Filling E-can w/arctic alumina

What is the best method without causing a mess but still mixing it properly . can you mix the two parts within the can?

mixing outside and dripping in with a toothpick works well

I like to use a syringe when filling voids with epoxy. There is a minor amount of product waste but I get good results from it.

....and it sets up fast.

I'm going to be ordering some parts from the Sandwich Shoppe to attempt to build my first LE in an E-can for my McGizmos. I was going to add some AA to the order also to pot the converter in the can and to help with heat transfer. I see it comes in a syringe now, and is not a two part epoxy as most of the old threads indicate. Is this the same stuff and can I use it for this purpose? In the old threads it looks like people just filled the can. Thanks guys.

This one.

The link you provided is for thermal paste. Not a hardening media like artic aluminia thermal adhesive. That comes in 2 different tubes (part a & part b) which is mixed prior to application. And it needs to be applied rather fast as it gets very thick within 4 or 5 minutes. After that its too thick to work with. And if you thin it down with alcohol ensure you let it cure for much longer than the recommended time. I've had 2 bad experiences using alcohol to reduce its consistency and make it more "pourable". One where the AA actually took on a grainy consistency and the MCPCB simply popped off with a little lateral pressure and the other where the driver I had attempted to glue down a loose inductor on had some conductivity issue and the driver fried. Now I never thin AA and just use as is.

Ok, thank you. So the Shoppe does not actually sell what I am looking for then, hey? That is a shame. I'd rather not have to place an order somewhere just for that one item if I don't have to, but I can if necessary. Can I get an appropriate thermally conductive epoxy at a hardware or home improvement store?

I don't see it listed at the Sandwich Shoppe? They have both types of the paste but not the adhesive. I get mine on "that" bidding site most of us have used or heard about. Tends to be about the cheapest I have found. Just remember that AS adhesive is a decent thermal conductor when its applied thinly but like anything else thick and goopy it becomes more of an insulator.

m4a1usr said:

I don't see it listed at the Sandwich Shoppe? They have both types of the paste but not the adhesive. I get mine on "that" bidding site most of us have used or heard about. Tends to be about the cheapest I have found. Just remember that AS adhesive is a decent thermal conductor when its applied thinly but like anything else thick and goopy it becomes more of an insulator.

Click to expand...

This is very interesting. I was planning to follow McGizmo's build log here (with slight adjustment since the Shoppe has XR cans and fitted MCPCBs rather than E can plus E screw since the log was written). Don shows filling up the E can with potting compound, I assumed to create greater thermal mass to pull heat from the PCB and through the can into the head of the light. Is this not the way it is done anymore?

That application in the link is still a great build technique. Nothing wrong with doing it the same way. I made the assumption that it involved a much greater amount. AS has a small amount of capacitance once cured which might effect certain drivers. I have not ran into that situation myself in any mod that I have done but it's always something to be aware of. But what you plan on doing is a proven method. GLWYB

Thanks for all the great info, I appreciate it!

So what I need is a two part Arctic Alumina thermal adhesive rather than the AA thermal paste, correct?

I see now that the paste is more for the junction of CPUs and heatsinks and such and not meant to set up hard.

nbp said:

So what I need is a two part Arctic Alumina thermal adhesive rather than the AA thermal paste, correct?

Click to expand...

Correct!