Reducing ground noise primarily involves minimizing impedance and resistance in your grounding system. This is best achieved by choosing the correct size and type of ground conductor.
Here's a breakdown of how to effectively reduce ground noise:
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Use Adequate Ground Conductor Size: Employing a wire gauge that is sufficiently large is critical.
- Recommendation: Use 14 AWG or thicker stranded grounding wire for each distribution loop.
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Why Thicker Wire Matters: Larger gauge wire significantly reduces ground resistance. Lower resistance allows for easier and faster dissipation of unwanted currents, reducing noise.
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Benefits of Stranded Wire: Stranded wire is superior to solid wire in grounding applications because it reduces ground impedance. This is due to the increased surface area provided by the multiple strands. Increased surface area allows for better electron flow and dissipation of noise currents, especially at higher frequencies.
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Summary Table:
Factor Recommendation Benefit Wire Gauge 14 AWG or thicker Reduces ground resistance Wire Type Stranded Reduces ground impedance, especially at high frequencies
In essence, a robust grounding system using appropriately sized and stranded wire provides a low-impedance path for noise currents to flow to ground, thereby minimizing their impact on your circuits and equipment.
