Development of Underground Cable Fault Detector using Microcontroller

Abstract

Underground cable is widely used especially in the urban area where the overhead cable is not suitable to be used. Technically, underground cable is tougher compared to overhead cable and can withstand severe weather condition. However, this does not mean that underground cable has no faulty over time. Unlike overhead cable, underground cable is buried underground and not visible to human eyes. The problem arises when a fault occurs in the underground cable. It can take hours, sometimes days to determine the location of the fault. The current ways to find the fault location are time-consuming and quite irrelevant these days. Underground cable fault detector is developed to detect the location of the fault in the underground cable so that it can be fixed immediately. Using Arduino and a series of switches to create fault condition, the underground cable will display the location of the fault on 2x16 LCD display. This device will ease the process of finding and repairing underground cable as it operates in real-time and immediately gives feedback if the fault occurs