DIY P60: Difference between revisions
→Mount the LED: you can mix thermal epoxy with thermal paste
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==Mount the LED== | ==Mount the LED== | ||
[[File:P60-ledmounted.jpg|thumb|320px|Mount the LED on the pill so that the LED is right in the center and the holes for the leads are not covered.]]The LED needs to be mounted to the brass pill so that the pill can soak up heat produced by the LED. Use a very small amount of thermal adhesive or thermal epoxy to get good contact between the LED board and the brass without any air gaps. But even the best thermal epoxy will get in the way of the heat transfer so use as little as possible. More is not better. An epoxy like Arctic Alumina or Arctic Silver works great, but once it sets it will be impossible to remove the LED without damaging it. A silicone thermal adhesive like Fujik from DealExtreme seems to work fine and can be removed. Some people might choose to use non-adhesive thermal | [[File:P60-ledmounted.jpg|thumb|320px|Mount the LED on the pill so that the LED is right in the center and the holes for the leads are not covered.]]The LED needs to be mounted to the brass pill so that the pill can soak up heat produced by the LED. Use a very small amount of thermal adhesive or thermal epoxy to get good contact between the LED board and the brass without any air gaps. But even the best thermal epoxy will get in the way of the heat transfer so use as little as possible. More is not better. A small dab in the middle will spread out evenly towards the edges when you press the LED board onto the pill. An epoxy like Arctic Alumina or Arctic Silver works great, but once it sets it will be impossible to remove the LED without damaging it. A silicone thermal adhesive like Fujik from DealExtreme seems to work fine and can be removed. Some people might choose to use non-adhesive thermal paste instead of adhesive, but then the only thing holding the LED in place is the soldered lead wires and pressure from the reflector. One alternative is to combine thermal epoxy with some thermal paste which gives you additional set time and makes the LED easier to remove later. You definitely need ''something''. | ||
You want the LED centered on the pill for the best beam quality. You can get it close by eye and then screw a reflector over the LED (don't tighten it all the way down or it could move the LED) to make sure the LED is in the middle of the opening. If the reflector has a big enough hole you may be able to make adjustments with the reflector in place. Once the LED is centered, you can clamp LED down until the adhesive sets. Use something hollow like a pen cap over the LED so you don't damage the dome. Once the adhesive sets up, check the centering again to make sure it didn't shift.<br style="clear:both;"> | You want the LED centered on the pill for the best beam quality. You can get it close by eye and then screw a reflector over the LED (don't tighten it all the way down or it could move the LED) to make sure the LED is in the middle of the opening. If the reflector has a big enough hole you may be able to make adjustments with the reflector in place. Once the LED is centered, you can clamp LED down until the adhesive sets. Use something hollow like a pen cap over the LED so you don't damage the dome. Once the adhesive sets up, check the centering again to make sure it didn't shift.<br style="clear:both;"> | ||