Heatsinking a 3W Luxeon

Jason S · 2006-07-01T05:58:24+00:00

I want to use a single 3W Luxeon Star LED. but this is primarily a heatsinking question.I have read a few threads here and there all over the net, but they were for applications a little more different to mine...- I want to use a single 3W- I can't use a fan- The enclosure has to be plasticI am going to house it into an ABS plastic case with the dimensions 83 x 54 x 31mm (Jiffy Box, size UB5). Instead of using the original plastic lid, would the lid made out of aluminium be suitable as the LED's heatsink? The aluminium is about 1mm thick (18 gauge).The aluminium lid could be cut to about 3.5" and 2.5" and bent to form a square "C" shape (imagine the lid with two joined parallel walls). This would mean more aluminium to cool the LED, and would make the heatsink fit nice and snug into the box, probably even without the need to screw it down to the box.I won't be using any fans or anything (not for *this* project!), so I am relying on just the heatsink exposed to ambient air. I could drill lots of holes into the aluminium too, but not sure if that would be necessary.If it is any consolation, the LED will be alternating between "steady on" and "strobing" every few seconds.Incase you're wondering, the only thing that this box will house is the LED Star, Collimating Lens, and Aluminium Heatsink. The LED's power supply and controller will be housed in a different plastic box.Could I get away with this type of cooling for a 3W?Please let me know if the heatsink doesn't have to be that big, or if you have any better ideas, keeping in mind what I *can't* do with this particular application.ThanksJason.Electronics enthusiast with "L" plates.

Jul 01, 2006 24 Replies

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Jason S 20 years ago

Oh ok, thanks for the info Don, appreciate it. Will keep that in mind.

Regards, Jason.

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Jason S 20 years ago

Thanks to everyone who helped me with the heatsinking side of it.

Just another question (more associated about the LED's themselves now)...

Is it a good idea to stick to the original and popular 'Luxeon' brand Star LED rather than a non-genuine one (copy if you like) that you can buy cheaper? Jaycar have a Luxeon and a similar looking one for 10 bucks cheaper, but I'm worried it won't be as good a quality as Luxeon (don't want to waste money). ** I want to use a Luxeon LED Collimator (black one, Jaycar Cat HP1292 which is 15 degrees) so it needs to be compatible. **

P.S I will be using a 3W Star LED ... Get what you pay for???

Can anyone make a suggestion?

Thanks again Jason.

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joseph2k 20 years ago

put

400mm)

deg.

too

Do not trust what Greg says without plenty of salt. The old 486 heatsinks were designed to dissipate 35 to 50 W or more; i suspect that a 3 W luxeon would not cause temperature rise more than 2 C above ambient.

JosephKK Gegen dummheit kampfen die Gotter Selbst, vergebens. --Schiller

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Jason S 20 years ago

Thanks Joseph.

I have it all connected up now, and seems to be running really smoothly (current set to 800mA approx). The heatsink when I touch it feels only slightly warmer than ambient, thanks to the CPU's little fan - so its all good. =:)

Jason.

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joseph2k 20 years ago

that

efficient

air

heatsinks

luxeon

Thanks for letting us all know how it turned out.

JosephKK Gegen dummheit kampfen die Gotter Selbst, vergebens. --Schiller

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