A day at the 10 Meter Anechoic Chamber

People are always asking what I do for living so here is a review of what I am up to today. The chamber I'm at today looks like the picture on the right.


I am at an EMI/EMC test facility. EMI means Electromagnetic Interference and EMC means Electromagnetic Compatibility.  EMI testing measures the electromagnetic emissions from a device. These are the electrical signals emitted, we use an antenna and a spectrum analyzer to measure the frequencies and then compare the amplitude to the limits set by the various regulatory agencies around the world. Today we are testing to CISPR 11.




After seeing what the EUT (Equipment Under Test) emits, we do EMC testing, where we bombard the device with various radio-frequencies to see if that causes any errors.

Most chambers look like what people call a sound proof room. The principle is the same, the capture and reduction of waves; sound waves, radio waves, light waves, X-rays, AM, FM,  etc all different wavelengths of energy.

A quiet day at the lab is a good day. That means nothing failed and the device is good. A bad day at the lab can be very interesting and frustrating. If the device is emitting too much noise we have to find out what is making the noise and figure out how to quiet it. We add grounding and shielding to try and get the emissions down.

If the device fails when bombarded with energy, we add ferrites and other materials to try and harden the device.  You see these as the bumps near the ends of cords.

I work with Electrical Engineers and Mechanical Engineers to make sure that the device is safe when released into the market. Everything I know about grounding, shielding, wavelengths and electrical design I learned on the job.

July - Vegas Baby! Part Deux

July is Julie's Birthday so we headed back to Las Vegas. We stayed at the Mirage and the Tropicana this time. We ate at Mix, Cafe Nikki, SW in the Wynn and Biscayne. We tried the "day club" at Marquee in the Cosmopolitan, as you can see Julie was well liked by the natives but was unaccustomed to their greeting rituals.










We also went to the U2 concert at Target Stadium (The cultural event of the year according to the City Pages!) I had never seen U2 in concert so I didn't know what to expect. We had a great time with Julie's childhood friends Judy Nitcheki (sp) and Scott Johnson (at this point, your 20's counts as part of your childhood). Bono and crew played through a serious downpour, proving why they are the highest grossing band ever. I kept thinking these guys are millionaires and they are playing as if this is the best show of their lives. If I was a millionaire I doubt I'd work that hard in the rain. I doubt I'll ever have the chance to find out.

I also learned that there is no reason to pay $250 for seats at a U2 concert as you never get the chance to sit in said seat. Next time I'll blow $90 for the floor pass and spend the rest on some comfy shoes.

Here's me in my natural habitat, SW Steakhouse in Las Vegas with a tan, my lovely wife and a Makers Mark Manhattan.

Open Table Reservations - 11

Dinners at Ruth's Chris - 1

June- You can't fire me, I quit!

Tracy:
As the title says, my boss at Vital Images and I came to an impasse. He wanted to bully me and I had a job offer he didn't know about. He threatened my job and I told him to stick it. It's rare that you get to tell someone to stick it where the sun don't shine when they freak out on you due most likely to mixing up his anti-psychotic meds with his Viagra. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend dragging the whole mess out in order to enjoy it as much as possible. The people that threaten to fire someone working on Sunday, over a holiday weekend, over the phone, deserve as much abuse and derision as possible.

I became a member of the Zuhrah Shrine, still not exactly sure why.

Julie:
So June started with a bang and we headed up to Ada, MN to attend Julie's All School Reunion. It is the one time you can actually see some of your classmates as they venture out, whether it be at the Ada Fair, the VFW or the Muni. The whole town turns into one giant block party. The Fair turned out to be by far the most popular gathering spot this year. There was a band that was actually quite good (although their name escapes me, the lead vocalist was a teenager). At the end of the evening after a long set, the band decided to take donations and at one point asked for $100 to play until 2:00a.m. Well, Tracy stepped up and made it happen. One of Julie's classmates made sure that her class got the credit for extending the evening's entertainment. We also met up with Mary Dee Hughes, Patsy Blaufuss and Judi Nitschke this trip. Ada can still throw a good party.

Tracy: Yet another example if where excessive drinking ended up helping the youth of America. I need to highlight those instances when I can.

