heatsink paste

[apdb]

My SSVR and heatsink combo just arrived from far far away. They come assembled already. I wonder would it be worth my while to take them apart and re-goo some paste in there just in case?. Has anyone done the same. I realize the stuff is cheap but am I being too concerned?

[shadylane]

I burned out an SSVR. It came assembled and I assumed it had paste. It didn't

[35mastr]

It should just be dielectric grease. I would load it up with some.

[Prairiepiss]

It should just be dielectric grease. I would load it up with some.

No dielectric grease is something completely different. Dielectric grease is what you put on plug connectors so they don't corrode. Like a trailer light plug.

Heatsink grease is usually a white zink oxide paste. Some has silver in it. That is designed for transferring heat. It's the white stuff you can ever get off your hands. Messy crap. I just used two tubes of it on one heatsink the other day. It was that big. And the tubes were pretty big.

Anyway. If you have some heatsink grease. What's it gona hurt to pull it off and look. Piece of mind has no cost.

[S-Cackalacky]

If you ordered it from China/Hong Kong, I would bet that there's no paste or very little. That's how mine was and a few others here have said the same. It only takes a couple of minutes to take it off, apply the paste and put it back together.

S-C

[apdb]

Thank you for your input gentlemen. I started this thread as a heads up or a reminder to someone who might not have even thought to check. I'll taking mine apart in a day or so and report what I see.

[zombie911]

http://www.walmart.com/ip/StarTech-1.5g ... k/15862682" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

The stuff they use for CPU heat sinks. It's so cheap it's almost free.

+1 don't use Dielectric. It will melt all over your stuff.

[apdb]

Awesome... I'll go put my pajamas on, eat a hotdog with extra mustard and head down there.

[Soggy Bottom Boy]

Awesome... I'll go put my pajamas on, eat a hotdog with extra mustard and head down there.

Please, please, don't be this guy!

....and now, we present a Public Service Announcement....

"Respect the flannel, my friends."

[35mastr]

It should just be dielectric grease. I would load it up with some.

No dielectric grease is something completely different. Dielectric grease is what you put on plug connectors so they don't corrode. Like a trailer light plug.

Heatsink grease is usually a white zink oxide paste. Some has silver in it. That is designed for transferring heat. It's the white stuff you can ever get off your hands. Messy crap. I just used two tubes of it on one heatsink the other day. It was that big. And the tubes were pretty big.

Anyway. If you have some heatsink grease. What's it gona hurt to pull it off and look. Piece of mind has no cost.

Sorry, I just used the wrong name. It's the white paste you mention. We use it on The big modules on Hybrids that build some serious heat ...

[zombie911]

It should just be dielectric grease. I would load it up with some.

No dielectric grease is something completely different. Dielectric grease is what you put on plug connectors so they don't corrode. Like a trailer light plug.

Heatsink grease is usually a white zink oxide paste. Some has silver in it. That is designed for transferring heat. It's the white stuff you can ever get off your hands. Messy crap. I just used two tubes of it on one heatsink the other day. It was that big. And the tubes were pretty big.

Anyway. If you have some heatsink grease. What's it gona hurt to pull it off and look. Piece of mind has no cost.

Sorry, I just used the wrong name. It's the white paste you mention. We use it on The big modules on Hybrids that build some serious heat ...

White Lithium paste... = $$$$$

[Skipper1953]

I've heard that Balmex diaper rash cream can be used for heat sink paste. Mrs. Skipper puts it on the grandson's rump. It looks a lot like the heat sink stuff I got at Radio Shack. The Balmex, not the grandson's rump.

Just thought I would throw that out there. Never tried it myself. Maybe save someone a trip to Radio Shack.

[zombie911]

Not to sure on that one Skipper. It's most likely a petroleum jelly base that would just melt away.

[apdb]

I'm a little slow at getting things done here (3 kids and a wife) but this is what I discovered. Here is some pictures along the way of my pre-assembled SSVR and heatsink I ordered from the across the ocean. There wasn't any thermal paste at all. They never claimed there was any added but also never mentioned thermal paste either in the description of their product. So if this is the route you have taken then go out and get some decent paste and don't assume its there.
I don't have much else to offer the community yet so I'm feeling proud I can offer this tiny little bit....

my heatsink and SSVR combo

oh oh! nothing in there

Arctic Silver 5... I paid $18 and used almost the whole tube.

applied it using a small putty knife

bring the paste almost to the edge. I used a little too much

a bead forms after tightening the SSVR down with the screws

I hope this helps someone who isn't sure of the process.
Aaron

[Soggy Bottom Boy]

Arctic Silver 5... I paid $18 and used almost the whole tube.

$7.50 from Amazon, shipped free if you have Prime
You CAN find it cheaper, but I prefer using Amazon over an unknown supplier on fleabay, for several reasons.

bring the paste almost to the edge. I used a little too much

Like, quite a bit too much!

...and now, for your reading pleasure, some instructions on how to apply thermal compound.
I "borrowed" the following info from a thermal compound manufacturer, and modified/edited/added-to-it/subtracted-from-it, to suit our needs:
Use it as you wish, .....or not.

