Brian Scearce wrote: >I'm wiring up a small project, and I'm not sure what gauge of wire >to use. Brian, Transformer people use rules of thumb like 500 circular mils/amp. This takes into account the fact that the inside of a transformer will get warmer than a wire in open air. I think a reasonable estimate for your purposes would be something like 200 cir mils/amp. For example, 30 gauge wire has a diameter of 10 mils giving an area of 100 circular mils. The above rule says you should be able to pass half an amp and not melt the wire. Another quick rule of thumb: Subtracting 6 from the wire gauge doubles the diameter, increasing the current capacity by 4. AWG #24 has a diameter of 20 mils and should handle 2 amps. In most cases it is not melting the wire that is the concern but the voltage drop. I would be more inclined to size the wire using that as the main consideration. -- Bob Fehrenbach Wauwatosa, WI bfehrenb@execpc.com