<p>The work describes a method for determining the current collector strips of pantograph electric locomotive current collectors using an accelerometer to increase the reliability of current collectors and reduce the time for their operation. In view of the large number of failures that occur during the operation of pantographs, there is an urgent need to determine the state of the contact strips. The presented diagnostic system will allow assessing the wear of the contact strips. The article provides diagnostic parameters for determining the state of current collector strips, as well as a method for determining the types of wear of a current collector strips for various values of diagnostic parameters. The method for determining the state of collector strips is based on vibration movements of the collector strips. During operation of the current collector, wear of the collector strips occurs, which leads to a decrease in the mass of the collector strips. The <br /> vibrational acceleration of the collector strips changes according to the mass change, The change in vibrational acceleration is estimated using an accelerometer. Accelerometers can be easily mounted on the pantograph, and they will not affect the operation of the pantographs due to their small size and weight. The reliability of scientific statements and results is justifiedtheoretically and confirmed by experimental studies. All theoretical and experimental studies were carried out in laboratory conditions.</p>