Measurement of RF Leakage in Multipin Electrical Connectors

In the past measurements of connector RFI leakage have evaluated combinations of the connector and cable so that it has been difficult to separate the effects of the different leakage areas. The methods presented here enable the designer first to evaluate the leakage at the interface coupling with a variety of connector characteristics and then, separately, to obtain the cable RF leakage. Thus the effects of the varying parameters of connector design may be determined without being affected by the connecting cable leakage. RFI performance data are presented, covering the range of 150 kHz to 1000 MHz. A description of the measuring technique and its development is also included. A series of recommendations aimed toward reducing RFI leakage in multipin electrical connectors are given.