cable sizing

Dear all.

I need simple example to implement below link into excel sheethttp://www.bulkwire.com/wireresistance.asp

Example .

sys voltage =12v

sys current = 6A

length of cable in feet = 50

resistance = resistivity* length/ area

diameter of wire =0.0159 inch =0.001325 feet
radius =0.01325/2 =0.006625
a = pi* radius^2= 0.000137090
resistivity =1.68*10^-8
therefore wire resistance= 0.0060 ohm.

Please let me know what mistake i am doing while consideration above equation.

How to calculate % voltage drop here.

The figure you're using for resistivity of copper is in Ω/m not Ω/ft.

Russell.

How can use it calculation. Please explain with example.

consider the link where

length of cable is= 50 feet

load current = 6A

source voltage =12v

consider 24 guaze wire

diameter in inch given=0.0232 inch

diameter in mm is given as=0.590mm

resistance @77 deg F=26.18 ohm/ft

resistance @77 deg F= 85.9 ohm/km

how to calculate resistance for length;voltage drop; % voltage drop

Regarding the example in your original post:

  • Check your arithmetic. The intermediate results seem to be incorrect, mostly by errors in placement of the decimal point. The calculation of the cross-sectional area of the wire, for example, looks to be about 1000 times the actual value.
    Area = pi * (((0.0159 /12)) / 2) ^ 2 = 1.37886E-06.
  • As has been mentioned, the resistivity of copper that you're using has units of ohm-meter, while your lengths are in units of feet. You need to convert the resistivity to ohm-feet.

This quest has the aroma of an academic assignment. Is this homework?

I the real world, you also need to take termination resistance into account, especially over short distances (where the resistance of the cable itself may be less significant than the terminations).

If you've ever seen a wire that was burned-up from excess current, it's usually burned (or more-burned) at the terminations/connectors.

And most of the time when considering wire gauge, it's the heat we're concerned with rather than the voltage drop.

P.S.
Don't forget it's usually a round-trip... If you are running a toaster or hair dryer at the end of a 100-foot extension cord, you've got 200 feet of wire.

russellz:
The figure you're using for resistivity of copper is in Ω/m not Ω/ft.

Russell.

resistivity is Ωm, not Ω/m (which is what you get after dividing the resistivity by the cross-sectional
area).

MarkT:
resistivity is Ωm, not Ω/m (which is what you get after dividing the resistivity by the cross-sectional
area).

Whoops, well spotted Mark.

Russell.