The Relationship of EMC and Instrumentation Engineering in the Environmental Laboratory

Abstract

This paper addresses the role of EMC and instrumentation engineering in a modern equipped aerospace environmental engineering laboratory. It includes the EMC/TEI+IPEST testing instrumentation and related EMC applications in other areas of environmental engineering and instrumentation. There is a definite need to encourage young electrical/electronic engineers to consider entering the field of environmental and EMC engineering. These fields are often absent in college curriculums, therefore, the young graduate engineer is unfamiliar in these areas and is reluctant to consider them as a career. A wide variety of engineering areas are involved in providing the required instrumentation to properly measure the various parameters encountered in EMC and other environmental testing. An area which is presently being expanded in the environmental test field is that of computer application in acquisition, processing and storing data. This activity provides openings for engineers with the ability to supply microprocessing, software, computer interface and data analysis. Hughes is presently investigating the possibility of installing a centralized desk top computer system in the environmental laboratory. Every instrument used in conjunction with this system will be accessible to software. The investigation includes the possibility of using this system universally throughout the laboratory functions. This paper describes these various testing activities and instrumentation applications in the environmental engineering department of the Hughes Ground Systems Group at Fullerton, California.