Too much of the stuff will be a problem whether you are trying to heat or cool. I have some major doubts that a thin coating of that stuff would be enough to make any major difference in the performance of peteler junction. Now on the other hand, if the heatsink is loose... That could give you some real issues.
Michael is quite correct.
The thing about heatsink compound, is that you should only use a
*very* thin layer, and use it between surfaces which are already flat and well-fitting. Adding a thicker layer of heatsink compound than is necessary, will actually reduce thermal conductivity.You want as much direct metal-to-metal or metal-to-ceramic contact as you can get - enthusiasts who "overclock" their PCs will often flatten and polish the top of the CPU and the bottom of the heatsink to increase direct contact. A *thin* smear of heatsink compound is appropriate... just enough to fill the remaining gaps between the heatsink and the heat-sunk :-). You almost want to smear it on, and then wipe most of it off gently with a single-edged razor blade, so that there is no excess buildup between the two surfaces.
And, yes, if the heatsink actually comes loose from the Peltier junction (e.g. if it was originally spring-clipped in place, and the clips are loose or have fatigued and lost pressure) then you've got problems... you'll get a layer of air between the two surfaces, and thermal conductivity will become quite poor. Adding a thicker layer of goop to try to fill the gap isn't the right thing to do - instead, fix whatever caused the devices to become loose, clean the surfaces, reapply a *thin* layer of compound, and secure the devices back together with the proper amount of pressure.
If there was (apparently) nothing holding the two surfaces together - no clips or retainers - then you're probably dealing with a "thermally conductive adhesive". Some of these are good, some are poor... and you'll have to strip off all of the remains, and then reapply (again) a very thin layer of a suitable thermal adhesive, and fasten the parts back together with appropriate pressure until the adhesive cures.
--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!
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I got the impression that was where Ricky Gervaise went wrong, last week, at the latest Hollywood bash
Packing peanuts.
Probe slips.
People begging me to work on stuff which I used to turn away, but now have to take in because business is slow.
Mark Z.
Yes. Knowing the U.S. and its people much better now, as I tend to visit twice a year and have now for many years, I would say that was pretty much spot on. Although I've found that American people are much more friendly in general to strangers, than people over here are, I also find that they are much more 'reserved' in actually getting to know them as a friend. Here in the UK, if you are just in the same business as one another, you tend to automatically think in terms of communicating with a 'kindred spirit'. So even on a first contact with someone, if you appear within a few sentences to be speaking the same language, it becomes quite acceptable to introduce a degree of 'chuminess' into the conversation such as calling the person 'mate' and such-like. Barbed humour between you is then immediately accepted, and is likely to get thrown back at you by the other person, and often gets deflected onto the company that you, or the other person works for. Having made the 'APF' comment to the guy, in my naivety, I was expecting him to just throw back a similar comment like " so what, then ? Your British threads are better than ours, are they ? :-) "
Like I say, easy to cause unintentional offence, if you are not familiar with the country, and it's people and their cultural differences, even if they appear to speak the same basic language. Many countries in Europe speak English as a second language. If you speak it to a German for instance, in general, he will not understand British humour. Not likely to be offended by it. Just won't understand it. A Frenchman, will understand it, and be offended - or at least pretend to be ... OTOH, a Dutchman will both understand the humour, and give back as good as he gets. They seem to have a very 'English' understanding of the English language. I don't know why that should be, but I was once told by a Dutch guy that I had dealings with, that it was because they easily received UK television over there, so tended to watch a lot of British made drama and comedy programmes. I wonder if this will change now analogue TV is almost now all gone. I bet that they don't receive the digital multiplexes across the water, anything like as well as they did the high power analongue transmissions. Any Dutch people reading this care to comment ?
Arfa
There's a good one. Especially when the humidity is very low, and the peanuts are all broken up in pieces!
Low humidity is rarely a problem in Florida. :(
-- You can't fix stupid. You can't even put a band-aid on it, because it's Teflon coated.
I agree. The assembly goes like this: Small heat sink (cold side) - square plastic gasket with embedded rubber seal that doesn't physically touch anything - square block of Styrofoam with a square cutout in the middle - Peltier device - foam tape around the styrofoam - large heat sink. To screws go through everything on either side of the Peltier to sandwich it all together. And oddly they hot-glued the ends of the screws and nuts.
This is obviously made in China, everything is pretty crudely manufactured and assembled, heat sink fins were mashed together in spots. I didn't think to check the tightness of those two screws when I took it apart, but I bet you are right and they weren't nearly tight enough. I'm going to rebuild the 2nd one while I'm at it and will check the tightness after I pry off all the hot glue...
-- -Scott
I think it matters in what part of the U.S. this person resided. I'm originally from the North East and humor that would be considered mild there is considered a great affront to some people in the South. However, racist remarks, that I find offensive, don't seem to bother their delicate constitutions. Chuck
Its actually funny the fact that we speak almost the same language. Although I am an American, I currently live in Japan. The fact our languages are so different, provides some kind of cushion for misinterpretations, well usually.. I try to take things people say without getting offended, even if they seem to be offensive in English. I understand that there is a language barrier and also a culture barrier. Many people mutually understand that when I am talking to them in Japanese as well.
So my point is we are so alike, Brittish and Americans, that we assume that nothing is different.. :)
Mike
Have a look in a classic car mag. A few companies sell selections of UNF and UNC nuts and bolts. Or sell individually.
--
*Proofread carefully to see if you any words out or mispeld something *
Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
This is a useful resource near me, stainless steel only and tend to be larger sizes. One man band , now internet only but no minimum order so worth bookmarking.
In the UK, modern cars use metric threads. Ones from about after WW2 to the '80s mainly UNF and UNC. Pre WW2 BSW and BSF. BA was common for electrical stuff.
A classic car is really just any which isn't recent and not defined under the strict headings of vintage etc. It isn't restricted to any make - just over 20 years old. Although that age isn't agreed by everyone.
--
*Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt.
Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
Frosts carry an impressive range of useful bits and bobs for the classic car restorer, their free catalogue is a good read
Ron
In the UK it probably means BSF and BSW threads perhaps brass or cyclo as well
Most consumer electronics stuff these days is made in China! From low end kit to decent, so you can't generalise that something made in China is automatically shoddy. Although a fair proportion is indeed cheap and disposable, that is the case because they are responding to a demand. They only supply what the west is prepared to pay for anyway!
Pet hates: excessive amounts of screws holding covers of TVs etc. together. this seems to have got worse with flat panels.Often you spend as much /more time assembling and re-asembling than the repair!
-B
Some large color TV consoles built in the '60s had 20 to 30 screws.
-- You can't fix stupid. You can't even put a band-aid on it, because it's Teflon coated.
He was in sunny Caffy-lornia ... Costa Mesa in Orange County, a few miles down the Interstate from LA
Arfa
I seem to recall from my early days of car tinkering in the 70's and 80's , that most of my spanners and my socket sets, were Whitworth and AF ?? That would have been for Morris Minors, Vauxhalls of all sorts including HA, HB and HC Vivas, a VX4/90 or two, and assorted Fords including Escorts and Cortinas and Sierras.
Arfa
Yep. Amen to that one ...
Arfa
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