A comparison of unshielded wire to shielded wire with shields terminated using pigtail and shields terminated through a conducting elastomer

Pigtails, the jumper wires used to terminate wire shields, are used extensively in military applications. The work presented in this paper shows that shielded wires with pigtail terminations using standard backshells are as susceptible to external electromagnetic (EM) coupling as unshielded wires when radiated in the 200-1200 MHz frequency range. EM coupling onto wires can lead to electromagnetic interference (EMI) in electronic systems. A design for a new backshell that terminates multiple individually shielded wires with 360 degree peripheral bond is presented. The data from the prototype is compared to data measured from shielded wires with pigtail terminations, wires with overall shield termination, and unshielded wires.