am doing my final year project on designing and constructing the device i have named up there.

It is an electronic device which is to be attached with the discharge rod and give an appropriate signal if the discharge process was successful or not.

The challenge is, the device is to be used in high voltage laboratories, the capacitors are charged to hundred Kilovolts.

I would appreciate some suggestions on how i can scoop a small amount of charge from the discharge cable and use it to trigger my device to operate as the capacitor discharges.

>I though of using a parallel capacitor arrangement to branch the charge to my "security accessory", but still am curious to know if someone may have a better way

 

How about something on the order of a Hall effect current sensor? http://scienceshareware.com/how-to-measure-AC-DC-current-with-a-hall-effect-clamp-.htm

You would need to size it to the voltages your using, to be safe.