A device comprising an array of sensors and a multiplicity of bus lines,
each sensor being electrically connected to a respective bus line and
comprising a respective multiplicity of groups of micromachined sensor
cells, the sensor cell groups of a particular sensor being electrically
coupled to each other via the bus line to which that sensor is connected,
each sensor cell group comprising a respective multiplicity of
micromachined sensor cells that are electrically interconnected to each
other and not switchably disconnectable from each other, the device
further comprising means for isolating any one of the sensor cell groups
from its associated bus line and in response to any one of the
micromachined sensor cells of that sensor cell group being
short-circuited to ground. In one implementation, the isolating means
comprise a multiplicity of fuses. In another implementation, the
isolating means comprise a multiplicity of short circuit protection
modules, each module comprising a current sensor circuit and an
electrical isolation switch.