Design and construction of a PC-based PD detector and locator for HV cables using FPGA

Rapid development in field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) technology opens up a new opportunity to develop re-configurable real time DSP to reduce disturbances during PD measurements under on-site conditions. This paper applies this technology in the design and construction of a real-time PD detector and locator. The detector and locator consists of analog circuits and digital circuits most of which are programmed into an FPGA chip. Then, the FPGA chip, the analog circuits and digital circuits are fabricated into a PCB that can be inserted into a slot of a PC. The instrument results in a low-cost and high-performance digital PD measuring system.