IPC Designers Council, RTP Chapter

The next chapter meeting is Jan 29, 2020, 5:00-7:45 pm. Speaker is Bill Bisenius of CertifiGroup: "Creepage and Clearance Measurements". Location is CertifiGroup. To receive an email notification, please sign up here and associate yourself with the RTP Chapter.

Abstract: This presentation will teach the “how-to’s” of creepage & clearance measurements = what is creepage distance, what is clearance distance, the parameters that affect creepage & clearance the minimum creepage & clearance distance required, how to identify the creepage & clearance requirements applicable to your product and pcb’s, how to measure the creepage & clearance distances in your product/design and pcb layout, and how to fix insufficient distances on finished products and boards. The adjoining presentation will show close-up pictures of some measuring tools, related specs from the standards, and some photos of pass/fail examples. Test equipment will be used during the demonstration and shared with the attendees - this includes a steel ruler, digital calipers, digital micrometer, creepage & clearance feeler gauges, force gauge with finger probe tip, and an optical comparator. A few example products will be "tested" during the demonstration – this includes a populated circuit board, a bare circuit board with trace pattern, and a transformer. Audience members will be given an opportunity to personally conduct sample measurements. Common causes for failure and typical methods for designing for compliance will discussed. The material presented applies to most UL, CSA, EN, & IEC standards.