[RFI] RFI Note of Interest

Tim Duffy Tim Duffy <tduffy@sygnet.com>
Thu, 08 Jan 1998 15:02:30 -0800


Received:  by MOT; Thu, 8 Jan 1998 9:14:00 -0600
 Date: Thu, 8 Jan 1998 9:14:00 -0600
 From: Ehud Zager-CEZ002 <Ehud_Zager-CEZ002@email.mot.com>
 Subject: RFI Note of Interest
 To: rfi@contesting.com (Receipt Notification Requested)

 
 From ARRL InfoServer:
  ARRL RF Touch Lamps and Dimmers Information Package

  TOUCH LAMPS

       RF Touch lamps are RF-operated devices that often cause, or are
  susceptible to, EMI problems.  They have a free running oscillator
  that is very broad and rich in harmonic energy.  This oscillator is
  hooked up to a touch plate that changes the frequency of the oscillator
  when a hand is placed near the plate.  Unfortunately, this plate also
  acts as an antenna, radiating some of the energy of the oscillator, or
  picking up nearby radio signals.  When the former happens, it can
interfere
  with other services.  When the latter happens, the circuitry inside the
  lamp reacts the same way that it would when the plate is touched -- the
  lamp changes states from "off" to "on".

       Although cases of moderate interference can sometimes be cured by
  using a "brute-force" type AC-line filter and/or a common-mode choke 
(see the ARRL Book,  Radio Frequency Interference -- How to Find It and 
Fix It
 
  for more information about AC-line filters and common-mode chokes) most
  cases will require internal modification to the lamp.  For a number of
  different reasons (you may be blamed if anything EVER goes wrong with
  the lamp or house wiring) you do not want to perform this modification
  on equipment that is not your own.  Remember -- house AC power is
 dangerous.
  These modifications must only be performed by qualified service 
personnel!
 

  Here are some reprints from QST "Hints and Kinks":

  RFI and Touch-Controlled Lamps.
  I have found a simple cure for those touch-controlled lamps that
 turn
  themselves on and off during nearby radio transmissions.  In my case,
  40-meter operation gave the most trouble, with 75-meter operation a 
close
 
  second.  Higher frequencies presented no problem.  (I use a
 ground-mounted
  vertical antenna for 80, 40 and 15 meters, and the lamp is 
approximately
  150 feet from the antenna.  An AC-line filter at the lamp did not
 eliminate
  the problem.)

  A 1k ohm resistor (in series with the signal input lead to the
  encapsulated circuit that operates the lamp) cured the problem for me. 
 I
 
  suppose the required resistor value would vary with the RF-field
 intensity
 and frequency.
 -- John M. Adams, W7OTC, Sun City, CA

  More on RFI to Touch-Controlled Lamps.
       I had the same problems as W7OTC with a touch-controlled lamp
 switched
  on and off by my transmissions (100 W to a roof-mounted vertical, with
 two
 radials per band).  The problem occurred during operation on the 80-
 through
 15-m bands, but 10-m operation had no effect.  A 1-k ohm resistor was 
not
 a
 complete cure in my case.

  A 3.3k ohm resistor in series with the signal input on the lamp
  helped on all bands except 80m (an additional 1.8k ohm prevented the 
lamp
 
 from functioning).  When the resistor was replaced with an RF choke
 (100 uH, 139 mA), the problem abated on all bands except for  80 m.
 On 80 m, the interfering signal was considerably attenuated by the 
choke,
 
 but the lamp still switched.  The choke alone may be enough to clear up
 the problem in some cases.

 The final answer turned out to be both the RF choke and a 1.8k ohm
 resistor in series with the signal-input lead to the touch-control
 circuit.
  -- Colin Hall, G4JPZ/W6, Marina Del Rey, CA

  Touch-Lamp Transceiver.
       When my wife told me she had bought a three-way lamp that switched
 on
  and off at the touch of any of its metallic parts, I did not realize 
she
had purchased a transceiver.  I found that my transmitted signal would
  cause the lamp to operate exactly as if I had touched its metal parts.
  Later I discovered a raspy, S8 signal at 1875 kHz -- it was coming from
  the lamp, which was located three rooms away on a different AC circuit.
  The lamp signal is present from 40 meters down.  At frequencies from 20
  meters up, my operation is undisturbed.

  A box inside the lamp contains a circuit board through which AC
  line voltage is routed and which has a wire connected to the metal base
  of the lamp.  When the lamp is plugged in, the lamp signal is present
  at all times, regardless of whether the lamp is on or off.  In my
 attempts
  to eliminate the interference, I tried a commercial AC filter, coiling
 the
  lamp cord on some ferrite material and other such approaches without
 success.

  To make sure the lamp my wife had was not defective, I borrowed a
  similar lamp from a neighbor to try it.  I found it to perform in 
exactly
 
  the same manner except that the frequency of oscillation was somewhat
  different.  There is no manufacturer or distributor name on the lamp or
  packing container.  The lamp was made in Taiwan.

  I am writing so that others who may be experiencing similar
  difficulties may have some idea of the probable source of interference.
  After I described what I discovered to a ham friend, he realized that
  such a unit had been causing interference to his station for more than 
a month.
  -- Cal Enix, W8EN, 209 S Kalamazoo St, White Pigeon, MI  49099

       If these cures don't work, it may be possible to shield the
 electronic
  switch module, but this must be done safely!  You may also want to
 contact
 the manufacturer and send a report of your problem to ARRL Headquarters
  RFI Desk, 225 Main St. Newington CT 06111.


  DIMMERS

  Light-dimmer Interference Reduction.
       Radio Amateurs who've have been cursed with RFI from solid-state
 light
  dimmers will be interested to know that at least one domestic
 manufacturer -
  Lutron - produces light dimmers that incorporate RFI suppression
 techniques.
  The Lutron NOVA series uses toroidal chokes that provide a significant
 level
  of RFI suppression.

  I bought a Lutron model N-600, which will handle up to 600 watts of
  incandescent lighting.  Temporarily installed in my radio shack, a
 generic
  light dimmer produced an S9+ reading at 230 kHz (an arbitrary noisy
  frequency).  The N-600 produced a reading of S3, a difference of about
 40 dB.
  Admittedly, this is not zero, but installing the N-600 some distance 
away
 
  provided a reduction in RFI that is very gratifying.  Indeed, I new 
hear
 new
  noise sources, heretofore undetectable through the dimmer din.

      You're not likely to find these dimmers at your local discount 
store,
 
  and they are not inexpensive.  Check for the availability of these
 dimmers
  at a lighting fixture store and expect to pay about $25 apiece for 
them.
 
  -- Richard G. Brunner, AA1P, 10 Brookside Dr., Foxboro, MA  02035

       If you come up with a better solution for these problem, please
 write
  to the RFI Desk with the solution.  It sounds like it would be a good
  candidate for Hints and Kinks!

  "73" from ARRL HQ
In article <57mrnb$trr@camel4.mindspring.com>, ekugrad@mindspring.com
 says...

My XYL bought a pair of touch lamps last week, and they generate an S8
noise level, even when they are turned off.  They turn off and on when
I transmit.

Has anyone had any luck eliminating these problems.

Thanks for any help.

David, KA4IKH

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