APPLICATION NOTE
20
Trace Width Calculation
Trace width calculation for output can be done as following. These calculations are based on IPC-
2221/IPC-2221A design standards.
Copper thickness = 1oz/ft2
Temperature Rise = 20°C
Max Current = 6Amp
Required Trace Width = 2.34mm (External trace)
Max Current = 4Amp
Required Trace Width = 1.33mm (External trace)
After the calculation of various trace clearance parameters the MIN_LINE_WIDTH property should be set
on the respective nets.
Trace Clearance Calculation
Trace clearance calculation for nets involving high voltages can be done as following. These calculations
are based on IPC-2221/IPC-2221A design standards.
Max Voltage = ~250V
Required Trace Clearance = 1.25mm (External trace; uncoated)
Required Trace Clearance = 0.4mm (External trace; coated)
After the calculation of various trace clearance parameters, you should set SPACING Constraints on
respective nets.
Driving Other PCB Layout Parameters from Simulation
In addition to the above two parameters, you can also leverage the simulation results to drive the
placement of devices which are dissipating power and keeping temperature sensitive parameters in
different zone. Similarly, simulation result can be used to identify the nets with high di/dt or dv/dt and
special precaution can be taken while routing these nets.
