Attaching/gluing LED to brass pill

Evening all,

I bought a blank P60 drop in from DX, this one
http://dx.com/p/26-5mm-aluminum-reflector-drop-in-module-set-without-emitter-5955#.UtxJMhDFIsM

and i’m just wondering the best way to attach the LED to the brass pill? I have some 2 part thermal glue which I will be using in the near future on my PS3 ram modules and just wondered if that would suffice?
this stuff http://www.watercoolinguk.co.uk/p/Phobya-2-Part-Component-Thermal-Glue_20902.html

Also the base of the pill where the driver sits is far deeper than it needs to be for my needs is it advisable to fill this with solder or anything to make it more of a heat sink?

thanks ,Lee

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_alumina_thermal_adhesive.htm

Nowadays I don’t glue stars into the pill. I like being able to remove the star for an emitter swap at a later date. I put a thin layer of Antec 7 nano-diamond thermal compound on the back. That’s enough to hold the star in place, especially if a reflector is going to be screwed down onto the star.

Previously, when I wanted something more permanent, I did use glue. My technique was as follows:

  1. Apply a small drop of arctic silver thermal epoxy to the back center of the star right below the LED.
  2. Around this drop apply a thin layer of thermal compound to the rest of the star.
  3. Press the star firmly into position.

The 1 drop of arctic silver was more than enough to attach the star with no chance of it accidentally moving. However, it was still removable if an emitter change was desired. To remove the star, insert needle-nosed pliers into the slots for the driver wires and rotate the star. This will break the epoxy and allow the star to be removed.

If you want something completely permanent you can apply arctic silver along the entire back of the star. But if you do that, an emitter swap is probably impossible.

The Phobya Thermal Glue will do the job. There’s no need to get the more expensive stuff. I use a bit of epoxy/super glue on the corners of the MCPCB and a rice-sized dab of Arctic Silver 5 in the middle. That always worked for me. :slight_smile:

Cheers guys.

Any advice on filling the pill with solder, is that worthwhile?

It depends on the light. It's a form of potting, so it can be effective. I'd be more worried about some type of potting on the driver though, or at least some way of transferring heat to the pill.

If you have cheap generic P60 pills (FT,DX, KD) than this is necessary it will add more mass to the pill and it will absorb heat better.

Yeah it’s a dx one so i’ll do that, thanks

The BEST way to attach the LED to the brass pill is to use direct-coupled copper LED star (MCPCB) and to solder it to the pill. Period.
Not that expensive BTW - SinkPad or Noctigon MCPCBs cost less than $2.
Not sure though that it will have any real advantage in typical drop-in flashlight, as they provide crappy (with foil, alu strips, etc.) to none heat transfer from the pill to the body. I would use good non-adhesive thermal grease for such things.