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
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