Design and Experimental Validation of an EMI Filter for Military DC-DC Converters Achieving MIL-STD-461G CE102 Compliance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65834/jdsi.12.64Keywords:
EMI, EMI filter, DC-DC converter, MIL-STD-461G CE102, insertion lossAbstract
This paper presents the design, implementation, and experimental validation of a practical electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter developed for military DC-DC converter applications in order to satisfy the conducted emission limits defined by MIL-STD-461G CE102. High-frequency switching behavior, fast voltage and current transitions, and unavoidable parasitic elements in DC-DC converters make compliance with these limits extremely challenging without dedicated filtering, while practical military platforms impose severe constraints on size, stability, and realizability. In this paper, a systematic and iterative design methodology based on established EMI filter design principles is proposed, and the resulting attenuation performance is experimentally validated through CE102 measurements. The procedure includes determination of the design resistance considering the negative incremental impedance of the converter, design of differential-mode and common-mode stages, and suppression of resonance through properly selected damping networks. The resulting filter is implemented using commercially available components on a compact printed circuit board (PCB) compatible with practical military installations. The performance of the proposed filter is verified experimentally through CE102 measurements performed under identical operating conditions for both filtered and unfiltered cases. The unfiltered converter is shown to exceed the CE102 limits, whereas the filtered configuration achieves compliance with sufficient margin across the entire frequency range. In addition, frequency-domain attenuation characteristics are measured using a Bode analyzer to reveal the insertion loss behavior of the filter. The consistency between analytical expectations, attenuation measurements, and compliance tests demonstrates that the proposed approach provides a reliable, repeatable, and application-oriented framework for EMI filter design in military power electronic systems.
References
Cadirci, I., Saka, B., & Y. Eristiren. (2005). Practical EMI-filter-design procedure for high-power high-frequency SMPS according to MIL STD 461. IEE Proceedings, 152(4), 775–775. https://doi.org/10.1049/ip-epa:20045079
Chiu, P.-T., Pong, M. H., Yao, C.-J., & Chiu, H.-J. (2024). The effect of parasitic elements on EMI common mode filter insertion loss. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Electronics and Applications (ICIEA) (pp. 1–6). https://doi.org/10.1109/ICIEA61579.2024.10664692
Fishta, M., & Fiori, F. (2026). A volume-optimized hybrid EMI filter for automotive traction inverters. IEEE Transactions on Electromagnetic Compatibility, 68(2), 321–329. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEMC.2026.3652665
Hartal, O. (1995). EMC by design (3rd ed.). R & B Enterprises.
Kichouliya, R., Sundar, S., & Reddy, P. (2023). Power line EMI filter design of power converters to meet the conducted emission specifications of MIL-STD-461G. In Proceedings of the National Power Electronics Conference (NPEC) (pp. 1–6). https://doi.org/10.1109/NPEC57805.2023.10385027
Middlebrook, R. D. (1976). Input filter considerations in design and applications of switching regulators. Proc. IEEE IAS'76, 91-107. https://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/80014902952/
Nave, M. J. (1991). Power line filter design for switched-mode power supplies. Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Ozenbaugh, R. L., & Pullen, T. M. (2012). EMI filter design (3rd ed.). CRC Press.
SynQor. (2016). MCOTS-C-28VE-05-QT: Military COTS DC-DC Converter Datasheet. https://www.synqor.com/products/mil-cots/mcots-c-28ve-05-qt
SynQor. (2024). MCOTS-F-28E-P-DM: Military COTS EMI filter Datasheet. https://www.synqor.com/products/mil-cots/mcots-f-28e-p-dm
Tarateeraseth, V. (2011). EMI Filter Design Part I: Conducted EMI Generation Mechanism. In IEEE Electromagn. Conf (pp. 44-50).
Tarateeraseth, V. (2012a). EMI filter design part II: Measurement of noise source impedances. IEEE EMC Magazine, 1(1), 42–49. https://doi.org/10.1109/MEMC.2012.6244944
Tarateeraseth, V. (2012b). EMI filter design part III: Selection of filter topology for optimal performance. IEEE EMC Magazine, 1(2), 60–73. https://doi.org/10.1109/MEMC.2012.6244975
Tian, Y., Jiang, Y., Liao, Y., & Tan, Y. K. (2026). Highly-Efficient Cascaded Active EMI Filter for WBG-based integrated Motor Drive. IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics, 1–1. https://doi.org/10.1109/jestpe.2026.3677211
U.S. Department of Defense. (2015). MIL-STD-461G: Requirements for the control of EMI characteristics of subsystems and equipment. U.S. Government Printing Office.
Wang, S., Lee, F. C., Chen, D. Y., & Odendaal, W. G. (2004). Effects of parasitic parameters on EMI filter performance. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 19(3), 869–877. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPEL.2004.826527
Williams, T. (2001). EMC for product designers (3rd ed.). Newnes.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Defence and Security Industries: Strategy and Technology
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.