PCB solder-in buss bar.

[itsmoked]

I have to plumb ~30A across a PCB. The trace widths are crippling!

A while ago I saw bus bar you could drop onto a board. It was tinned copper with pins every half inch or so. It was a standard product.

Now that I actually need some, an hour of googling has not produced it. It has produced, countless board houses and machine shops that will make you custom buss for a small fortune...

Anybody got a link or name or alternative?

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[mcgyvr]

http://www.cci-msc.com/Rigidbus/products.html

that what you are looking for?

 

[mcgyvr]

30A on a PCB isn't that bad... Of course it all depends on how much of a temp rise you can accomodate and copper thickness requirements.

 

[zappedagain]

If mgyver's solution doesn't work for some reason, check out iERC. Search for "zif circuit board retainers". These are more for thermal transfer than current but they might point you in the right direction. I saw these in ierc_sfc.pdf.

John D

 

[zappedagain]

I have a table that I believe is from IPC-D-275 that rates PCB traces up to 35A. You'll need 2 oz or 3oz copper, and the heat rise will be 75C to 100C. But you probably already know this crippling fact!

John D

 

[Comcokid]

Having just designed a power inverter, and reversed-engineered or examined several inverters in the process, I have seen methods used to get the current across the board.
Custom bus bar is used by some - 1/16" stamped tinned copper.

Also seen is 16 to 14 gauge round tinned solid wire shaped (possibly by hand or simple jig) and soldered along its length directly to a trace to 'up' the current of the trace while leaving the pcb trace only about 125 to 200 mills in width. This sure beats wide traces and paying a premium of plating up to 4 oz copper.

Also seen is keeping heavy gauge wire leads on a transformer (while low current pins remain as thru-hole) and routing the heavy leads to where they're needed.

If you need a buss-bar, I sure you could get some K&S hobby copper and use a nibbling tool on it. From there you could try one of the photo etch or laser etch companies to make low volumes.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Keith,

Try

http://www.espbus.com/pcb_bus_bars.html

Googling "PCB bus bar" turns up a ton of useful hits...

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[itsmoked]

Thanks for the suggestions. Both companies have to be asked where to buy the product from, and what it costs.

I'll probably be going with soldered-in wire.
With soldered-in wire the possibility of a single-sided board actually becomes possible.

That means I could run off a proto with my CNC router.

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[MikeHalloran]

With a CNC router, you could make a 1/8" thick copper circuit overlay for the high current stuff, using the same PCB layout software, etc. It's just another layer, soldered on..



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[itsmoked]

Hey! That's an excellent idea!

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com