Looking for heatsinks

[calgaryreefer]

Does anyone know of a place in Calgary or even online within Canada that sells heatsinks large enough to make LED lights, I know there is a couple in the US like heatsink USA, but shipping is pretty expensive, trying to look for local to save and to support our own industries at home!!!!

Thanks.

[sphelps]

You could investigate other alternatives to the standard fin and fan heat sink. A tube style heat sink can be more effective at cooling and cost less. Square aluminum tubing is available locally from many sources.

[phi delt reefer]

Originally Posted by sphelps

You could investigate other alternatives to the standard fin and fan heat sink. A tube style heat sink can be more effective at cooling and cost less. Square aluminum tubing is available locally from many sources.

+1 - if you can weld the square tubing into a continuous loop or back and forth pattern you can use a "side-venting" fan (possibly called a scroll fan??) to push air through the entire structure and keep it cool. You can effectively cool the entire unit with one fan (unless you have a 6 foot tank )

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by phi delt reefer

+1 - if you can weld the square tubing into a continuous loop or back and forth pattern you can use a "side-venting" fan (possibly called a scroll fan??) to push air through the entire structure and keep it cool. You can effectively cool the entire unit with one fan (unless you have a 6 foot tank )

Yeap or you could use a fan on each tube to make it a little easier or join the tubes with some other means. Not too many people can weld aluminum and contracting it out won't be cheap.

[globaldesigns]

Just wondering, I have look at a few of the DIY LED setups, and everyone has huge heatsinks.

I personally am not using LED, but if LED uses less energy and has less heat creation, why such a big heatsink? Just wondering, as my MH, just have fans with no heatsinks.

[GMGQ]

The heatsink is to dissipate massive heat from the LEDs, which will theoretically extend their lifespan. Each of these little suckers generates a LOT of heat @_@

Just like any electronic component, the hotter it runs, the shorter its lifespan. A good example are CPU's and their honkin' heatsink/watercooling setups. Sure it will still run at the higher temperatures, but are you willing to risk burning it out? I think that's the fear.

Having said that, I do believe these big Amp style heatsinks are overkill for these LED setups. I just finished my 8LED build with a 6"x7" heatsinkusa heatsink, it's about 5lbs. It gets warm to the touch pretty quickly, but I have a 80mm fan sitting on top of it, running at about 5V (it's a 12V fan), and that's enough to cool the heatsink down to slightly cool to the touch.

When I do my next build, I'm using aluminum channels (not u-channel). I think the main thing is to slap on a decent fan to blow away the heat from the heatsinks, so they can continue to suck the heat away from the LEDs. I read that some guys would rather have a big ass heatsink, so that they can avoid adding a fan (due to noise) and just let it air cool. I cant even hear my fan when it's on.

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

Just wondering, I have look at a few of the DIY LED setups, and everyone has huge heatsinks.

I personally am not using LED, but if LED uses less energy and has less heat creation, why such a big heatsink? Just wondering, as my MH, just have fans with no heatsinks.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by sphelps

Yeap or you could use a fan on each tube to make it a little easier or join the tubes with some other means. Not too many people can weld aluminum and contracting it out won't be cheap.

Loads of shops weld aluminum.

If your interested in persuing this route, pm me and I'll forward my contact list on to you.

[DiverDude]

The idea of a heatsink is to provide a large thermal mass which has as large a surface area as possible. The larger the thermal mass, the more "sinking" of heat. Most heatsinks have 'fins' since this dramatically increases the surface area exposed to ambient air. The more surface area for a given ambient temperature, the more heat that is transfered to the surrounding air.

Have you tried pricing solid aluminum plate -say, 1/2" thick ? You could make fins 1/4" deep in that with a table saw quite easily.

[reefermadness]

take your shells and put them where the sun dont shine'

[sphelps]

Anyone looking for the square tubing for heat sinks can get it at Metal Supermarkets, the location in Calgary has plenty of 1.25x1.25x0.125 6061 in stock. Cost me $80 for 16 feet.