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If 10 Amps of current coming into PCB board. if it is small board. and you cannot move the components. How you going to handle that.
current handling to the board
- Thread starter chandimajaya85
- Start date
panic mode
- Joined Oct 10, 2011
- 4,940
to handle high current, use sufficiently wide traces. wide traces allow better cooling. you can also use thicker copper layers. standard PCBs use 0.5 or 1 oz/ft^2 of copper. this corresponds to 17 or 35um thick copper layer.
so for 0.5oz/ft^1 (17.5um) you need 15mm wide traces if they are on outside layers of PCB. if they are inside layer, they would need to be even wider since cooling inside is worse than on surface.
you can pay to get the board plated to thicker copper layers, for example 2oz/ft^2 is very common (for 10A need to be 3.7mm wide if outer layer). on few occasions i used up to 4oz. the issue with thicker copper layer is precision of the tracks so you may not be able to mix high current tracks and fine pitch components.
the next option is to use tracks on more than one layer or to use multilayer board even if high current is only on certain layers. the more layers are present the better they spread heat. if you don't believe me, try to desolder some parts from an old PC motherboard.
then there is an option to simply do not run high current through the PCB tracks... use bus bars... like this:
but busbars can also be embedded into inner layers so that high density SMD parts can be on the surface.
on a large boards busbars can be in form of stiffeners. they are nice since they are usually thin and malleable so can be bent into any shape. if needed just get flat copper strip and solder fires to it at correct places.
https://www.e-fab.com/capabilities/products-stiffeners-bars/
so for 0.5oz/ft^1 (17.5um) you need 15mm wide traces if they are on outside layers of PCB. if they are inside layer, they would need to be even wider since cooling inside is worse than on surface.
you can pay to get the board plated to thicker copper layers, for example 2oz/ft^2 is very common (for 10A need to be 3.7mm wide if outer layer). on few occasions i used up to 4oz. the issue with thicker copper layer is precision of the tracks so you may not be able to mix high current tracks and fine pitch components.
the next option is to use tracks on more than one layer or to use multilayer board even if high current is only on certain layers. the more layers are present the better they spread heat. if you don't believe me, try to desolder some parts from an old PC motherboard.
then there is an option to simply do not run high current through the PCB tracks... use bus bars... like this:
but busbars can also be embedded into inner layers so that high density SMD parts can be on the surface.
on a large boards busbars can be in form of stiffeners. they are nice since they are usually thin and malleable so can be bent into any shape. if needed just get flat copper strip and solder fires to it at correct places.
https://www.e-fab.com/capabilities/products-stiffeners-bars/
Last edited:
ronsimpson
- Joined Oct 7, 2019
- 4,663
I have used 6 layers to carry current. Make the board mostly copper.
MisterBill2
- Joined Jan 23, 2018
- 27,327
If you are not able or willing to provide more information, you get no advice.
Jon Chandler
- Joined Jun 12, 2008
- 1,572
Are the parts on the board drawing 10 amps? Or are you worked because the power supply can supply 10 amps?
What's the board doing?
What's the board doing?
