The Component Signal
Electronics component supply-chain intelligence for engineers and procurement teams.
Supply-chain alerts, price watch, Asian manufacturer spotlights, and design notes. Published by POCONS USA.
Issue #22
The Component Signal #22 — The MLCC Allocation Crisis: Silver, AI Rack Density, and the PDN-to-EMI Cascade
Lead times on high-capacitance MLCCs have stretched to 26–40 weeks, silver cost inflation is repricing the entire passive stack, and every decoupling gap your BOM leaves open becomes a radiated-emission problem a shield can only partially solve.
Jun 12, 2026
34 min read
Issue #21
The Component Signal #021 — The Supreme Court Ends Executive Tariff Power, and AI EMI Tools Cross the Chasm
The Supreme Court strikes down executive tariff authority, triggering refund obligations and cost-model recalibration, while production-ready AI design tools cut EMI prediction cycles from 8 weeks to 3.
May 21, 2026
4 min read
Issue #20
The Component Signal #020 — MIL-STD-461H Lands, and Why IEC 61000 Can't Keep Up With Device Density
MIL-STD-461H supersedes Rev G after 11 years, retailers redesign products to dodge premium DRAM, a $127B CBP refund portal opens, and we make the case for distributed multi-plane grounding in dense designs.
May 18, 2026
4 min read
Issue #19
The Component Signal #019 — Equipment Sales Boom, Logistics Fragments, and AI Designs Half Your Silicon
Semiconductor equipment sales stay strong while logistics partnerships shrink, Stellantis books $349M in tariff costs, and autonomous AI design agents now drive 50% of advanced chip development — reshaping EMI compliance.
May 16, 2026
4 min read
Issue #18
The Component Signal #018 — Stress-Test Your Supply Chain Assumptions: HBM, EUV, and the AI Tariff
AI-driven DRAM scarcity forces HP to widen its supplier base, China's EUV progress reframes the leading-edge map, and hardware authentication becomes mandatory for AI workloads — with real EMC consequences.
May 14, 2026
3 min read
Issue #17
The Component Signal #017 — Intel's Terafab Anchor Model and the 0402 Ferrite Bead Squeeze
Intel's anchor-customer foundry model rewrites allocation logic, the Supreme Court tariff ruling opens a refund window, and we dissect 0402 ferrite-bead shortages and the EMC fix when your filter part is gone.
May 12, 2026
3 min read
Issue #16
The Component Signal #016 — DRAM +23% Again as Best Buy Hoards, and the 600V MOSFET at 37 mΩ
Retailers build memory inventory into a 12-18 week lead-time wall, the Pentagon blacklist reversal reshuffles the supply base, and we examine a 600V SiC MOSFET's RDS(on) economics and integrated shielding.
May 9, 2026
4 min read
Issue #15
The Component Signal #015 — The Pentagon Reverses Itself: $2.3B in Memory Procurement Reopens
The Pentagon's partial reversal of the YMTC/CXMT blacklist unlocks a $2.3B exemption, Korean suppliers reposition for displaced defense demand, and hardware authentication adds 15-20% to EMC validation scope.
May 7, 2026
3 min read
Issue #4
The Shield Report #004 — AI-Accelerated EMI Prediction and What It Changes for Shield Qualification
EMI prediction cycles compressing from 8 weeks to 3. How surrogate-model AI tools are changing the shield-design iteration loop, what they cannot replace, and where measurement remains deterministic.
May 6, 2026
6 min read
Issue #14
The Component Signal #014 — Micron's $50B Boise Bet and the End of Asia-Default Memory
Micron commits $50B to Idaho DRAM, Korean memory exports to North America slide on a 25% tariff wall, and we break down HBM4E controller EMI and the SiC packaging bottleneck that wafers can't fix.
