Wire gauge needed for 60 amps

Robotics and electronics discussion Electronics
1

My setup:

  • Maestro 12 channel servo controller
  • Running five servos and processor @5.5 volts
  • Power supply: Mean Well 5.5 volt 60 amps
    What gauge wire do I need to connect power source to Maestro?

Thanks.

2

Hello.

It sounds like you might think that the power supply will push 60 A to the Maestro and your servos, but that is not the case. The Maestro and your servos will only draw the current they need (and the Maestro’s PCB is not designed to handle 60 A anyway).

I am not sure what servos you are using, but typical hobby servos will draw around 1 A when stalled, so unless you are using some unusually large or powerful servos, you can probably plan on needing to accommodate about 5 A at most. For that, I would suggest a wire gauge around 20 AWG, which is also about the largest wire that will fit in the Maestro’s 40 mil diameter through-holes. You can probably get away with a smaller gauge, especially if the servos will not all be straining at the same time or for long periods of time; however, you might also want to take into account the length of the wires and how much heat and voltage drop you can tolerate.

You can find various resources on the Internet to help you determine relationships between wire gauge and current capacity, such as the table here.

- Patrick

3

Thanks Patrick. Very helpful.