thermal paste/thermal tape for LED strip builds

CBDseeker

CBDseeker

Active Member
My first question is whether or not it is even needed?

Right now i have all the supplies (except thermal paste or tape). U channel, 12, 4 foot Bridgelux EB gen 1 strips etc..

I forgot that I need and am now wondering what to get and where i should get it.

I've found this on digikey

https://www.digikey.ca/product-detail/en/3m-tc/1-2-5-8810/3M10315-ND/2649860

which seems like it would be good but that is also another $180.00 for the amount i would need, which is much more than i expected to need for this build.

Why does DIY always end up costing a lot more than you plan? lol

Anyways, any recommendation on what paste/tape i should use and where to get it would be greatly appreciated.
 
CBDseeker said:
would this work?

https://www.amazon.ca/Thermal-Conductive-Adhesive-Heatsink-Kaifa/dp/B01MZ3T26C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1513733657&sr=8-2&keywords=thermal+tape&th=1
Click to expand...

Yes that stuff is exactly what I've used, just make sure it's wide enough for your strips. It will hold your strips by itself very well. It's cheap and it improves your heat dissipation.

You don't 'need' the thermal tape, especially at lower current but it's nice having it and also removes the need for screws.

After checking your link, it's a bit narrow at less than 1/2".
 
CBDseeker said:
My first question is whether or not it is even needed?

Right now i have all the supplies (except thermal paste or tape). U channel, 12, 4 foot Bridgelux EB gen 1 strips etc..

I forgot that I need and am now wondering what to get and where i should get it.

I've found this on digikey

https://www.digikey.ca/product-detail/en/3m-tc/1-2-5-8810/3M10315-ND/2649860

which seems like it would be good but that is also another $180.00 for the amount i would need, which is much more than i expected to need for this build.

Why does DIY always end up costing a lot more than you plan? lol

Anyways, any recommendation on what paste/tape i should use and where to get it would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
They are designed to run with no heatsink - that means they need an airspace on both side for proper heat convection. SO... if you DO use a heatsink with them, you should use a heat sink compound to get a good thermal interface, otherwise you're blocking the heat dissipation of that side.

I used Arctic Silver 5 paste on some and others I used Arctic Silver thermal adhesive. The ones with the AS-5 paste, I used dabs of RTV at each of the mounting holes to keep them in place.
 
Interesting point ^^^^
Had not considered that. Most of mine are 700ma, naked....
The 1050ma are spread out on a bed of aluminum rollstock, and they are cool enough, but I had never considered that it may hinder convection without paste or tape....
 
nfhiggs said:
They are designed to run with no heatsink - that means they need an airspace on both side for proper heat convection. SO... if you DO use a heatsink with them, you should use a heat sink compound to get a good thermal interface, otherwise you're blocking the heat dissipation of that side.

I used Arctic Silver 5 paste on some and others I used Arctic Silver thermal adhesive. The ones with the AS-5 paste, I used dabs of RTV at each of the mounting holes to keep them in place.
Click to expand...

So using screws to attach them to the aluminum channel without heat sink would work or not work?

Also if they'e designed to not need a heat sink, they must also be designed to be attached to a surface considering to screw holes and the fact that they are not solid on their own, so wouldn't that mean they don' require air on the back side?
 
nfhiggs said:
They are designed to run with no heatsink - that means they need an airspace on both side for proper heat convection. SO... if you DO use a heatsink with them, you should use a heat sink compound to get a good thermal interface, otherwise you're blocking the heat dissipation of that side.

I used Arctic Silver 5 paste on some and others I used Arctic Silver thermal adhesive. The ones with the AS-5 paste, I used dabs of RTV at each of the mounting holes to keep them in place.
Click to expand...
How much do you feel is needed for a specific size strip? I tested very good performance with thermal tape, but some have reported serious difficulty removing a strip once attached. Now I am considering the cheap ebay paste or Arctic Silver.
 
CBDseeker said:
So using screws to attach them to the aluminum channel without heat sink would work or not work?

Also if they'e designed to not need a heat sink, they must also be designed to be attached to a surface considering to screw holes and the fact that they are not solid on their own, so wouldn't that mean they don' require air on the back side?
Click to expand...
Having holes for screws does not necessarily mean they are mounted flush to something along their entire length. Most likely the fixtures they are designed for use standoffs at the mounting points.
 
1212ham said:
How much do you feel is needed for a specific size strip? I tested very good performance with thermal tape, but some have reported serious difficulty removing a strip once attached. Now I am considering the cheap ebay paste or Arctic Silver.
Click to expand...
If applied right, a 7g tube of AS-5 goes a long ways. You can spread it super thin using a credit card. I used it on eleven out of eighteen 2 ft strips, and probably used less than half the tube.
 
nfhiggs said:
I used it on eleven out of eighteen 2 ft strips, and probably used less than half the tube.
Click to expand...
Did you see a difference in temperature with the other strips?

I tried with using paste on some strips and not on others, but I couldn't measure a difference. That was with those low power ebay TCI strips though.
 
wietefras said:
Did you see a difference in temperature with the other strips?

I tried with using paste on some strips and not on others, but I couldn't measure a difference. That was with those low power ebay TCI strips though.
Click to expand...
Not a huge difference between the paste and the thermal adhesive. They both just get warm
 
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