Therefore, if you are using a board layer with half an ounce of copper on it, the traces will be 0.7 mils thick. One ounce is 1.4 mils thick and two ounces is 2.8 mils thick. One half ounce of copper, if spread evenly across one square foot, will give it a height (thickness) of 0.7 mils. Printed circuit board copper is defined by its weight, and the weight is determined by how much copper it takes to fill one square foot of area. The thickness of the trace is determined by how much copper is being used on that layer. By knowing how thick a trace is and the amperage that it will need to carry, you can figure out the correct width needed for routing in order to keep the temperature at a desired level. The cross area of the trace (width and thickness) is what defines the amount of current that it can handle. In order to dissipate this unwanted heat, you need to use a larger trace. The more current that is running in a trace, the hotter the temperature that the trace will operate at. The problem that you are trying to avoid is an abundance of heat.
Why a PCB Trace Width vs Current Table is Needed
Here are some examples of why a PCB trace width vs current table is important, and how it can help on your next design. Those traces that are conducting power, however, require more attention to make sure that they will not burn up. Most signals do just fine through the regular trace widths that are routed on the board. One way to do this is to ensure that the traces in your PCB design are wide enough to handle the current being passed through them. The best way to avoid this kind of stress is to prevent such thermal problems from happening in the first place. Then your boss will appear, and you will really start to sweat. There is also the inevitable joker in the crowd who will innocently suggest that this kind of testing should be reserved for the winter when it is cold outside. Whatever the symptoms may be, the results are usually the same: everyone will gather around and start pestering you with annoying questions. You may even get some actual flames, prompting someone to grab a fire extinguisher. Maybe you will only get a small wisp of smoke, or perhaps you’ll hear something pop. One way to really get your heart racing is to have a little thermal accident when first powering up a new printed circuit board during testing.
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