Using multiple conductors to increase maximum current

[swaxolez]

I assume that if you wanted to increase the maximum current suggested for a particular AWG size that you could increase the number of conductors?

For instance, I have a connection board that I want to design and have it interconnect to another custom PCB board with a microcontroller. I would like to use 26 AWG ribbon cable to combine sensor data and power and send it between boards. From this chart (https://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm) the maximum current for 26 AWG is 361 mA. If I have a sensor that say draws 500 mA could I simply use to 26 AWG conductors (i.e. two lines from the ribbon cable) to effectively increase my AWG size?

By my calculations two 26 AWG conductors of the same length is equivalent to one 23 AWG of the same length.

 

[andre_luis]

Your approach seems to be correct.


+++

 

[BradtheRad]

Just for sake of comparison, here is a link to another table of wire gauges and ampacities:

http://amasci.com/tesla/wire1.html

For bare 26 AWG, it shows a max safe rating of .5082 A.
I don't know whether this is more correct than the figure given in the powerstream.com table.

 

[swaxolez]

Just for sake of comparison, here is a link to another table of wire gauges and ampacities:

http://amasci.com/tesla/wire1.html

For bare 26 AWG, it shows a max safe rating of .5082 A.
I don't know whether this is more correct than the figure given in the powerstream.com table.

Interesting. I guess I'll err on the side of the first one for the sake of being overly cautious. Thanks though.