Electronic – practical method to verify whether the noise have CM component in this setup

common-modenoiseoscilloscopepower supply

An SMPS power supply unit namely Vsupply output can be composed of its desired DC output Vdc, differential mode noise Vdm and common-mode noise Vcm.

If we have such a power supply and an earth grounded oscilloscope(with passive probe), is there a practical way to check whether there exists common-mode noise?

I draw the following diagram for ease to depict the power supply, scope and the nodes. Can there be a way to manifest the existence of common mode noise by using a resistor in between some of the nodes or any other way? I have never tried to quantify how much part of the noise is DM and how much is CM and have no practical experience on it.

Edit for an answer:

1) Where is the probe tip connected?

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2) Can we measure CM by this way?:

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Edit 2 for a comment:

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LAST EDIT:

Scope screen shots:
(Ch1 and Ch2 are AC coupled)

Pink is the function waveform:

Ch1-Ch2:

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Ch1+Ch2

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Best Answer

In an SMPS on the DC power supply side, Common Mode (CM) noise occurs when current exits the circuit and returns through the ground. Typically a DC supply is not grounded in two places (although it could be) as shown in the circuit above, this creates a ground loop and causes problems.

Typically noise exits a device through capacitance and then returns through the ground, which is entirely possible with an SMPS because it also produces AC noise that can readily radiate to nearby conductors from the circuit (Vn can also be located in the supply as not shown below, but has the same result):

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Source: https://micro.rohm.com/en/techweb/knowledge/emc/s-emc/01-s-emc/6899

As shown in the diagram above, if it truly is the way you have set things up with a ground loop, there would be a few ways to measure the CM noise. One would be to put a scope ground below A (on A's ground), and the other on D. The differential could be measured from point A to D.

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Or if you had a good current probe you could use it to probe the CM anywhere around the other loop (if there are not to grounds, you could probe through A's ground).

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One thing to keep in mind is Vcm will change with the load, because the switching period and current changes, the noise will also change. So if you are testing for noise, you may want to test over a range of load conditions.

Maybe Regulatory?

If this is for regulatory testing, then typically AC conducted emissions are tested with an SMPS (typically EN55011, non-paywalled description here). The test setup usually involves an LISN and then measuring currents coming to and from the LISN.

enter image description here enter image description here Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224130690_Systematic_Electromagnetic_Interference_Filter_Design_Based_on_Information_From_In-Circuit_Impedance_Measurements

Edit:

If you want to measure the common mode and differential mode without a load, then this is how it could be done with a two channel scope:

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The scope ground needs to be connected to the chassis ground of the supply, this is where the noise currents return to the supply. To measure common mode noise, the supply needs a chassis ground.

The differential mode is:

\$V_{DM}=Ch1-Ch2\$

The common mode is:

\$V_{CM}=\frac{Ch1+Ch2}{2}\$

If you didn't have two probes then you could measure and subtract on paper. If you had two probes then you could see both simultaneously which would be better.

Better than that: many digital scopes have averaging and subtraction functions built in. If so then look at the special functions of your scope. You could average Ch1 and Ch2 together and get the Common Mode voltage. Subtracting both would give you the Differential Mode voltage.

My simulation works just fine, the only caveat is the pk-pk voltages don't average and you get 3V instead of 2.5V because one of the AC signals is riding on top of the other one for the Vcm measurement.

Vcm = 1 Vdm = 4

Vcm measured = 3 (should be 2.5) Vdm measured = 4

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