Eliminating EMI with a Tabletop Test Setup

While prototyping a design, it is incredibly helpful to have an in-house EMC pre-compliance test setup to troubleshoot your product. Having this capacity can save you from having to send your design into a third-party lab for multiple rounds of compliance tests, speeding your design cycle and saving costs in the long run. Investing in your own EMC test setup may seem like a daunting prospect, but you don’t need to spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on an anechoic chamber and cordon off half of your lab space to have an effective test lab. In-house EMC testing is getting easier and more accessible than ever thanks to innovations such as fabric RF/EMI shielded enclosures. Now, you could have a functional in-house shielded workspace with $6,000 and a lab bench.

The tabletop RF/EMI shielded enclosure is easy to assemble, quick to deploy, and breaks down small enough to fit inside a duffel bag. The enclosure functions as a Faraday cage and mobile skiff and suits a wide range of applications including EMC testing, RF isolation, and wireless device testing. To show the shielding effectiveness of these chambers and how they can provide immediate results during prototyping and product development, we presented a popular RF isolation demo at the AOC 2025 Symposium in National Harbor, MD.

RF/EMI Shielding in Action

Signal Edge Solutions RF Isolation Demo at AOC 2025

This video depicts a 2’ x 2’ x 2’ tabletop RF/EMI shielded enclosure containing a receiver antenna that is picking up interference from a COM-POWER CGO-520 comb generator placed outside the entrance to the enclosure. The antenna is connected to a Rohde & Schwarz ESW44 spectrum analyzer via a Picotest PDN cable. When the enclosure flap is open, the antenna picks up ambient noise from the exhibit hall as well as the noise from the comb generator. When the door to the RF/EMI shielded enclosure is lowered and sealed with the patented double magnet closure mechanism, there is a dramatic and immediate reduction of noise at the antenna.

Why the RF/EMI Shielded Enclosure Works

The RF/EMI shielded enclosures are constructed with silver/copper/nickel plated conductive fabric. They have a minimum attenuation of -95 dB over a range of frequencies from 20 MHz to 40 GHz, with options for even higher shielding effectiveness available. The heavy-duty double magnet closure mechanism creates a tight conductive seal, which allows the enclosures to maintain attenuation levels exceeding -90 dB even after over 5000 openings. Even the IO filter plates and panels are shielded, which allow access for AC power, Ethernet, USB, SMA, BNC, N-type, fiber optics, and more without compromising the shielding effectiveness.

If you are interested in having one of these RF/EMI shielded enclosures in your lab, reach out to us at info@signaledgesolutions.com to discuss your project specifications and get a quote.

If you want to come by and see this demo for yourself, it will be at the Signal Edge Solutions Booth (#601) at DesignCon 2026 in Santa Clara, CA, from February 25-26, 2026, where we will be happy to talk about your project and answer any of your questions.