I started working with Zimmer Spine on June 20th. Deciding to leave Vital Images and come to Zimmer was by far the best decision of the year. It ranks right up there with trying orange flavored soda water with Rye Bourbon and Black Cherry bitters.

Julie wasted no time putting her Realtor classes to good use, she started working with my old classmate, David Abele at Sotheby's.

May - All work and no, well OK a little play.

May was a very busy month. Julie headed back to school and re-acquired her Realtor's license. I worked every single day in May. I took on two new clients and Vital Images decided to submit a 510(k) with 25 days notice. Work seemed to be still feast or famine.

We did find time to go to a wine dinner at La Bel Vie with our wine group. The chef sends out a menu and each table brings a wine to pair with each course. The chef walks around and samples some of the wines and is then supposed to declare a winner for each course. We think we won the dessert course with a Château d'Yquem.

My boss at Vital Images was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with due to what everyone agreed was an imbalance in his meds for a serious bi-polar disorder. Lucky for me, a recruiter called me in March and asked if I was interested in another contract that paid $5 an hour more than my current contract. Being naturally lazy, I initially turned down the offer, but one morning driving to work I did the math in my head, 5x40x4=$800 a month. I decided to call and check on the contract. I got the offer on May 27th and all I needed was final approval for a start date.

April - Vegas, Baby!

April is my birthday month and Julie and I have been spending our birthdays in Las Vegas for the last few years. This time we stayed at the Mirage and had dinners at Twist, Cut and Comme Ca in the Cosmopolitan. The Bare pool is just opening on my birthday weekend, so we grabbed chairs there during the day and enjoyed the great service although I think I got a bit too much sun. I'm pretty sure Julie didn't cough the whole time we were in Vegas. I keep telling her that we need to leave MN for a warmer climate. I'm pretty sure she's ready to leave at any time.

In the Eberly home, we prefer to celebrate a birthday week rather than just one day. Here we are with Julie Bucknam and Janeen Coyle in our usual booth at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

We also hit Manny's and Pittsburgh Blue in Maple Grove for Kay Kelley's birthday, which is on the same day as my birthday.

Open Table Reservations - 11

Dinners at Ruth's Chris - 1

March - How High?

Every year for the past few years I go skiing in Breckenridge, Colorado with a group of guys. My niece Tiffany (aka Nickey) is fascinated with Mount Everest, so I thought I'd check out the highest ski slopes in the continental USA. The altitude shown, 9696 ft above sea level, is from my bedroom at the bottom of the hill. The Imperial Express SuperChair rises to 12,840 feet above sea level, which is the highest chairlift in North America. People have skied from higher elevations, but they had to hike and that sounds like way too much work to me.

For those of you who know my age, drinking and smoking habits and philosophy towards exercise, it will come as a surprise to you that I have never had any trouble with high altitude, until this year. I had a bad first run and spent the next hour trying to catch my breath. I kept thinking I could hear Dean Wormer saying "Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son." This has motivated me to start working out some time before the next ski trip. (As of 12/19/2011 I haven't yet started) We'll work on the other issues at a much later date.

While I was enjoying the cold, Julie was cursing it. We sold a condo to Ken and Mary Moen in March and Julie took over as property manager for Ken and Mary's old condo. She probably wouldn't have minded showing the condo so often if she didn't have Bronchitis. Julie was a trooper, got it rented and managed not to crash her car due to her massive coughing fits.

Open Table Reservations - 11

Dinners at Ruth's Chris - 2

February 2011 - Software?

While the Lovely Mrs. Eberly continued to enjoy her forced “Obama Vacation”, I was able to find a new client. Vital Images creates software that creates 3D images from CAT scans. I had never done a software only 510(k) but unemployment has a way of “widening” your resume and skill set.

For those of you who do not live in Minnesota, I’d like to recap what they weather was like in February 2011, AWFUL! We were 4 months into one of the coldest and snowiest winters I have ever endured in my 27 years in Minnesota. The snow piles were 4 feet high, Minneapolis gave up on plowing and my Pirelli snow tires were barely dealing with it. In short, life was a frozen hell.

Open Table reservations – 4

Dinners at Ruth’s Chris - 1