Appendix D – Ground Loop Phenomenon
OMG-CONV-485-ISO Page 16

Appendix D - Ground Loop Phenomenon

What is Ground Loop?
Ground loop Phenomenon occurs when two (or more) pieces of equipment are
connected together with a common ground and a different ground potential
exists at each location. This current can cause the connected equipment to
experience noise that in turn causes data transmission errors. In the extreme this
ground current can cause equipment malfunction or even destruction.
Cabling Recommendations
When connecting the OMG-CONV-485-ISOI in a RS-485 network, care should
be taken that both ends of the network are not isolated from ground (see Figure
8). This “floating” ground condition could cause the capacitive or inductive
coupling of voltages that will cause a break down in the DC to DC converter
circuit or in the opto-isolator circuit. This condition will cause data errors and
possibly destruction of the receiver circuit.
AB
Isolation
Barrier
DATA+
DATA-
Ground
Isolated
Adapter
Non
Isolated
Adapter
Figure 9 – OMG-CONV-485-ISOI cabling example