does aluminum foil make a good heatsink?

[caleb]

i heard of people use it and washers. so does it make a good heatisnk. ofcourse if wont be prety but it would work i sappose...
if so, how well, and what other things work well

thanks mans.

 

[Switch]

I don't really see it working very well, you'll never get good heat transfer if you just roll it on the module because there will be a lot of air between the layers.It's probably gonna be better than nothing but definetly not as good as a solid chunk.

 

[Deleted member 13229]

It doesn't work really at all. Like Switch said, there are so many air gaps in the foil so the foil can start acting like an insulator.

 

[Mohrenberg]

just either use washers, or what i did was make a mold of a heatsink, then i melted aluminum and poured it into the mold, it's still ugly but i've got a solid aluminum heatsink (i also had to do some filing to the inside to make the aixiz module fit properly...


but...i'd say just shell out the $20 for a custom machined one.....

 

[hydrogenman15]

I've used aluminum tape before. It works quite well and you can get some at your local hardware store. As for aluminum foil...well it has way to many air gaps and I have no idea how to get it to be compressed around the module.

--hydro15

 

[caleb]

aluminium tape 'ey... il have a look for it.

but... if you scrunched up a piece of aluminium foil in a ball and then perhaps drilled indside (or scrunch it up around the module) would this compress or remove the air... im sure it would be WAY more effective than just wrapping it around.

but i will try washers if i can find some that give a tight sqeeze.

 

[Liberty1992]

aluminium tape 'ey... il have a look for it.

but... if you scrunched up a piece of aluminium foil in a ball and then perhaps drilled indside (or scrunch it up around the module) would this compress or remove the air... im sure it would be WAY more effective than just wrapping it around.

but i will try washers if i can find some that give a tight sqeeze.

I'm definitely not the right person to be taking advice from on DIY, but i dont think an aluminum foil ball would work either, it will still have a lot of air in it, it'll just be compact air, your better off making a mold or melting the aluminum into a ball

 

[thebucketmouse]

about using washers, can i use regular galvy steel washers or should i look for aluminum ones?

 

[daguin]

about using washers, can i use regular galvy steel washers or should i look for aluminum ones?

Aluminum is better. Steel will do, especially if you are not pushing the diode much.

Peace,
dave