I figured that i would pass this on as i know some folks here like to "tinker" with gear & DIY projects. It is something that i stumbled across and found to work better than anticipated.
If you would like to increase the heat transfer from a component to a heat sink, i would suggest checking into the use of a product called
"Arctic Silver 5". This is a heatsink compound that works FAR superior to anything i've ever tried before. Depending on the specific application, we've recorded very measurable temperature drops of the actual device being heatsunk. The temperature drops have ranged anywhere from 12*F to 28*F as measured at the device itself using a laser thermometer. The temperature differences are based on comparisons to the same type of device mounted using standard silicone based heatsink compound.
For sake of clarity, this is NOT a drop in temperature of the heatsink, but of the actual semiconductor itself. The heatsink itself will run hotter as it is now dissipating a higher percentage of the heat generated by the active device. Those that were thinking that this might be a good and silent way to "cool off" their high bias amps may actually have more heat to deal with if using this product.
What this means to the device is that it will probably last longer, offer better thermal stability and be able to pass more current. While i haven't conducted any formal listening tests, my past experiences tell me that output devices that run cooler while retaining a relatively consistent operating temperature typically sound a little better. It should also be noted that a sizeable drop in operating temperature of a device MAY require re-calibration of the circuit in order to maintain proper operation, so keep that in mind BEFORE attempting to use a product like this. Some circuits are calibrated with a certain operating temperature in mind and altering that operating temperature can cause support circuitry to become less effective.
The best price that i've found for this product can be found at the link
here. As a side note, this tube will go a LONG way as one applies a VERY thin layer of this material, much less than typical silicone based materials. If one wants to try this without making quite as much of an investment and / or will not use that much of it, you can also find a smaller tube at lower cost
here. The smaller tube in itself was enough to treat over sixteen TO-3 based output devices with great results.
This company also makes other high efficiency thermal compound solutions that are slightly less efficient and less costly. Given the benefits of the Arctic Silver 5 and the very minimal differences in cost, i can't really see pinching pennies and buying their lesser products though. That is, unless one is going to treat a production line quantity of products and every penny counts. Hope this helps and others find it as useful as i have. Sean
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