EMC Question of the Week: November 13, 2023

Electronic equipment in an equipment rack

In an equipment rack, each piece of equipment should usually be grounded at 

  1. a single point in the rack
  2. the front of the rack
  3. the back of the rack
  4. the front and back of the rack

Answer

The best answer is “d.” The rack is the EMC ground structure for the equipment it holds. Anything connecting to the front of the equipment in the rack should have a low-impedance path to the rack, but connections in the back of the equipment also need a good low-impedance path to the rack. 

Note that this question inherently refers to grounding for EMC, as opposed to grounding for safety. (Afterall, this is the EMC Question of the Week.) Properly implemented, any of the four locations listed could provide an adequate safety ground.

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