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American wire gauge (AWG) question - albertofenini - 12-10-2018 01:25 PM

Hi everyone,

I have recently purchased this cable :
https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B07BZXTLJ4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

iT is thin enough to replace broken traces of A PCB, but is too thin to replace the cables that
goes from the battery connectors to the chassis of a classic HP.

I would like now to buy something a little thicker , but I get confused about what size
it should be based on the AWG table, since most of the online articles are sized based on this guide.

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gauge

The guide does not list the external diameter of a wire, it's more on the section,
and I'm not able to find a reference between the AWG sizing and the thickness of the wire,
anybody has done this before ?

Thanks for help, Alberto


RE: American wire gauge (AWG) question - DA74254 - 12-10-2018 02:43 PM

Here's a conversion table between AWG and mm2:
https://www.multicable.com/resources/reference-data/cross-reference-awg-to-mm2/

For the battery terminals you should use (at least) 0,75mm2 which is AWG 18.


RE: American wire gauge (AWG) question - albertofenini - 12-10-2018 03:06 PM

Thank you very much, Esben,

I'm looking for a table that goes from AWG to external diameter of the cable (including insulation)

The battery compartment of an HP-65 has a red and black wire which is 1 mm thick,
inclusive of the insulation

what AWG is that ?

Thanks again Alberto


RE: American wire gauge (AWG) question - Dave Frederickson - 12-10-2018 03:41 PM

(12-10-2018 03:06 PM)albertofenini Wrote:  Thank you very much, Esben,

I'm looking for a table that goes from AWG to external diameter of the cable (including insulation)

The battery compartment of an HP-65 has a red and black wire which is 1 mm thick,
inclusive of the insulation

what AWG is that ?

Thanks again Alberto

The AWG size of a wire is a measure of the cross sectional area of the conductor. For a given AWG size, a solid wire will have the smallest cross sectional area and a stranded wire, with air gaps between the strands will have a larger cross sectional area. Insulation thicknesses vary and will add a varying amount to the overall diameter.

When selecting wire, two primary considerations are current carrying capacity and voltage drop. So a longer wire needs a smaller AWG and a smaller AWG will heat up less than a larger AWG wire and a longer wire needs to have a smaller AWG to reduce the voltage drop.

Bottom line is that anything around 26-30 AWG will work fine.

If you're using wire to repair PCB traces, flattening the strand with a pair of pliers keeps it from rolling around while soldering.

Dave


RE: American wire gauge (AWG) question - mfleming - 12-10-2018 03:47 PM

Alberto,

Try this reference which gives wire gauge, number of strands, current carrying capacity, and outer diameter (Imperial measurement) for hookup wire. There is a similar page for standard metric wire that you can use to find a substitute for a matching AWG sample.

https://www.mcmaster.com/standard-electrical-wire

~Mark


RE: American wire gauge (AWG) question - DA74254 - 12-10-2018 03:48 PM

I'm afraid your question here is unaswerable..

The wiring is always measured by the "active" part, which would be the core.
The insulation varies in thickness quite massively, depending on brand and where it is manufactured.
Though, a rough guess will be that the 0,75mm2 or maybe the 0,5mm2 (AWG 18-20). The "standard" wires that I use in my DIY electronics (Arduino boards) is AWG 24 and the mentioned 0,75mm2/AWG 18 for battery/power leads.