12
Grounding Issues
It is commonly known that when using electronic equipment, both personnel and
equipment need to be protected from high power spikes that may be caused by light-
ning, power line surges, or faulty equipment. Without a proper grounding system, a
power spike will find the path of least resistance to earth ground – whether that path is
through sensitive electronic equipment or the person operating the equipment. In order
to ensure safety and prevent equipment damage, a grounding system must be used to
provide a low resistance path to ground.
When using several pieces of interconnected equipment, each of which may have its
own ground, problems with noise, signal interference, and erroneous readings may be
noted. This is caused by a condition known as a
Ground Loop
. Because of natural
resistance in the earth between the grounding points, current can flow between the
points, creating an unexpected voltage difference and resulting erroneous readings.
The single most important step in minimizing a ground loop is to tie all equipment
(sensors, dataloggers, external power sources and any other associated equipment) to a
single common grounding point.
INW recommends connecting the shield to ground at
the connector end.
