Pulse Arrested Spark Discharge (PASD) wiring diagnostic.

Pulse Arrested Spark Discharge (PASD), a non-destructive wiring diagnostic, was developed by Sandia National Laboratories and has been refined for application to aircraft wiring systems under a Federal Aviation Administration contract. PASD employs a low energy arrested-arc concept and time domain reflectometry to produce a well-defined reflection from an insulation defect site. The PASD diagnostic can detect and locate a range of electrical insulation damage in cable/wire bundles with non-uniform impedance profiles. This paper will discuss the PASD concept and results of laboratory and aircraft-type wiring system measurements.