madriaanse
Well-known member
For a pcb trace carying line (+4dbu) level, what's a "comfortable" trace width/spacing - considering a 1oz copper PCB?
Many Thanks,
Martin
Many Thanks,
Martin
Trace width
- Thread starter madriaanse
- Start date
Help Support GroupDIY Audio Forum:
clintrubber
Well-known member
Can't see any limitation yet - but in general it'll be more about the current flowing (so the load of that node must be known) than that the level (voltage) will be determining.
peterc
Well-known member
I like to use 30 or 40 mils for signal & 50 mils for PSU traces. It is a lot thicker than a lot of boards but it makes things easier to do at home. Audio signals always like thicker traces as well.....
Peter
Peter
G
Gareth Connor
Guest
Martin,
A large part of my business is PCB design. All boards end up being professionally manufactured. (I used to do the printing, etching & drilling myself for prototypes, but it just got to be too much hassle for 1-offs). Having boards professionally made gives a greater level of freedom on trace/gap widths, through-plating, etc.
I regularly use 10 thou trace & 10 thou gap for audio signals. Level handling up to +28dBu has never been a problem.
For line level interfacing, loads are typically high-impedance, so current draw from an output driver is negligable. When you consider the size of the bonding wires that link the pins of (for example) a 5532 to the actual chip itself, a 10 thou trace is huge in comparison.
If you are looking at power outputs to drive headphones or speakers, it's a different story.
"Comfortable" trace & gap dimensions depend on a lot of factors......
Bottom line is whatever you or your board manufacturer can easily handle in the standard processing methods used! (Non-standard processing increases costs).
Don't go thin-trace for the sake of it, especially if the board is a DIY job.
Published recommendations exist for trace, gap, voltage, current, copper weight, etc, parameters. IPC.org could be a good place to investigate this further if required.
Trusting this is of use.
A large part of my business is PCB design. All boards end up being professionally manufactured. (I used to do the printing, etching & drilling myself for prototypes, but it just got to be too much hassle for 1-offs). Having boards professionally made gives a greater level of freedom on trace/gap widths, through-plating, etc.
I regularly use 10 thou trace & 10 thou gap for audio signals. Level handling up to +28dBu has never been a problem.
For line level interfacing, loads are typically high-impedance, so current draw from an output driver is negligable. When you consider the size of the bonding wires that link the pins of (for example) a 5532 to the actual chip itself, a 10 thou trace is huge in comparison.
If you are looking at power outputs to drive headphones or speakers, it's a different story.
"Comfortable" trace & gap dimensions depend on a lot of factors......
Bottom line is whatever you or your board manufacturer can easily handle in the standard processing methods used! (Non-standard processing increases costs).
Don't go thin-trace for the sake of it, especially if the board is a DIY job.
Published recommendations exist for trace, gap, voltage, current, copper weight, etc, parameters. IPC.org could be a good place to investigate this further if required.
Trusting this is of use.
