New Methods of Testing PCB Traces Capacity and Fusing

The article presents virtual and real investigations related to current capacity and fusing of PCB traces in high power applications and is based on a scientific paper delivered by authors at SIITME 2010 (www.siitme.ro) in Romania. The reason of performing the research and related tests is that in real applications the current carrying capacity of PCB traces could be different than the value presented in standards and datasheets or obtained after solving thermal equations. Based on the experimental results, the authors want to offer a new practical resource in the case of traces/tracks fusing, in order to avoid failures of electronic systems during the operation and, why not, to offer a design guide of developing PCB fuses, which could be interesting in some specific or low cost applications. In addition, the contribution introduces finally a few “rules of thumb”, useful to designers, fabricators and hardware engineers, which will deliver practice oriented advices for specialists involved in electronic design and manufacturing.