Author Topic: Video Suggestion: Proper Grounding  (Read 1014 times)

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Offline WowSuchNameTopic starter

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Video Suggestion: Proper Grounding
« on: January 24, 2025, 07:21:02 am »
Hey forum,

as a long-time reader, I want to use the opportunity to thank you all - Dave in particular, of course - for the valuable information you gather here. I really learned a lot from it ;)

In the videos, Dave often mentions the importance of grounding circuits properly. However, that seems to be quite a controversial topic. Splitting a grounding plane between analog and digital parts, e.g., is discussed quite a lot. I assume the most precise answer would be found in field simulations. Let's just assume this is way out of scope and go back three steps.

I have not found an EEVblog video addressing questions such as

- What grounding scheme to use?
- What's a star ground, why is it beneficial, and how does it look like on a PCB?
- How to deal with mixed-signal circuits?
- What to do if there's resource constraints, say a single or double-layer board?
- How do I even know I'm having grounding issues if the circuit does not work?

If I'm too dumb to find it, I'll be happy to take a pointer (and of course also references to useful information from somewhere else). Otherwise, I think this might make an interesting video both from a theoretic and practical perspective.


Thanks for considerations and best regards
WowSuchName
 
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Offline JohanH

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Re: Video Suggestion: Proper Grounding
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2025, 08:19:52 am »
Splitting a grounding plane between analog and digital parts, e.g., is discussed quite a lot.

This is an old advice, not any more recommended.

See videos with, among other, Rick Hartley. The Youtube channel by Robert Feranec discusses the topic and related issues with several experts.





I have not found an EEVblog video addressing questions such as

- What grounding scheme to use?
- What's a star ground, why is it beneficial, and how does it look like on a PCB?
- How to deal with mixed-signal circuits?
- What to do if there's resource constraints, say a single or double-layer board?
- How do I even know I'm having grounding issues if the circuit does not work?

See the above referenced videos and other by the same channels. Dave also has touched the topic, but not as much in-depth as the ones mentioned.

A general advice nowadays is to use an uninterrupted ground plane. Almost always. Star grounding is something that was done in the tube era or when wiring circuits by hand (still might be somewhat relevant when interconnecting circuit boards within enclosures and such). A single layer PCB is only recommended for low frequency stuff and DC.

In my experience, hobbyists and non-experts seem to mix up somewhat different things. Grounding and shielding. Their purpose is a bit different. Grounding again is divided into a few different topics. There is the electrical network grounding that has a special purpose (safety). A small electronics circuit (PCB) grounding on the other hand has different needs. High frequency signals are more demanding than DC circuits. As this is a very wide topic, I suggest reading and watching videos on the subject.
 
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Offline WowSuchNameTopic starter

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Re: Video Suggestion: Proper Grounding
« Reply #2 on: January 25, 2025, 10:34:28 am »
Hey Johan,

thank you very much for your suggestions, I'll gladly have a look ;)


Best regards,
WowSuchName
 


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