{"id":608,"date":"2025-11-29T10:07:03","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T09:07:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hamlinux.it\/en\/?p=608"},"modified":"2026-06-07T14:40:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T12:40:46","slug":"cable-calculator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.i8zse.it\/en\/cable-calculator\/","title":{"rendered":"Cable calculator"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>What wire gauge to use for 12V distribution in our radio station, or for mobile use? Choosing the right cable gauge is not a minor detail: it is essential to ensure the system operates efficiently and safely. A cable that is too thin can cause <strong>voltage drops, load malfunctions, or, in the worst cases, overheating and fire hazards<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, a properly sized conductor ensures that the current required by the load arrives without significant losses, reducing internal resistance, minimizing voltage drop, and keeping the voltage stable at the load. This is especially important when dealing with <strong>long cable runs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>For this reason \u2014 rather than relying on generic &#8220;rules of thumb&#8221; \u2014 it is good practice to calculate the wire gauge based on <strong>current, cable length <\/strong><em>(considering round trip)<\/em> and <strong>allowable voltage drop<\/strong>. This approach ensures a sizing that is consistent with the actual needs of the system and with relevant technical standards.<\/p>\n<p>I have prepared this quick calculator, designed specifically for our purposes.<\/p>\n<p>Simply enter:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The maximum current \u2014 which is the sum of the maximum currents of the devices to be powered by that run<\/li>\n<li>The linear length of the run \u2014 the calculator already accounts for the round trip<\/li>\n<li>The nominal voltage \u2014 preset to 13.8V<\/li>\n<li>The allowable voltage drop percentage \u2014 preset to 3%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>to get the recommended gauge, chosen from commercially available sizes larger than the calculated result.<\/p>\n        <div class=\"cable-calc-wrapper\">\n            <div class=\"cable-calc-container\">\n                <h1>Cable Section Calculator<\/h1>\n                <p class=\"cable-calc-subtitle\">For copper cable power supply to radio equipment<\/p>\n                \n                <div class=\"cable-calc-input-group\">\n                    <label for=\"cableCurrent\">Maximum current (A)<\/label>\n                    <input type=\"number\" id=\"cableCurrent\" placeholder=\"e.g. 20\" step=\"0.1\" min=\"0\">\n                    <div class=\"cable-calc-unit\">Amperes during transmission<\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                \n                <div class=\"cable-calc-input-group\">\n                    <label for=\"cableLength\">Cable length (m)<\/label>\n                    <input type=\"number\" id=\"cableLength\" placeholder=\"e.g. 10\" step=\"0.1\" min=\"0\">\n                    <div class=\"cable-calc-unit\">Meters (one way only)<\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                \n                <div class=\"cable-calc-input-group\">\n                    <label for=\"cableVoltage\">Nominal voltage (V)<\/label>\n                    <input type=\"number\" id=\"cableVoltage\" placeholder=\"e.g. 12 or 13.8\" step=\"0.1\" min=\"0\" value=\"13.8\">\n                    <div class=\"cable-calc-unit\">Volts (typically 12V or 13.8V)<\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                \n                <div class=\"cable-calc-input-group\">\n                    <label for=\"cableDrop\">Max voltage drop (%)<\/label>\n                    <input type=\"number\" id=\"cableDrop\" placeholder=\"e.g. 3\" step=\"0.1\" min=\"0\" max=\"10\" value=\"3\">\n                    <div class=\"cable-calc-unit\">Percentage (recommended 3-5%)<\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                \n                <button class=\"cable-calc-button\" onclick=\"calculateCableSection()\">Calculate Section<\/button>\n                \n                <div class=\"cable-calc-result\" id=\"cableResult\">\n                    <h2>Result<\/h2>\n                    <div class=\"cable-calc-result-value\" id=\"cableResultValue\">-<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"cable-calc-result-detail\" id=\"cableResultDetail\">-<\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                \n                <div class=\"cable-calc-warning\" id=\"cableWarning\" style=\"display: none;\">\n                    \u26a0\ufe0f <span id=\"cableWarningText\"><\/span>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        \n<p>The formula used is<\/p>\n<pre>S = (2 \u00d7 \u03c1 \u00d7 L \u00d7 I) \/ \u0394V\r\n<\/pre>\n<p>where<\/p>\n<p>S = cross-section in mm<sup>2<\/sup><br \/>\n\u03c1 = 0.0175 \u03a9\u00b7mm\u00b2\/m (copper at 20\u00b0C)<br \/>\nL = one-way length in meters<br \/>\nI = current in amperes (A)<br \/>\n\u0394V = maximum voltage drop in volts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What wire gauge to use for 12V distribution in our radio station, or for mobile use? Choosing the right cable gauge is not a minor detail: it is essential to ensure the system operates efficiently and safely. A cable that is too thin can cause voltage drops, load malfunctions, or, in the worst cases, overheating [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":731,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,38],"tags":[46,43,47],"class_list":["post-608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hack","category-power-supply","tag-calculator","tag-power-supply","tag-wire-gauge"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Cable calculator - I8ZSE<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Calculate the right wire gauge for 12V distribution in your radio station or mobile setup. 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