Hint for Ecan builds

[tylerdurden]

Occasionally, I have had an ecan come loose from the McLux head I potted it in. The top of the ecan doesn't seem to bond very well with the bulkhead of the McLux head (this happens in both PR and standard heads). This usually isn't a major problem, though it could contribute to a stress failure of the solder joint between the lead wires and the emitter over time if you remove the head a lot.

To make a stronger epoxy bond between the head and the ecan, I recommend filing a couple of grooves in the top lip of the ecan to give the epoxy something to "grip."

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[balrog]

Except for the first one I built, I have not been AA epoxying the ecan to the head at all. The wires from the ecan are cut to just the right length so that the ecan is held snug against the head. I hear from a couple of reliable sources that when it is all screwed together that there should be plenty of contact between the ecan, head and body for a thermal path to let heat out of the ecan.

 

[tylerdurden]

Even though the wires are snug, if the ecan isn't immobilized I think there will be stress on the solder joints of the wires and emitter leads. It will be very slight, and it will only occur when the head is not attached to the body (or when screwing and unscrewing the head), but it will occur, and over time those joints could fail.

Plus, even though the wires are snug, there is still a slightly noticable "wiggle" in the ecan.