hot glue ok for driver?

[dhabell]

would it be ok to put my led driver in the bottom of a plastic coke bottle cap and then fill it with hot glue or two part epoxy or silicone caulk to protect it?

 

[LukeA]

It's generally ok at low currents to pot the driver in an insulating material but not at high currents or with especially inefficient components.

The hotglue will probably melt in any case, so epoxy is better.

Usually you want to heatsink the driver because it's got to dissipate a good bit of heat.

 

[dhabell]

It's generally ok at low currents to pot the driver in an insulating material but not at high currents or with especially inefficient components.

The hotglue will probably melt in any case, so epoxy is better.

Usually you want to heatsink the driver because it's got to dissipate a good bit of heat.

thanks! I plan on using this driver to make a bike light. can you suggest an inexpensive method to heatsink it? I was going to use a copper endcap as a housing/heatsink for the led...

 

[[email protected]]

Hot melt glue works pretty well for heatsinking drivers that don't get hot enuff to re-melt the glue. You can waterproof your driver as well as provide a path for heat, by gluing the driver to the side of the enclosure it's in, and then just cover all the components on the driver. Some folks will complain that hot melt glue doesn't conduct heat very well, and while it does not conduct heat as well as expensive heat conducting epoxy, it conducts heat a whole lot better than air.

You should get glue sticks used for electronics encapsulating if you can. You'll need a professional glue gun to use these. The sticks are about .58 inches in diameter.

If you have a standard glue gun (3/8 to 1/2 inch diameter sticks) you'll probably be OK with just regular glue sticks. Before I bought a pro style gun, I used a cheap $10 glue gun on several lights I built with DX drivers. All the lights I built over the last 3 years are still working.

Epoxy might work as well, but be careful what type you get. Some expand slightly as they set and that can crack electonic components. The quick-set epoxy tends to get real hot when curing, probably best to stay away from anything that takes less than an hour to set.

Stay away from silicone caulk unless you get the type specifically designed for potting electronics. Household caulk cures by producing acetic acid when it absorbs moisture from the air. The acid will eventually corrode connections on your driver.

Mark

 

[TorchBoy]

My 2c is that the 0.8-1.2 W of waste heat you can expect from that driver on high will probably remelt hot melt glue.

 

[dhabell]

someone has suggested this

im wondering if it will cause anything to short out...

 

[TorchBoy]

someone has suggested this

im wondering if it will cause anything to short out...

The blurb says this:

The most advanced, high temp RTV silicone gasket available.

To which I'll just quote the post before mine:

Stay away from silicone caulk unless you get the type specifically designed for potting electronics. Household caulk cures by producing acetic acid when it absorbs moisture from the air. The acid will eventually corrode connections on your driver.

Mark

Come to think of it, the last time I used silicone sealant to seal a window I could smell that distinctive ant smell (acetic acid). That would be why. Thanks Mark.

 

[dhabell]

what if I completely painted the driver in nail polish first before potting it in an copper end cap with this ? would the nail polish prevent the moisture from reaching the circuits?