May 5, 2026
4 min read
Issue #12
The Component Signal #012 — Five Suppliers Raise Prices Tomorrow, and the Naphtha Cracker Math Behind It
Korean naphtha crackers offline cut the petrochemical buffer to two weeks, April 1 brings simultaneous hikes from TI to Murata, and we show you how to audit a shield-can supplier's true country of origin.
Apr 30, 2026
4 min read
Issue #3
The Shield Report #003 — Metal Cost Inflation and Shield BOM Strategy: Repricing Every Alloy-Content Part
Copper +49%, tin +58%, nickel elevated, aluminum +49% YoY. The shield-specific cost impact, which design parameters to adjust to recover margin, and the Vietnam production advantage in a tariff-volatile environment.
Apr 29, 2026
6 min read
Issue #11
The Component Signal #011 — DRAM at +95%, and the λ/20 Aperture Mistake That Costs $40k a Recall
HBM4 sold out through 2026 forces a commodity-DRAM squeeze, a leading Korean foundry lands Snapdragon on 3nm GAA, and we dissect the slot-antenna resonance physics behind 8 of 14 recent automotive EMC failures.
Apr 28, 2026
4 min read
Issue #11
The Design Brief #011 — Enclosure Shielding Effectiveness: Seam, Gasket, and Aperture Physics from First Principles
Why a 90 dB material gives a 25 dB box. The full SE equation, seam-impedance physics, gasket compression-set failure, and a layer-stackup method for board-level shields under MIL-STD-461H and CISPR 32.
Apr 28, 2026
6 min read
Issue #11
The Supply Signal #011 — MLCC Allocation Hits: Automotive Demand Locks Up Capacitors
Murata and leading Korean MLCC makers have formally allocated automotive-grade MLCCs. Standard ceramic lead times are at 16–20 weeks. The hedging playbook and what the MLCC squeeze means for EMI shield design.
Apr 28, 2026
4 min read
Issue #10
The Component Signal #010 — The Strait That Carries Your Nickel
Hormuz disruption reroutes the metals that become your shields. Plus: a KEC Semiconductor spotlight, and why IEC 60601-1-2:2024 just expanded medical EMC into the 5 GHz band.
Apr 25, 2026
4 min read
Issue #10
The Design Brief #010 — CISPR 32 to 6 GHz: Redesigning Emissions Strategy When the Test Band Triples
CISPR 32's 6 GHz radiated ceiling breaks 1 GHz-era mitigation. The aperture and cable physics at 6 GHz, the tightening 9–30 MHz conducted band, and AI-accelerator GPU cards under FCC enhanced review.
Apr 25, 2026
5 min read
Issue #10
The Supply Signal #010 — Rebuild the Buffer Before Your Competitors Do
The 18-month component glut has officially ended. The buffer-reconstruction window is open and closing. Why rebuilding inventory now is cheaper than the alternative, and the metal math that changes the calculation.
Apr 25, 2026
4 min read
Issue #9
The Component Signal #009 — AI Hardware's 800-Watt EMI Problem
Vera Rubin NVL144 racks now exceed 300 kW. Inside the switching-noise environment of a modern GPU rack, and why a conductive thermal pad can cost you 12 dB.
Apr 23, 2026
4 min read
Issue #9
The Design Brief #009 — Pre-Compliance Before the Chamber: The 3 dB Rule and CS101's 30 A/Phase Reality
Mobile pre-cert gear at $3K vs. a $15K chamber day. The measurement physics that make pre-compliance trustworthy, the 3 dB decision threshold, and CS101 power-lead injection limits under MIL-STD-461H.
Apr 23, 2026
4 min read
Issue #9
The Supply Signal #009 — Digital Maturity Below 3.0: Why Your Suppliers Can't Pivot
Supplier digital maturity has emerged as a leading indicator of supply chain resilience. Low-maturity suppliers fail silently in allocation environments — and the evaluation criteria are more accessible than most buyers realize.
