Unseen Threats: Tracing the Real Sources of EMI/RFI
Why modern systems still glitch Even well-designed facilities - data centers, labs, SCIFs, and medical suites can suffer unexplained errors, intermittent failures, or degraded performance. The usual suspect isn’t the hardware itself but the electricity feeding it. Unfiltered power lines and stray electromagnetic signals can quietly compromise reliability and safety. Where EMI / RFI actually comes from EMI and RFI aren’t mysterious. They originate from two broad sources: Natural Lightning, solar activity and geomagnetic events Atmospheric electrical phenomena Man-made Power conversion equipment, switching supplies, and drives Motors, generators, and large transformers Wireless transmitters, routers, and radio equipment Poorly shielded electronics or cable runs that act like antennas Why shielding and filtering matter: A practical perspective Experts observing field failures note two recurring facts: (1) shielding alone is often insufficient , and...