Hello everyone,

I’m working on a project that involves creating a Circuit Ground Monitoring (CGM) system combined with Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) monitoring, and I could really use some guidance from anyone with experience in this area.

The goal is the circuit should:

• Continuously check if machine or handler grounds are connected properly
• Detect any loss of ground or potential floating grounds
• Monitor ESD events or charges that could damage sensitive components

And currently all I know is how to do the principle part of the CGM but I'm not sure if it will work or not, I am using a sense resistor and maybe a TL431 or similar reference to detect ground voltage drop and using a comparator or op-amp it will check for the differential voltage to check if threshold voltages are reach or not and Using an ESP 32 to process and data log in real time.

Currently I am confused on how I would integrate the ESD monitoring part in this, how can I automatically stop operation if it detects a ground break or a lot of electrostatic discharge.

Another thing too is that the Sense Resistor which is very low in resistance should be kelvin tapped but I do not know how to do this I searched the internet for this but all I could find are smd chips and I don't know how to use them any advice for this is greatly appreciated

My questions:

1. What’s the best way to design the sense circuit so it doesn’t interfere with normal machine operation? Is my coincept right or wrong.
2. How do you handle noisy industrial environments — any recommended filtering or isolation tips?
3. Are there recommended ICs or reference designs for ESD event detection?
4. Should I separate the CGM and ESD circuits or combine them into one PCB?
5. Any pitfalls to watch out for regarding safety or false positives?
   

For reference these are the Parts I chose:

0.5 Ω Shunt Resistor	0.5 Ohm Resistor SQP500JB-0R5
Constant Current IC	TL431 constant current source
Op-Amp Buffer	MCP6002 op-amp
SSR	Panasonic AQV212
Analog Multiplexer	CD74HC4067 (16-channel analog MUX)
Rset Resistor	2-2.5 kOhm Resistor 1% Tolerance 1W

Any schematics, app notes, or personal experiences would be super appreciated!
Thanks in advance for any advice you can share

 

You need to get as far as you can and then show what you've done and also what you've done to determine how well it does or doesn't work. That will provide a good starting point for a discussion to help you move in a productive direction.

 

Welcome to AAC.

very low in resistance should be kelvin tapped

Look here