Our customer designs motor control PCBs, this project required a PCB capable of carrying various high currents. High voltages also required clearances between different voltage zones.

Challenges

• Devise a board construction that would not overheat or fail at the high operating currents
• Ensure that the correct clearances are applied between different voltage areas

Solution

• Liaise with board fabricators to establish maximum finished copper weights available, the resulting minimum copper track and gap
• Calculate required copper width for each current rating, then duplicate high current nets over multiple layers with significant via stapling to ensure these conditions were met
• Create a spacing net group per each voltage group then define the spacing required between each group

Outcome and Technologies

4 layer PCB with 2oz copper on all layers, external layers plated up to 8oz.