PCB Thermal Estimator – Tool Description and Instructions

This tool estimates the temperature rise in a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) due to heat dissipation through vias and copper planes. It is designed for PCB designers and engineers who want to predict how efficiently heat will dissipate through the board geometry and material configuration.

🚀 How It Works

Using user-defined values like via diameter, copper thickness, board material, and power to dissipate, the tool calculates the estimated thermal resistance and resulting temperature increase. Additionally, it can visualize the relationship between the number of vias and resulting PCB temperature using a chart powered by Chart.js.

🧪 Instructions

1. Geometry Section

   • Via diameter (mm): The diameter of each thermal via. Typically between 0.2 – 0.5 mm.

   • Copper thickness (µm): Standard copper thickness. Common values are 35 µm (1 oz), 70 µm (2 oz), etc.

   • Board thickness (mm): Total thickness of the PCB, usually 1.6 mm.

   • Polygon width/height (mm): The dimensions of the copper area that will dissipate heat.

2. Vias Section

   • Number of polygons: Used to simulate multiple copper zones.

   • Number of vias: Number of thermal vias within each polygon.

3. Temperature Settings

   • Ambient temperature (°C): Room/environment temperature.

   • Initial PCB temperature (°C): Starting temperature of the PCB zone (can be based on thermal camera or estimation).

4. Power Settings

   • Power to dissipate (W): The amount of heat to be dissipated through the board.

   • Flexible PCB checkbox: Select if the board is made of polyimide (affects thermal conductivity).

   • Manual k_board (W/m·K): Optional. Override automatic board conductivity with a custom value.

5. Actions

   • Calculate: Runs the thermal estimation and displays the result below.

   • Plot: Temp vs Nº de Vias: Generates a temperature curve showing how PCB temperature decreases with more vias.

📊 Output

The result includes:

• Estimated thermal resistance (°C/W)

• Estimated temperature rise (ΔT)

• Final expected PCB temperature

If you click “Plot: Temp vs Nº de Vias”, a chart is generated showing the impact of increasing via count on the PCB’s thermal performance.

🧩 Technical Notes

• The chart is rendered using a locally loaded Chart.js file, avoiding any external CDN dependencies. This improves compatibility with secure servers.

• The tool uses basic thermal physics assumptions and is intended for initial estimates only, not as a substitute for full simulation tools like FEA or detailed thermal modeling.

🧮 Related Tool

If you’re working with PCB materials, you might also find our Dk & Loss Tangent (tan(δ)) Calculator useful. It helps evaluate dielectric constant and loss tangent values at various frequencies.

💬 Feedback

If you found this tool helpful or would like to suggest any improvements, please leave a comment below!
Your feedback helps us improve and prioritize new features for future updates.