Method and apparatus for balancing power plane pin currents in a printed wiring board

摘要

A method and apparatus for balancing power plane pin currents in a printed wiring board (PWB) provides for reduction in pin counts required for power plane (including ground plane) connections and/or reduction in requirements for connector current handling per pin. One or more slots is introduced in the metal layer implementing the power plane that alter the current distribution in the power plane. The per-pin current profile for connector pins connected to the power plane is equalized by tuning the length of the slot(s). The slots may be dashed or made internal to the power plane metal layer to avoid weakening the metal layer for laminated multi-layer PWBs and may be shaped around a connector end when the power plane pin allocation is not uniform at the connector ends. The resulting equalization reduces either pin count required for carrying the power plane current or reduces connector pin current requirements.