Out in Front: March 28, 1996

In both the United States and abroad, governmental agencies have toughened restrictions on computer equipment that can emit EMI/RFI energy. On Jan 1, the European Union began enforcing a new electromagnetic-compatibility (EMC) directive that essentially prohibits equipment that emits EMI or RFI. Unfortunately for manufacturers, faster clock rates have made it tougher to contain EMI/RFI energy within the chassis of products such as PCs.

To address tougher emission requirements, Industrial Computer Source recently added the Global Interference Reduction System (GIRSystem) to the company’s 7310 series of industrial-grade PC enclosures. The GIRSystem targets PC back panels, which have gaps through which emissions can leak.

The company’s new rear-panel design includes a pair of precision-engineered, copper-beryllium fingers for each expansion card slot. The fingers spring-load against the edges of an inserted expansion card eliminating any air gap and, therefore, any EMI/RFI leakage. The enclosures allows an OEM to confidently ship products into Europe without worrying about whether third-party motherboards or add-in cards might cause emission problems. The enclosures range in price from $899 to $1659.
—by Maury Wright

Industrial Computer Source, San Diego, CA. (800) 523-2320.