Article View: sci.electronics
Article #8525Current Shunt Problem
From: Nico Garcia
Date: Fri, 23 Nov 1990 17:23
Date: Fri, 23 Nov 1990 17:23
38 lines
2082 bytes
2082 bytes
In article <968@eplunix.UUCP> you write:
>>Hello, folks: I have a problem here that maybe someone can point out
>>obvious or old solutions to. We have a set of current stimulators
>>that we use for work here. They are electrically isolated (running
>>off separate batteries) and drive current signals from 1uA to 1 mA
>>through nerve electrodes. We also have a 1K resistor and a 1uF AC
>>coupling cap between the output and the electrode, so it goes like this:
>>
>>Iout---->Rtest---->Cap---->Electrode---->Ground
>> | | | |
>> Lead1 Lead2 Lead3 Lead4
>>
>>We would like to put a current crowbar in: a circuit that would
>>detect current above a preset level (positive or negative) and
>>shunt Iout directly to ground, (to tie Lead1 to Lead2).
A re-examination of the circuit shows that I made a mistake in the drawing:
It should read (to tie Lead2 to Lead4) in the following configuration.
Iout---->Cap---->Rtest---->Electrode---->Ground
| | | |
Lead1 Lead2 Lead3 Lead4
Also please note: Since the cap is between the stimulator and ground,
this thing only passes AC signals. This means that the SCR
solutions people proposed will not remain crowbarred, but will reconnect
when the Iout goes negative.
There have been some interesting proposals, which I'm investigating.
Some of them fail on power requirements, or require re-configuring the
the electrode in the circuit which I really can't do. There are a couple
of them I'm investigating that might work. Thanks for the help, folks.
--
Nico Garcia
Designs by Geniuses for use by Idiots
eplunix!cirl!raoul@eddie.mit.edu
Technical Details
Message-ID:
<971@eplunix.UUCP>Path:
arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!eplunix!raoulShow Full Headers
Complete Article Headers
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!eplunix!raoul From: raoul@eplunix.UUCP (Nico Garcia) Newsgroups: sci.electronics Subject: Current Shunt Problem Keywords: Current, Crowbar Message-ID: <971@eplunix.UUCP> Date: 23 Nov 90 17:23:29 GMT Organization: Eaton-Peabody Lab, Boston, MA Lines: 38