lawlzcake9000
Member
I saw a post somewhere that someone used a computer Thermal compound. I have a tube of some.. Can i really uae these on my strips?
LED Strip Thermal Paste
- Thread starter lawlzcake9000
- Start date
skoomd
Well-Known Member
Yeah, but thermal tape would be my preference. Thermal paste is sticky as hell so it should keep the strips attached, but ideally if you went with paste you'd want to use thermal glue instead. You're gonna need a loooot of thermal paste if you have more than a few strips too.
Thermal tape is like $7 on amazon. It's enough to do quite a few builds. I used 30mm wide for single row samsung F series strips.
Thermal tape is like $7 on amazon. It's enough to do quite a few builds. I used 30mm wide for single row samsung F series strips.
wietefras
Well-Known Member
Did anyone ever do a comprehensive comparison of heat distribution methods to see if they really work?
I did a quick test with some TCI strips and I didn't see a significant difference between adding thermal paste or just screwing them straight onto the bare aluminium. Apparently the contact patch of a whole led strip is big enough that you don't need to put anything in between to transfer the heat.
Didn't try the tape because I would like to be able to remove the strips from the heat sinks.
I did a quick test with some TCI strips and I didn't see a significant difference between adding thermal paste or just screwing them straight onto the bare aluminium. Apparently the contact patch of a whole led strip is big enough that you don't need to put anything in between to transfer the heat.
Didn't try the tape because I would like to be able to remove the strips from the heat sinks.
skoomd
Well-Known Member
Yeah I think you got a good point there. It's not like we're cooling a CPU where the actual die is super tiny (like 10mm x 40mm). Having the heat spread out over such a large area would mean it's much less important to futher spread the heat dissipation via a thermal compound.
That was the theory on my last build. I used dirt cheap paste from ebay to mount Bridgelux EB strips to 1/2" square tube, seems to work very well.
boilingoil
Well-Known Member
I used the thermal adhesive tape. Don't know if it's really necessary as with most thermal paste the contact is aluminum to aluminum. The coating or mask they use on the strips seems like it would hinder the direct transfer of heat to the sinks unless it's a thermal coating.
boilingoil
Well-Known Member
wietefras
Well-Known Member
The leds run at the same temperature for me. With or without paste. The FLIR measures temperature accurate to tenths of a degree. Not sure how it would matter what the ambient temperature is. Both would simply be warmer by the same amount in both cases too.
I guess it can differ per application, but did you ever measure a difference between using paste and not using paste?
CannaBruh
Well-Known Member
Thermal paste makes better conductor than air, removes air gap. Is not to be used as adhesive lol c'mon now (though you might get away with it for awhile.)
Though I think many are finding that running lower currents it might not be great value added to use it vs mounting strips directly.
Though I think many are finding that running lower currents it might not be great value added to use it vs mounting strips directly.
Randomblame
Well-Known Member
Thermal grease, paste, tape is not recommended by the producers, because it's simply not needed.
There is a really large contact surface with LED strips and a few micro air gapps really doesn't matter because it's perhaps less than 1/100 of the surface. Even if the LEDs are running at 200mA (1.8A / 3.6A) you would not notice any difference without TIM.
My single row F-Strips run at ~ 500mA and they are only glued on 1" c-channel with cheap e3ay thermal tape.
At the back of the c-channel I measure 33°C(with a small piece of black tape) and frontwise directly on the middle measurement point it is 35°C. A difference of only 2°C means that these strips has a very low thermal resistance.
EB/EBgen.2 Strips should have an even lower thermal resistance because they are slightly wider(18mm vs. 24mm) and come with alu PCB.
There is a really large contact surface with LED strips and a few micro air gapps really doesn't matter because it's perhaps less than 1/100 of the surface. Even if the LEDs are running at 200mA (1.8A / 3.6A) you would not notice any difference without TIM.
My single row F-Strips run at ~ 500mA and they are only glued on 1" c-channel with cheap e3ay thermal tape.
At the back of the c-channel I measure 33°C(with a small piece of black tape) and frontwise directly on the middle measurement point it is 35°C. A difference of only 2°C means that these strips has a very low thermal resistance.
EB/EBgen.2 Strips should have an even lower thermal resistance because they are slightly wider(18mm vs. 24mm) and come with alu PCB.
boilingoil
Well-Known Member
I was never recommending to not using a thermal interface between the strips and sinks. Just commenting on the fact that the engineers must have decided that it was not that important for thermal management at their specs. Anyone seen a thermal management spec for the strips themself not just the diodes?
Randomblame
Well-Known Member
I have not found anything like that for stripes. But, if it were necessary to pay attention to thermal management there would certainly be a section in the datasheets.
wietefras
Well-Known Member
Exactly. As I said I tried both with and without paste and it's been my experience that it adds nothing in the way of thermal management.
Was hoping others did some measurements too to get a more definitive answer.
I'm building a new frame with a bit bigger U-channels. Guess I can try another few strips with maybe better paste see if it matters with more cooling.
Slinging PAR
Well-Known Member
Friendly advice, don't eat the paste. Unfortunately for you I might have been way too late.
Chip Green
Well-Known Member
All of my Panels/ Racks are built with 560mm Gen 1 BXEBs....
Open air nakedness on the 700ma collections.
Aluminum flashing for the 1050ma versions....not even sure that's "needed" anymore....
Have yet to find a total circuit voltage drop, from cold start to full temp(2hrs) of more than .75% on any build....granted I have good air movement always....
Even the 6 strips at 1400ma, on the flashing sheet lost only 1 volt.
I thumb my nose at thermal management for BXEB!
Open air nakedness on the 700ma collections.
Aluminum flashing for the 1050ma versions....not even sure that's "needed" anymore....
Have yet to find a total circuit voltage drop, from cold start to full temp(2hrs) of more than .75% on any build....granted I have good air movement always....
Even the 6 strips at 1400ma, on the flashing sheet lost only 1 volt.
I thumb my nose at thermal management for BXEB!