Conceptual Development of a Portable Partial Discharge Diagnostic Device for Domestic Wiring Systems

ASM Sc. J., 21(2), 2026

Published on September 28, 2026

https://doi.org/10.32802/asmscj.2026.328

Author: Mohammad Fikhri Endrizal, Nordiana Azlin Othman, Muhammad Hafiq Mohd Mazhanafi, Hanafiah Kamarden, Md Aris Nor Asyidi Md Nadzir, Zuraimy Adzis

Abstract

This study presents the conceptual development of a portable, non -intrusive partial discharge (PD) diagnostic device for domestic wiring systems. The proposed system integrates an acoustic emission sensor (MAX4466), an ultrasonic distance sensor (HC -SR04), and an ESP32 microcontroller for real-time PD detection without direct electrical contact or external power injection. The system operates by passively capturing acoustic emissions from PD events, which are processed into ADC values for analysis. An ADC-based classification framework is used, where low values indicate normal conditions, intermediate values represent transient disturbances, and high values (above 3000) indicate significant PD activity. Experimental results show that the system can effective ly distinguish between normal, minor defect, and severe defect conditions based on signal magnitude and patterns. The addition of distance verification enhances measurement reliability. Overall, the proposed device offers a cost-effective and portable solution for early insulation fault detection in low-voltage wiring systems.

Keywords: acoustic emission sensor, domestic wiring system, ESP32 microcontroller, partial discharge detection, portable diagnostic device, signal processing, ultrasonic sensor