ALMOST killed a V3U 5-watter...

I have a project idea and obtained a V3U 5-watter for it. No big deal - accumulate parts and get ready to do the deed.

Whoops, gotta ditch the heatsink base though as the LED has to be mounted onto a short aluminum stud which will in turn be threaded into a heatsink plate. So, I took my trusty razorknife (same blades as a boxcutter, but designed for more intricate work) and carefully pop the Star's PC board loose.

Next, I slice into the glue at the base of the emitter itself and start gently prying up on it to break it free, being very VERY careful to not break anything or cut parts of myself.

Then I notice something, well, odd...

The emitter die and chip stay put, but the black plastic emitter body and lens move! The die slug is pulling out of the emitter! OH NOOOOOOoooooooo!!!!!!!!!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

A careful backtrack and gentle pressing of the parts back together, and I then apply power and the LED illuminates like nothing happened. WHEW!!!!!!!!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif

More gentle prodding eventually freed the emitter. As it turned out, the glue was laid on extra-thick on this one, and I had to literally beat the razorknife blade into the stuff to break it loose. Cleanup required a wirebrush in my RTX (a Dremel clone).

Any other close calls from CPF-land?

oO

Yes, tried to take an emitter from a bodgy adhesion job (to the heat sink) and the emitter dislodged from the slug!! i've put back the slug but have not tried to power it yet. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

last night i desoldered a v3u from a star, and broke off both leads /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

i did loose a 5w royal blue when the slug and the rest of the luxeon got seperated.
everything but the slug came off! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Roth,

The adjacient metal tabs to the leads appear to be electricly common to them- try it.

Oo, try the search function on this board for a thread about "bending" the star PCB to "pop" the LS. Works very well for me.

Larry

I already did a search, and had read that thread. However, I wasn't locked down on my design and thus didn't want to ruin the Star base in case I decided to use it.

oO

yes larry, that's what i ended up doing, but it was a bear of a job! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

in fact, it's the very same luxeon seen here