Drift residual after current-source swapping ($\sqrt{k_1/k_2}$)

A drift residual after current-source swapping remains when the current ratio changes between the two source assignments. The geometric mean cancellation in current-source swapping in a resistance ratio measurement is exact for a fixed multiplicative mismatch; it does not make a time-varying mismatch constant.

Let the true resistance ratio $q$ remain fixed. At the two acquisition times $t_1,t_2$, write $k_i=I_A(t_i)/I_B(t_i)>0$. With opposite source assignments,For $g(t)=\log k(t)$, the logarithmic error is $[g(t_1)-g(t_2)]/2$. A full-interval bound $|g^{\prime }(t)|\le \gamma$ therefore givesFor an original example, a logarithmic source-ratio drift of $0.01{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$ over a $0.2\mathrm{s}$ acquisition separation produces $\hat{q}/q=e^{-0.001}\approx 0.9990005$. This is a $0.0999500\%$ underestimate for that drift direction. Shortening the separation reduces this particular residual, provided both readings still follow electrical settling.

A useful original logarithmic variant of an ABBA measurement sequence uses source-assignment signs $s=(+1,-1,-1,+1)$ at equally spaced times $0,\Delta ,2\Delta ,3\Delta$. The four readings obey $\log r_i=\log q+s_{i}g(t_i)$. Combining them as $\hat{q}=(r_1{r}_2{r}_3{r}_4{)}^{1/4}$ givesBoth the constant and linear logarithmic drift terms cancel because the signed time sums vanish. Unequal timing, nonlinear drift and a changing sensor resistance can leave residuals. If $q$ itself varies, the combination includes its geometric average over the acquisitions rather than automatically recovering a single-time value.

The primary RTD guide establishes source interchange in its three-wire circuit; its topology-specific arithmetic averaging is distinct from the separate-branch logarithmic model above.^[ref] A proposed bench test imposes a slow controlled source-ratio variation, timestamps the readings, and compares a two-reading swap with the balanced four-reading sequence while using stable sensing resistors.