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Engineering Tool

Power Loss Calculator

Calculate the exact voltage drop, power dissipation, and conductor resistance for any hybrid cable run. Get an instant pass/marginal/fail assessment to verify your conductor sizing before installation.

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⚙ Cable Parameters
One-way cable run length. Round-trip resistance is calculated automatically.
Voltage at the power source end of the cable.
Total current drawn by all end devices on this cable run.
Resistance increases ~0.4% per °C above 20°C reference.
📊 Analysis Results
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Enter your cable parameters and click Calculate to see the power loss analysis and pass/fail assessment.
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Voltage Drop (V)
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Drop (%)
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End Voltage (V)
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Power Loss (W)
Run Cable Selection →

CALCULATION METHOD

Engineering Formulas Used

Conductor Resistance
R = ρ × (2L) / A
ρ = resistivity (Ω·mm²/m), L = one-way length (m), A = cross-section (mm²). Factor of 2 accounts for round-trip current path.
Voltage Drop
ΔV = I × R
I = load current (A), R = total round-trip resistance (Ω). This gives the voltage lost in the cable conductor.
Power Dissipation
P_loss = I² × R
Power dissipated as heat in the cable conductors. High P_loss indicates conductor undersizing and potential thermal issues.
Temperature Correction
R_T = R₂₀ × [1 + α(T−20)]
α = 0.00393 for copper, 0.00403 for aluminum. Resistance increases with temperature, which is critical for high-temperature installations.

REFERENCE DATA

Conductor Sizing Reference

Cross-Section Resistance (Ω/km, Cu) Max Current (A) Typical Application Recommended For
0.75 mm² 24.5 Ω/km 6 A Sensor signals, low-power devices Short runs <50 m, <3 W devices
1.5 mm² 12.1 Ω/km 13 A Small IP cameras, access control Runs <100 m, <15 W devices
2.5 mm² 7.41 Ω/km 18 A PTZ cameras, WiFi APs, lighting Runs <300 m, <30 W devices
4.0 mm² 4.61 Ω/km 25 A High-power cameras, edge servers Runs <500 m, <60 W devices
6.0 mm² 3.08 Ω/km 32 A Multi-device distribution, long runs Runs <800 m, <100 W loads
10.0 mm² 1.83 Ω/km 44 A Feeder cables, high-power systems Runs <1500 m, <200 W loads

Need Help Sizing Your Cable System?

Our application engineers can review your power distribution design and recommend the optimal conductor sizing, cable type, and voltage level for your project.

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