Shielded aircraft cabling importance of verifying capacitance

The need to advance wiring analyzers with the ability to analyze the interconnects now used in modern aircraft is discussed. In particular, twisted and shielded cabling is considered that is used to provide protection against electromagnetic interference (EMI), nuclear-induced electromagnetic pulses (ENPs), and high-speed data buses such as MIL-STD-1553B. Also discussed are common failures of shielded and twisted cables and methods of locating the faults. The method discussed in detail is the isolation of these faults by using a highly accurate capacitance comparator along with software to compensate for system and adaptor cable capacitance. Real-world capacitance measurements and the methods used to determine system capacitance tare with grounded and ungrounded systems are discussed. With an accurate system tare, the physical location of the actual defect can be determined.<>