Apr 23, 2026
4 min read
Issue #2
The Shield Report #002 — MIL-STD-461H and the Shield Redesign It Requires
MIL-STD-461H released April 17, 2026 — the first major revision in 11 years. What changed in RE102, CS114, CS118, and what it means for shields already in production programs.
Apr 22, 2026
6 min read
Issue #8
The Component Signal #008 — March 1 Tariffs: What Actually Changed
The 25% Korean-origin tariff is live and customs is enforcing it. A spotlight on Innox Advanced Materials and FCCL, plus a tin-supply warning as Myanmar's Wa State stays offline.
Apr 21, 2026
4 min read
Issue #8
The Design Brief #008 — CE102 Frequency Planning: Engineering Switcher Harmonics Out of the 150 kHz–30 MHz Failure Zone
73% of military CE102 failures cluster in one band. The harmonic-placement rule, the 8 dB receiver-correlation gap, and a worked frequency plan that buys 15 dB of filter budget.
Apr 21, 2026
5 min read
Issue #8
The Supply Signal #008 — The Semiconductor Pricing Spiral: TI +85%, and What's Driving It
Texas Instruments leads a broad analog and power IC repricing cycle. Why fab-economics and demand-mix shifts make this more than a typical margin-capture move, and how to triage your BOM exposure.
Apr 21, 2026
4 min read
Issue #7
The Component Signal #007 — The Real Cost of Failing EMC Testing
A failed EMC test costs $20K–$100K+ in respins and delay. A shielding fix costs $0.30–$0.85 per unit. Plus: connector plating bottlenecks and TSMC Arizona's 98% yield.
Apr 18, 2026
4 min read
Issue #7
The Design Brief #007 — Testing Beyond the Commercial Window: What MIL-STD CE102 Reveals That CISPR 32 Hides
Switching regulators that look clean at 1 MHz can resonate at 800 MHz–1 GHz. Why the MIL-STD-461H conducted-emissions setup catches commercial failures, and how to read a >6 dB delta as a warning.
Apr 18, 2026
5 min read
Issue #7
The Supply Signal #007 — The Cost of Missing the Turn: Budgeting With 2025 Assumptions
The component market turned in Q1 2026 and most procurement teams were late. How stale cost models compound across a BOM and the four recalibration moves that matter now.
Apr 18, 2026
4 min read
Issue #6
The Component Signal #006 — One Export Tax, Every Nickel Alloy on Your Board
Indonesia's processed-nickel export tax reprices nickel-silver and mu-metal shields. Plus: the via-stitching math for Faraday cages, and why thermal reliefs break a shield.
Apr 16, 2026
4 min read
Issue #6
The Design Brief #006 — Decoupling Capacitor Placement: Why the λ/20 Rule Lies and Loop Inductance Tells the Truth
A 35 dB improvement at 1 GHz from moving a 2.2 µF cap 3 mm. The mounted-inductance physics, the real impedance-vs-distance data, and a target-impedance method for placement.
Apr 16, 2026
5 min read
Issue #6
The Supply Signal #006 — Pre-Positioning Season: Why 73% of Memory Buyers Are Already Hoarding
Defensive inventory builds are self-fulfilling prophecies. How the hoarding cycle works, what it means for Q3 cost models, and where shields fit in the hedging calculus.
Apr 16, 2026
4 min read
Issue #1
The Shield Report #001 — Board-Level EMI Shields: A Field Guide to Form, Function, and Failure Modes
The definitive engineering reference for board-level EMI shield selection. One-piece vs. two-piece, material science, the fence-pitch rule, and the four failure modes that silently degrade shielding effectiveness.
Apr 15, 2026
6 min read
Issue #5
The Component Signal #005 — A 25% Tariff Doesn't Change Physics, It Changes Geography
The 25% tariff on Korean-origin electronics is live. Plus: the standing-wave math behind shield-can resonance, and why a 45 mm can failed at 10 MHz.
