating EMC as a domain with dedicated articles, rather than scattered notes in the build guide, ensures that every builder encounters the core concepts before wiring the first motor phase wire.
Connections¶
requires: [] related: - emc-noise-sources - power-signal-separation - twisted-pairs leads_to: - emc-noise-sources