MICHAEL S LEWIS
Paramedic at Treetop Ct, Melbourne, FL

5576695, Nov 19, 1996

Oct 12, 1993

8/135092

William O. Minger - Palm Bay FL
Michael G. Lewis - Palm Bay FL
Kevin B. Kincaid - Palm Bay FL

Harris Corporation - Melbourne FL

G08B 2100

340649

Ground anomalies in electronic circuit component test equipment are identified by a circuit arrangement which continuously monitors the integrity of a ground potential connection to the travel path, and provides both a visual display and an audible alarm in the event of a prescribed degradation in ground potential at any of a plurality of monitored locations along the travel path. A resistance monitoring circuit contains a plurality of voltage dividers that are coupled to respective ones of plural locations along the part's travel path through the handler. Each voltage divider monitors the effective resistance to ground at a respective location within the handler. A scanner unit sequentially couples the voltage divider outputs to a comparator. If the output of a respective voltage divider indicates an effective resistance in excess of the prescribed reference value, a `ground anomaly` signal is generated, which causes an audible alarm to be generated by an attendant audible alarm unit, thereby alerting processing personnel of the need to take the parts handler out of service for repair/corrective action. In order to locate where, along the travel path within in the handler, the defect has been detected, the resistance monitoring circuit further includes first and second sets of red and green indicator lights.