Apr 14, 2026
4 min read
Issue #5
The Design Brief #005 — Ferrite Sleeve Placement for CS114: Standing-Wave Suppression on Filtered Cable Harnesses
Power-line filters fail CS114 because RF couples through the whole harness, not individual pins. The transmission-line physics, λ/8 sleeve spacing, and 300 Ω impedance targeting with 31-material cores.
Apr 14, 2026
4 min read
Issue #5
The Supply Signal #005 — Glut to Constraint: The 2025 Oversupply Is Officially Over
Standard passives, connectors, and MLCCs have flipped from oversupply to allocation. The metal-feedstock repricing behind shield-cost inflation, and the Q3 buying window.
Apr 14, 2026
3 min read
Issue #4
The Component Signal #004 — Samwha, and Seventy Years of Capacitors You've Never Specified
A spotlight on Samwha Capacitor — Korea's only full-line capacitor maker — plus a price watch showing copper, tin, and nickel all breaking higher in May 2026.
Apr 11, 2026
4 min read
Issue #4
The Design Brief #004 — The CS101 Trap: Why CE102-Clean Filters Still Fail Susceptibility Testing
CS101 injects energy your conducted-emissions filter was never designed to reject. The LC resonance physics, the 50 kHz / 200 kHz placement rule, and a worked example for power supply designers.
Apr 11, 2026
4 min read
Issue #4
The Supply Signal #004 — The Pyeongtaek Squeeze and the Korea Tariff Shock
DDR pricing is up sharply on fab re-allocation while a 25% US tariff on Korean electronics rewrites landed-cost models. What to recheck in your BOM this week.
Apr 11, 2026
3 min read
Issue #3
The Component Signal #003 — A 55-Week Lead Time Is a 55-Week Decision
MCU lead times stretch past a year, SiC bottlenecks shift to packaging, and DRAM/NAND pricing breaks records. The return-path gap that turns your signal trace into an antenna.
Apr 9, 2026
4 min read
Issue #3
The Design Brief #003 — FCC Part 15 Class B Above 1 GHz: Why Your Margin Disappears Where Your Harmonics Live
The 54 dBµV/m ceiling above 960 MHz, the 6 dB/octave shielding rolloff that erodes it, and how to budget switcher-harmonic suppression so you certify on the first attempt.
Apr 9, 2026
4 min read
Issue #3
The Supply Signal #003 — Hyperscaler Hoarding and the Broken DRAM Spot Market
Cloud buyers are pre-buying DRAM at scale, starving enterprise and industrial channels. How to secure Q3 memory and why metal feedstock for shields just repriced 40%+.
Apr 9, 2026
3 min read
Issue #2
The Component Signal #002 — The Helium Crisis Is a Lithography Crisis
Ras Laffan's outage removes 30% of world helium with a 3–5 year repair horizon. Why leading memory fabs have a September runway, and what a helium-starved fab means for memory pricing.
Apr 8, 2026
4 min read
Issue #2
The Design Brief #002 — Surviving CS114 Bulk Cable Injection: Common-Mode Physics from 10 kHz to 200 MHz
Why interconnect cables fail CS114 at 27 MHz and 108 MHz, the transfer-impedance physics behind it, and how to engineer 40 dB of common-mode rejection that holds across the band.
Apr 8, 2026
5 min read
Issue #2
The Supply Signal #002 — DRAM Goes Vertical: The Last-Time-Buy Window Is Closing
HBM is sold out through 2026 and DRAM contract prices booked +95% in Q1. Why memory allocation now dictates EMI shield BOM cost models and what procurement must execute this week.
Apr 8, 2026
3 min read
Issue #1
The Component Signal #001 — The MLCC Upcycle Has a Physics Problem
Naphtha shortages choke Korean petrochemicals while AI server boards consume 10,000+ MLCCs each. Why the leading Korean MLCC makers' price signals are the bellwether the whole industry follows.
Apr 7, 2026
6 min read