Hi All,
I tried searching through the forum but couldn't quite find what I am looking for. When designing PCB and calculating current rating for a given trace (let's say a trace on an outer layer), what is a typically accepted temperature rise? Reading through other forums/blog/online I see a large range anywhere between +10C to +85C. I'm thinking 20C is a good reasonable temp increase, but can't quite find anything to confirm/deny that. If ambient temp is 25C and trace increases in temp by 20C, then the result is 45C, which isn't going to burn the user if they touch it. I realize that the components nearby the trace will play a factor in this consideration, but for my particular application let's assume the trace is stand-alone trace without anything else nearby it. Looking for a rule of thumb, etc. Any user experience out there?
Cheers,
MathPi