AWG VS AMPS

Posted by Marco C on October 22, 2016 at 3:23pm

Hello,

I was just wondering, how much current can a 14 AWG wire handle? 

can anyone explain and give further detais on this matter? 

Marco

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Replies

  • Marco C October 23, 2016 at 3:45am

    Hi Forrest,

    as far as concern my drone:

    - at hover it needs an average of 22 amps

    - the 14 awg it is very short (1 inch) and it is used to connect the power module to the PDB, PM has 13 AWG.

    - I have also 18 AWG that run from PDB to ESC

    - it is an hex

    - it is a ship like drone used for photogrammetry.

    The battery is 4 s 10000 mha

    Best regards.

    Forrest Frantz said:

    Marco - This is probably one of the most misunderstood areas of building drones.

    Wires do have a max amperage and voltage, but you might be asking the wrong question.

    What you are actually asking is one of the following:

    1) My drone flies at 20 amps at hover. What is the optimal wire size going from the battery to Power Distribution Board (or differently, going from the PDB to ESCs or ESC to motor)?

    2) I have 14 AWG wire and nothing else and really don't want to buy any more wire (I don't care about shorter flight times due to wire being too heavy).  My Drone uses 20 amps in hover.  Is using the 14 AWG too small (different than asking if it's optimal) for going from the ESC to motor?

    I don't think you are asking how much current can a 14 AWG wire handle? So can you be more explicit.  I have a worksheet where you input your amps at hover and it tells you the optimal wire size to use for maximum flight time. But I need to know:

    - what is the approximate amps being used by your ship at hover

    - where is the wire being used

    - is it a quad, hex, or octa

    - is it a racing quad or ship used for things like photography

  • Paul Atherton October 23, 2016 at 12:31am
    15 amps is cited as the limit for household wiring applications, but this is due to the long cable runs in house wiring. In drones we are talking very short runs so proportionally lower volt drop, so in this case the same cable can handle a lot more current. 75amps is suggested for short runs in the articles I have read.
  • MR60
    Forrest Frantz October 22, 2016 at 7:51pm

    Marco - This is probably one of the most misunderstood areas of building drones.

    Wires do have a max amperage and voltage, but you might be asking the wrong question.

    What you are actually asking is one of the following:

    1) My drone flies at 20 amps at hover. What is the optimal wire size going from the battery to Power Distribution Board (or differently, going from the PDB to ESCs or ESC to motor)?

    2) I have 14 AWG wire and nothing else and really don't want to buy any more wire (I don't care about shorter flight times due to wire being too heavy).  My Drone uses 20 amps in hover.  Is using the 14 AWG too small (different than asking if it's optimal) for going from the ESC to motor?

    I don't think you are asking how much current can a 14 AWG wire handle? So can you be more explicit.  I have a worksheet where you input your amps at hover and it tells you the optimal wire size to use for maximum flight time. But I need to know:

    - what is the approximate amps being used by your ship at hover

    - where is the wire being used

    - is it a quad, hex, or octa

    - is it a racing quad or ship used for things like photography

  • Larry A Amati October 22, 2016 at 7:04pm

    I think 15 amps is typical.

  • Paul Atherton October 22, 2016 at 3:47pm

    A quick google found this post on RCG: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=654870

This reply was deleted.