Coming This October: WL Academy EMC Training Course

Washington Laboratories is planning a new multi-day WL Academy EMC training course in the Research Triangle Park area featuring Bruce Archambeault, Ph.D. (EMC Consultant • IEEE Fellow). The course will emphasize practical EMC engineering, troubleshooting, measurement methods, compliance strategies, and real-world design principles.

Course dates, venue details, the program outline, and registration information will be announced soon.

Bruce Is on the Loose at EMC+SIPI 2026

Attending the 2026 IEEE International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility, Signal & Power Integrity in Dallas this August?

Keep an eye out for Bruce Archambeault. Bruce will be “on the loose” throughout the symposium and would be happy to answer EMC questions and discuss the upcoming Washington Laboratories Academy EMC Training Course planned for October.

Known throughout the EMC community for his engaging teaching style and practical approach to real-world engineering challenges, Bruce helps engineers connect EMC theory with design decisions, measurements, troubleshooting, and corrective action.

August 3–7, 2026 • Hilton Anatole • Dallas, Texas

If you see Bruce at the symposium, be sure to say hello and ask him about the upcoming October course. View Symposium Details →

Watch “The Bruce Is Loose” Webinar Series

Get to know Bruce’s practical teaching style before the October course through this growing Washington Laboratories video series.

Episode One Do You Feel Lucky? When It Comes to Inductance—Don’t Take Any Chances! Watch Episode →

Episode Two The Ground Is a Place for Potatoes and Carrots Watch Episode →

Episode Three In EMC, “Caps” Aren’t a Hockey Team—They’re Capacitors! Watch Episode →

Explore The Bruce Is Loose Series

FCC Enforcement Reinforces Laboratory Test Integrity

Recent FCC enforcement activity involving allegedly false laboratory test results is a strong reminder that equipment authorization depends on the integrity of the testing process. A passing report is only meaningful when the measurements, procedures, equipment, personnel, and product configuration behind it are accurate and defensible.

From a laboratory perspective, quality testing begins before the first measurement is taken. The applicable standards and operating modes must be identified, the equipment must be properly calibrated, and the product configuration must accurately represent the version intended for certification and sale.

Building a Defensible Test Program

A reliable compliance program should include:

• Current and applicable test procedures
• Calibrated equipment and controlled test environments
• Qualified laboratory personnel
• Accurate hardware, firmware, and software configuration records
• Traceable measurements, photographs, operating modes, and test data
• Clear communication among the manufacturer, laboratory, and certification team

Manufacturers remain responsible for the compliance of products placed on the market. Working with an experienced, properly accredited laboratory early in development can help identify technical concerns, strengthen documentation, reduce avoidable retesting, and prevent delays during certification review.

Learn About FCC Testing & Certification →

Discuss Your Testing Requirements

Cybersecurity Standards Supporting the EU Cyber Resilience Act

European cybersecurity standards development continues to provide a more detailed technical framework for products with digital elements. Recent ETSI work addresses specific technologies and software environments that may form part of a manufacturer’s broader Cyber Resilience Act readiness program.

Areas under development include cybersecurity requirements for virtualization and container execution stacks, boot managers, and password managers. These components may be central to how a connected product starts, separates workloads, manages credentials, receives updates, and protects critical functions.

Virtualization and container execution stacks Security planning may need to address hypervisors, container runtimes, isolation boundaries, access controls, update mechanisms, and interactions between hosted environments.

Boot managers Secure startup processes can be important for maintaining platform integrity, authenticating software, controlling recovery functions, and preventing unauthorized code from loading.

Password managers Credential storage, authentication, access control, encryption, recovery, and vulnerability handling may all require documented security considerations.

Why Early Planning Matters

Manufacturers should begin mapping the software, firmware, third-party libraries, virtualized functions, boot processes, credential systems, and remote services used by their products. This architecture review can help identify which requirements and standards may apply before designs become difficult or expensive to change.

CRA readiness is also likely to depend on technical documentation that explains security design decisions, risk assessments, testing, vulnerability handling, software maintenance, and conformity-assessment activities. Coordinating these records early can help align cybersecurity work with EMC, RF, safety, quality, and market-access programs.

The full CRA compliance requirements take effect on December 11, 2027, while vulnerability reporting and incident notification obligations begin September 11, 2026. Products with long development cycles should be evaluated now to reduce the risk of redesigns or delayed EU market access.

Read WL’s EU Cyber Resilience Act Article →

Source: Based on recent European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) cybersecurity standards development activities supporting implementation of the EU Cyber Resilience Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/2847). Additional background: Washington Laboratories – EU Cyber Resilience Act Key Dates.

Resource Library

Explore Washington Laboratories articles, recorded webinars, and technical videos supporting product compliance and EMC education.

Cyber Security for Product Compliance Review a recorded webinar introducing cybersecurity considerations affecting connected products, regulatory compliance, and market access. View the Resource →

RED Cybersecurity Webinar Learn about cybersecurity requirements associated with the EU Radio Equipment Directive and their implications for wireless product development. Watch the Webinar →

EMC Training Videos Visit the Washington Laboratories EMC training video library for practical technical discussions, archived training content, and episodes from “The Bruce is Loose.” Explore EMC Training Videos →