I made this thread after a lot of interest in a post about thermal management for Cree XML LEDs.
PowerPeg is a Thermal Connector designed for thermal management of high-powered SMT semiconductors in FR4 PCBs.
PowerPeg solders directly to the thermal pad of the component through a hole in the PCB, acting to transfer heat from the component to the opposite side of the PCB.
Once the peg is soldered into the board, a selection of heatsinks can be connected to the back-side of the peg. PowerPeg is designed for maximum conductivity, smallest board area, and connectability.
I designed PowerPeg 2 years ago. Since then i have made countless test boards, indoor lighting boards, and flashlight boards based on the Cree XML with PowerPeg. They perform really well together.
I plan to post a bunch of projects including gerber files, parts lists, and learning resources. Lets get started by discussing the products here.
I prefer to use a recessed receptacle, where the PCB is flush against the heatsink. I like this because the PCB is real rugged when mounted flat against the heatsink.
Like you said they can be difficult to create. The dimensions are specified in the datasheet.
Alternatively a stand-off receptacle can be used in combination with a few precision spacers. The thickness of the middle portion is 40 mil (1MM). The spacers are precision-made to match this thickness, and mount the PCB without flexing it at all. Here is the link:
The GP-43-A heatsink was an abreviation for General Purpose 43 series model A. It is just that - a general purpose heatsink for experimentation (and applications within 2 watt work well).
At the moment TEM Products Inc. has come to a grinding halt due to limited funding. We should put our heads together here at BLF and agree on a new design. Then i can create a Kickstarter for the larger heatsink and produce a batch. You can expect the same amazing quality from TEM Products Inc.
At the moment I only have one size PowerPeg in stock. I plan to have all the 43 Series sizes in stock by the end of July.
I really like this idea, though I’m not sure that we are the “perfect” audience for this. I see this being far, far more useful in something like an ASIC miner or any other scenario where there are chips that get very hot.
That gives me a thought…what if this design were to be integrated into high-powered FET driver? That would allow for excellent heat management of the driver with the proper heatsink.
I’m just thinking out loud here. I like your product a lot and I think it could be awesome to have a copper pill + this thermal connector to transfer even more heat from a LED into the heatsink…
Floodier lights seem to be the new trend at the moment, and in some flashlights, squeezing in multiple MPCB’s is almost impossible. I could see this working well in a small form-factor multi-emitter light. Think about it—a custom fiberglass PCB with however many thermal connectors which are all connected to a pill. That’s certainly more cost-effective than a custom one-off direct copper MPCB, which would probably cost $100’s.
Definitely a product I’m going to keep an eye on, just need to think of some good applications.
Now…your mini liquid cooler with the PowerPlug connector seems very interesting indeed…I bet you could do something very special with that.
Mentioned on EEV blog post bag starting at 21:00
Really liking these, although use in flashlights seems kinda limited as we have other ways of thermal transfer they strike me as a brilliantly simple way of fixing multiple LEDs in light bars etc.
