Open-source · local-first · pre-compliance

Make EMC assumptions visible earlier.

Open EMC is an open-source initiative for building transparent, local-first engineering tools that help teams explore EMC risks before the lab. The first project is EMC-Assist — a conducted-EMI workflow assistant for LTspice-based simulations.

Independent open-source initiative. Results are engineering diagnostics, not certification.

The shared idea across every Open EMC toolthe ideal model is not the real board
startIdeal schematicclean nets · no layout
make visibleParasitic-aware modelR·L·C · couplings · returns
run locallyLocal simulationyour tools · on-machine
documentHonest reportrisks · cited · verify in lab
Why Open EMC exists

EMC problems rarely come from the ideal schematic. They come from layout parasitics, return paths, cables, filters, switching edges, and measurement setup. Open EMC exists to build transparent tools that make those assumptions visible earlier — tools you can inspect, adapt, and run on your own machine.

The status quo finds EMC trouble at the worst possible time: a failed scan late in the program, when every fix is a re-spin. We think the parasitics, resonances, and filter trade-offs that drive that outcome can be surfaced — as hypotheses to test — long before the chamber is booked.

  • 01
    Found too late

    EMC issues surface at the end of a program, where every iteration is expensive and schedule-critical.

  • 02
    Ideal sims miss the real board

    A clean schematic omits the layout parasitics and return paths that actually shape conducted emissions.

  • 03
    Lab iterations are costly

    Chamber time and re-spins compound. Each unguided guess is hours of bench work.

  • 04
    Black boxes don't help engineers

    Tools that hide their assumptions can't be trusted, adapted, or learned from. Engineers need to see the working.

Principles

How Open EMC tools are built

A small set of commitments that every project under the initiative is held to. They constrain what we build — on purpose.

Open-source core

The engineering core is open and inspectable. You can read exactly how a value is estimated, where it comes from, and where it's an assumption.

Local-first by default

Simulations run on your machine. Your schematic, netlist, and results stay local unless you explicitly choose to send a redacted summary.

Transparent assumptions

Every estimate shows its working — where a value comes from, the uncertainty around it, and where it's an engineering assumption rather than a measurement.

User knowledge stays user-controlled

No bundled scraped knowledge dump. You index the sources you're legally allowed to use; the tool never hides where guidance came from.

Pre-compliance, not certification

The goal is risk reduction before the lab. Every result is framed as an engineering hypothesis that requires laboratory verification.

Engineering evidence over magic AI

Deterministic calculation and simulation are the source of truth. AI assists — it explains, retrieves, and organizes, but never replaces the working.

First project

EMC-Assist

The first concrete tool under Open EMC. A short introduction — the full workflow, features and getting-started live on the project page.

EA EMC-Assistopenemc.dev/emc-assist

Model PCB parasitics, generate LISN- and cable-aware LTspice testbenches, compare EMI filter variants, parse .raw/.log results, rank variants, and document risks before the lab.

conducted EMI LTspice workflows PCB parasitics LISN / cable testbenches variant ranking report generation
At a glance
Statusactive · first project
Domainconducted-EMI pre-compliance
Runs onyour local LTspice
Outputhonest pre-compliance report
LicenseApache-2.0 · open source

Full workflow, features, privacy model and getting-started live on the project page.

LTspice is user-supplied and runs locally — never bundled, hosted, or modified. Results are pre-compliance diagnostics, not certification.

How Open EMC thinks about AI

Open EMC treats AI as an assistant, not an oracle. Recommendations should be traceable to calculations, simulation results, cited sources, or explicit engineering assumptions.

traceable

Back to evidence

Every recommendation points to a deterministic calculation, a simulation result, or a clearly-labelled assumption — not a confident guess.

cited

Sources, not vibes

Knowledge carries a source or is flagged as an engineering estimate. Outbound payloads are redacted; your schematic and netlist stay local.

reviewed

Human stays in the loop

AI proposes; the engineer decides. Deterministic calculation, simulation, and human review remain central to every result.

Direction

Roadmap & future projects

Where the initiative is heading. Directional, community-shaped, and deliberately without dates — the order and scope will follow what's useful.

EMC-Assistactive

The conducted-EMI workflow assistant. The first and current focus of the initiative.

Knowledge packsexploring

Curated, source-cited EMC rule sets you can index locally — bring-your-own, never a bundled scrape.

Validation examplesexploring

Open, reproducible reference cases that show where simulation predictions hold up against measurement — and where they don't.

Layout-risk explorationexploring

Earlier surfacing of loop area, return paths, and stack-up risk as sourced hypotheses for review.

Receiver-like detector experimentsresearch

Better-characterised detector modes for pre-compliance diagnostics — explicitly not a certified receiver.

Training examplesresearch

Teaching material that helps engineers build intuition for where conducted-EMI risk comes from.

Directional only — nothing here is a commitment or a dated promise.

Open EMC and EMC-Assist are independent open-source projects. LTspice is a trademark of Analog Devices, Inc. EMC-Assist does not bundle, host, or modify LTspice. All results are pre-compliance engineering diagnostics and require lab verification. Open EMC is independent and not affiliated with Analog Devices.