Wires & Cables - juxtapix/IMA_E4I GitHub Wiki
A wire is a single conductor that is capable of carrying an electrical current. Most wires are made from very low-resistance material like copper and is insulated with a layer of plastic, rubber or lacquer.
When designing a circuit, it's important to take into consideration Current Density, which is the amount of charge that flows through a section of wire per unit of time. It is inversely proportional to the diameter of the wire; the smaller the wire, the higher the current density. A high current density within a wire also translates to a hotter temperature of the wire because more electrons are colliding with the copper ions of the wire, causing heat.
The current density could become so high that the collisions and resulting heat can overpower the wire, causing it to meltdown. This is referred to as the fusing point. In order to avoid this, it is important to select a suitable wire size for the anticipated current needs of your circuit.
Wire size is measured in gauges. One common standardized gauge system is the American Wire Gauge (AWG). Increasing gauge numbers correlates with a decreasing wire diameter size.
Wire & Cable Types
- Solid wire (solid core) is a single conductor
- Stranded wire is two ore more twisted or braided bare conductors.
- Cables have one or more conductors and more insulation than ordinary wires.
Cables are usually used for high frequency signals/communications
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