Author Topic: best practice for the heat sink and the triacs?  (Read 1611 times)

Offline arw01

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so the instructions seem a little ambiguous.  Should I bolt all 16 triacs on the heatsink loosely and then bolt the heatsink and trying to feed all the little triac feet, or bolt down the heatsink and then slip the triacs in and bolt them one at a time?

I am assuming after I bolt them in they will all stay and make for fairly easy soldering.

And where is it wanting these plastic washers and spacers exactly?

Offline tbone321

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Re: best practice for the heat sink and the triacs?
« Reply #1 on: November 05, 2013, »
Actually, the best way to do it is to mount the heat sink and then place in the triacs one at a time and solder them in.  I would mount them VERY loosly until they are soldered because the heatsink will make it much more difficult to solder it in.  The only reason to mount them at all at this point is to keep the triac aligned with the heatsink mounting hole.  The plastic bushings go between the heatsink and the board and the plastic washers go between the screw head and the board.
If at first you don't succeed,
your not cut out for sky diving

Offline arw01

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Re: best practice for the heat sink and the triacs?
« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2013, »
Ok got it.  Now if I was a thinking man, I would slip a temporary plastic washer between the triac and the heatsink on the bolt that loosely holds them in place so that the massive heatsink is not sucking up all the soldering heat.  Then slip that plastic out of there and tight up the soldered triac mounting bolt.

Will give that a try anyways.

Offline jnealand

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Re: best practice for the heat sink and the triacs?
« Reply #3 on: November 05, 2013, »
If your iron is hot enough the heatsink will not impact the soldering.  I've built 14 LEs and never had a problem.
Jim Nealand
Kennesaw, GA

Offline tbone321

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Re: best practice for the heat sink and the triacs?
« Reply #4 on: November 05, 2013, »
That's the issue.  Many people just starting the hobby don't have the best equipment yet and are a little nervous about really cranking up the heat.  I like to put a bit of heat transfer compound between the triac and the sink anyway so I solder the Triac in before doing that.
If at first you don't succeed,
your not cut out for sky diving

Offline jnealand

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Re: best practice for the heat sink and the triacs?
« Reply #5 on: November 05, 2013, »
I mount the heatsink, then put a small dab of heat transfer compound just below each hole in the heat sink.  Then I put all the triacs in, followed by loosely putting the bolt and nut in each hole.  After soldering I go back and tighten up the nuts.  Works like a charm.
« Last Edit: November 06, 2013, by jnealand »
Jim Nealand
Kennesaw, GA

Offline winwin

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Re: best practice for the heat sink and the triacs?
« Reply #6 on: November 05, 2013, »
If you go to the wiki You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, you'll find links to videos from RJ assembling the LEs

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AL.

Offline SteveMaris

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Re: best practice for the heat sink and the triacs?
« Reply #7 on: November 05, 2013, »
What jnealand said.
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Offline DonFL

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Re: best practice for the heat sink and the triacs?
« Reply #8 on: November 06, 2013, »
what Steve Maris said... ;D