Re: PCB trace spacing for voltage levels

On Sun, 04 Nov 2007 09:02:53 GMT, the renowned Jamie Morken
<jmorken@xxxxxxx> wrote:

Phil Allison wrote:
"Jamie Morken"
I was reading about the recommended trace spacing for signals based on
voltage levels from here:

http://pcbwizards.com/faq.htm

Near the bottom of the page it says IPC-2221 and IPC-2222 documents
recommend "0.0002 in./volt" (0.00508 mm/volt)

and gives a 0.1" spacing for 500Volts.

I am curious about the TO-220 package for this, since you can buy 600V
TO-220 devices, will they not pass UL (assuming UL uses similar voltage
spacings) since they don't have the recommended 0.1" spacing between
traces/pins?


** A TO220 pack is not a PCB.

There are no traces & the insulation material is quite different.

You have made an entirely false comparison.

I'd be interested in seeing a layout with a TO-220 that had trace
spacing above 100mil :)

cheers,
Jamie

No problem, you just 'stagger' the leads. It's commonly done on triacs
and such like. A minimum pad-to-pad spacing (not trace-to-trace) of
100 mils is not a problem even with a large annular ring and generous
hole size.



Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
speff@xxxxxxxxxxxx Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com
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Relevant Pages

  • Re: PCB trace spacing for voltage levels
    ... I was reading about the recommended trace spacing for signals based on ... voltage levels from here: ... Near the bottom of the page it says IPC-2221 and IPC-2222 documents ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
  • Re: PCB trace spacing for voltage levels
    ... I was reading about the recommended trace spacing for signals based on voltage levels from here: ... Safety regs aren't so much concerned with whether or not your circuit will function but more with spacing from HV or mains traces to traces on the LV side where GUI stuff, ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
  • Re: PCB trace spacing for voltage levels
    ... Phil Allison wrote: ... voltage levels from here: ... Near the bottom of the page it says IPC-2221 and IPC-2222 documents ... I am curious about the TO-220 package for this, since you can buy 600V TO-220 devices, will they not pass UL (assuming UL uses similar voltage spacings) since they don't have the recommended 0.1" spacing between traces/pins? ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
  • Re: PCB trace spacing for voltage levels
    ... I was reading about the recommended trace spacing for signals based on voltage levels from here: ... Safety regs aren't so much concerned with whether or not your circuit will function but more with spacing from HV or mains traces to traces on the LV side where GUI stuff, ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
  • Re: PCB trace spacing for voltage levels
    ... I was reading about the recommended trace spacing for signals based on voltage levels from here: ... Safety regs aren't so much concerned with whether or not your circuit will function but more with spacing from HV or mains traces to traces on the LV side where GUI stuff, ...
    (sci.electronics.design)