Over the past twelve months, Schaffner has become much more involved in the automotive arena, initially with its new range of test equipment - the NSG 5200, launched last year. More recently though, the company has identified the need for EMC components in the design of new vehicles, and retrofitting to existing cars already in the market. This has been provoked by the number of electronic parts in the design of newer cars.

Some of the earlier examples of electronics in vehicles were central locking and airbags, and in both these examples, EMC has been a feature in the final design. One car manufacturer found that the craze for CB radio caused more than a jamming of the airwaves. They found that if a CB was operated in proximity to their car, the central locking engaged, locking the passengers within the vehicle! On a slightly more serious note, another prestige car manufacturer found that whenever the vehicle passed by an operating ambulance or fire station, the airbags activated.

In newer cars there is a proliferation of electronics. From tyre sensing monitors to satellite navigation. A basic car can contain enough electronics to warrant over 50 separate pieces of ferrite. This increases to over 150 on an average car, and can top 300 on a top of the range model. Each of these systems must function independently.

Schaffner is working closely with several manufacturers on EMC matters. "Applications include a high prestige manufacturer of top of the range cars who are finding that the current war in Afganistan has highlighted a problem in their air-con unit", explains Andy Kotas, marketing manager of Schaffner EMC UK. "In the US, because of the distances involved, many radio stations broadcast on the MW/LW frequencies, particularly news channels. As people have been tuning in, interference has been noted." How many times have you been listening to Radio 5, and lost the quality of the signal when turning on the air-con, or applying the brake pedal, or indicating left or right?? Scary, isn't it?

As stated, ferrite forms the main solution in many of these problems, and Schaffner ferrite is being used in many applications. "As soon as we have provided a solution, this is then passed to main dealers to fit in the next service, or at the MOT, or when the customer complains", explains Kotas. In a recent conference, Michael Lowe, managing director of Schaffner EMC UK envisaged a future where the car is first put through its paces in the mechanical part of a garage, and then moved to the "Test Room", where the EMC performance is monitored. The "EMC MOT" may be some time away, but the increase in electronics makes it more likely than not that something of its ilk will happen. As time has gone by, and manufacturers have become more aware of the EMC issues, time and money has been invested in making sure that the finished product complies with EMC regulations. Many test houses now have areas specifically for automotive testing - Schaffner themselves have managed to run tests on a double-decker bus! "We also recognise the need for test equipment that will help test houses run through not only the recognised EMC automotive standards, but also the multitude of manufacturers tests," adds Kotas.

To this end, the Schaffner NSG 5200 can not only allow pre-configured and defined tests to be carried out, but can also allow full configuration of various wave shapes to suit almost any test. With the market becoming even more demanding in the automotive industry, and with greater weight being placed on fuel and engine efficiency, Schaffner can only see the demand for EMC solutions increasing. The challenge for the manufacturers - and for Schaffner - is to continue to provide the latest technology, whilst ensuring the safety and performance of the interdependent systems on board.