So with the understanding that any experiment should be undertaken with the proper materials. I set out and found a large supply of computers and harvested anything I could use, before they were sent off to be melted down. (Or crushed) After 7 hours of unscrewing, unclipping and moderate finger jabbing I end up with around ten power supplies and a nice assortment of heat sinks.
Including a few large aluminum ones great for cutting into a shape adequate for the calculated LED heat sink needs.
Small current LEDs do not need heat sinking but also put out relatively little light. For general lighting LEDs you have to use high output LEDs typically in the 350 Mah to 1000 Mah current range compared to your blinking led on your cell phone which typically takes about 20 Mah.
This increased amount of electricity pushed through a small device increases the heat radiated by the excited material causing the light. To keep the LED from burning out you simply attach some efficient heat conduction to the reverse side and draw the heat out into the air. Even with heat sinks on the smaller side of the calculated range of acceptance….you are still at a considerably lower temperature than a normal light bulb. You can touch both led and heat sink with your hand without harm.
This is great when safety comes to mind. How many 3V fires have you heard of? Very few compared to the popular 300V floor lamps that have burned so many houses.
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| From Christopher Annis |