Stereodude
Flashlight Enthusiast
Is there somewhere I can buy a proper thickness metal shim that's the size of the metal slug under a SSC so that the emitter will be at the same height as a Luxeon? :thinking:
thin Metal Shim for under SSC (Luxeon Replacement)
- Thread starter Stereodude
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LukeA
Flashlight Enthusiast
Lots of places like independent hardware stores and hobby shops or onlinemetals.com carry copper sheet. You will have to cut it to size, but that's not difficult.
Lighthouse one
Flashlight Enthusiast
I found some brass washers at a hardware store the right size. Not quite as good as solid copper- but worked fine for me. I believe the sandwich shoppe sells them?
Stereodude
Flashlight Enthusiast
Thanks, now I just need to figure out how to compensate for the cost of the shipping. I like the washer idea.The Shoppe has them. Click here.
clg0159
Enlightened
Definately get them at the Shoppe, they are perfect and ready to use!
Supernam
Enlightened
Are they have any sort of plating to them? I don't like using epoxy to isolate the slugs.
Nope, just plain copper.
Torque1st
Enlightened
Pennies have been made out of Zinc for many years...
1982 was the change-over year. Copper pennies as well as copper plated zinc pennies were both produced in 1982.
Not that it'd matter much, copper vs zinc, for as thin as the shim would be.
Torque1st
Enlightened
I should have remembered the year but alas I have slept toooo many times. Zinc doesn't do real well as a heat conductor and it corrodes rather easily which is why it is used as a protective coating for other metals. A pre 82 penny would work tho...
LukeA
Flashlight Enthusiast
The specific heats of brass and copper are nearly the same, so brass is definitely as good an option as copper.
I agree. Looks like they were made using a punch press. I used a 1" metal bar on a metal table to roll them, less sanding that way.
Lunal_Tic
Flashlight Enthusiast
Sounds like making bread.
I need another method, last time I did a batch my finger tips got pretty chewed up.-LT
Thermal conductivity is what is important here, not specific heat. If that were the case, the specific heat of zinc is actually higher than copper.
Thermal conductivity of brass is about 1/3 that of copper, and only about 10% better than zinc, so using a post-1982 penny is about the same as using a brass disk.
kosPap
Flashlight Enthusiast
in a depserate move I solder-sandwiched 2 anouncement board pins' heads...hmm I do not know how they are really callled but that the ebst I can describe them...
You can buy a poly-pak of assorted thicknesses (or "thinnesses<g>) of brass shim-stock at a hardware store for maybe three bucks (roughly index card size sheets). This stuff is invaluable for all sorts of things (I've used it for camera repair for decades).
What I would like to know is where I can buy a small piece of thin mica. I am planning on the same upgrade (SSC for Luxeon, in Raytheon 2/AA 3W penlight), and I understand that the base of the two LEDs has different polarities and thus must be insulated from the heatsink (I would of course put heatsink grease on both sides of the mica).
I suppose I could steal the mica insulator from a TO-3 power transistor mounting kit, if such things are even sold anymore.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I know the stuff must be available from a variety of sources, and I should probably do a web search, but I think I'd fare better asking here, and getting some known-good advice, rather than wading through scads of crappy google-links and trying to find a grain of wheat in a mountain of chaff.
Ideally, I'd like a "walk-in" source that could be found in a small to medium sized town (i.e., "you need a 'z-14w Flatulofton-brand mabotonk-valve spacer disk -- the heating-supply store should have one for eleven cents"), rather than "genuine mica sheet, only $5 plus $11.42 S&H -- $25 minimum order" from an online vendor.
(All examples hypothetical; any resemblance to actual products is surreal, pathetic, and coincidental.)
What I would like to know is where I can buy a small piece of thin mica. I am planning on the same upgrade (SSC for Luxeon, in Raytheon 2/AA 3W penlight), and I understand that the base of the two LEDs has different polarities and thus must be insulated from the heatsink (I would of course put heatsink grease on both sides of the mica).
I suppose I could steal the mica insulator from a TO-3 power transistor mounting kit, if such things are even sold anymore.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I know the stuff must be available from a variety of sources, and I should probably do a web search, but I think I'd fare better asking here, and getting some known-good advice, rather than wading through scads of crappy google-links and trying to find a grain of wheat in a mountain of chaff.
Ideally, I'd like a "walk-in" source that could be found in a small to medium sized town (i.e., "you need a 'z-14w Flatulofton-brand mabotonk-valve spacer disk -- the heating-supply store should have one for eleven cents"), rather than "genuine mica sheet, only $5 plus $11.42 S&H -- $25 minimum order" from an online vendor.
(All examples hypothetical; any resemblance to actual products is surreal, pathetic, and coincidental.)
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