Grounding - A Recommendation for the Future

"Everybody talks about grounding but nobody does the same thing about it!" Grounding is the topic when electronic engineers get together to define a new system or to develop a plan to fix an apparent "problem" in an existing system. This paper covers the complex and nebulous subject of grounding: from fundamental definitions to inconsistencies and differing (often conflicting) requirements. After a review of historical and modern practice, a systematic approach to grounding is presented for future application.