Tinting the Heatsink and SSR:
Here is the list of things you will need to tint your heatsink:

• Your new thermal compound
  An old credit card or a piece of hard plastic with a straight edge
  Coffee filter or untreated lens cleaning cloth
  Acetone
  Isopropyl alcohol
  Optional: Powder Free disposable, latex or nitrile gloves

Clean the heatsink and SSR mating surfaces with acetone (be careful not to let excess acetone wick in under, or get on the plastic part of the SSR) to remove contaminants, like old thermal compound and fingerprint oils, follow up with a cleaning of high-purity isopropyl alcohol. Clean the spreading tool with isopropyl alcohol too (not acetone if tool is plastic).

Determine what area on the base of the heatsink will contact the SSR once the heatsink is mounted.

Squeeze a small amount of thermal compound onto the center of this area to create a small mound. By working the plastic tool (old credit card) back and forth in all directions you will smooth out the compound as thin as you can, working it into the heatsink. This will ensure optimum filling of the microscopic valleys in the metal where the SSR will contact the heatsink. Important! DO NOT smooth or apply the compound with your bare finger, you will contaminate the surface (skin cells, and body oil).

After you have thoroughly worked the thermal compound into the surface of the heatsink, remove the excess compound by wiping it away with a coffee filter or a LINT FREE cloth. DO NOT use any solvent or fluid to clean the surface during or after this step, or you will reverse what you just accomplished. Notice that the base of the heatsink is slightly discolored even after the entire compound would seem to have been removed. The discoloring you see is the thermal compound inside the microscopic valleys of the heatsink.

Repeat the above process on the base of the SSR.



Applying Thermal Compound:
Apply some thermal compound only to the heatsink or SSR, you choose which. Spread the thermal compound over the heatsink with a razor blade, the clean edge of a credit card, or other application tool. You may use whatever tool is available as long as it is CLEAN and allows you to control the application area and thickness. The flatter the mating surface of a SSR and heatsink, the thinner the layer of thermal compound required. SSR's and heatsinks with normal surface irregularities will require a layer 0.003" to 0.005 thick to fill the resultant gaps. (Equal to the thickness of about 1 sheet of standard weight paper.)

Attaching the Heatsink:
RECHECK to make sure no foreign contaminants are present on either the heatsink or the SSR. A hair, lint, and even dead skin cells can significantly affect the thermal interface's performance. Oils from you fingers can adversely affect the performance by preventing the micronized silver or ceramic fill from directly contacting the metal surfaces. (Fingerprints can be as thick as 0.005")

Place the SSR straight down onto the heatsink. Once the heatsink is properly located, grasp the heatsink and very gently twist it slightly clockwise and counterclockwise one time each way (Just a couple of degrees or so). Install the mounting screws and tighten. Once mounted properly you should have an optimum bond line between the two surfaces.

Wipe off any excess compound from the edges of the SSR and heatsink.

....and there you go!

[S-Cackalacky]

Nice write up soggy. I didn't take quite so much care when I did mine. I'm bookmarking this in case I ever have to do it again.

[apdb]

Awesome write up. Thank you. Could of used you yesterday but now we know. I paid alot for the paste i knew that but it was a local guy and didn't feel bad helping his shop out.

[grunthor777]

What size of pot did you use with that?

[35mastr]

http://www.walmart.com/ip/StarTech-1.5g ... k/15862682

The stuff they use for CPU heat sinks. It's so cheap it's almost free.

+1 don't use Dielectric. It will melt all over your stuff.

Are you buying this in your local store? Or online???

[epicdoom]

if you have an electronics store like radio shack you can get it there otherwise check online. I use thermal compound daily in my work. Just remember whats been posted you only need a small amount for nice flat surfaces. Put it on the component not the heatsink this will keep things nice and neat. when you screw or bolt your component down the heatsink you will see just a small rim around the part squeeze out that's all you want to see.

[Bob Loblaw]

or... you can just clean each side with some rubbing alcohol, put a dab on the heat sink, smear it around with the ssr, and let the pressure from the screws spread it out...

SBB - those instructions seem like a whole lot more process than this requires. I've built a whole bunch of computers (where heat dissipation failure has more $ consequences due to the cost of the CPU) and never had an issue taking a more "Streamlined" approach

[Soggy Bottom Boy]

.

From earlier in the thread:

Use it as you wish, .....or not.

I'm just not the "slam, bam, thank you ma'am" type, I suppose.

The more impregnated the compound is into the grain of the lapped/sanded finish of the component pieces(via the tinting process), and the thinner the layer of compound is between them(flatter surfaces = thinner layer), the more efficient the heat transfer to the heat sink is. With CPU's and such, as long as the heat in the heatsink is being dissipated sufficiently, either by a fan or air convection, it makes a difference in component life and performance, with solid state relays, maybe not so much. I guess you could say I just like to get my money's worth, where ever I can.

Anyone building an element controller can do it whatever way that they prefer, it's no skin off my scrotum. The info is out there, use it or don't. IDRGAS.