Heatsink

[Nirol]

About to order new ballasts. Should I add heatsinks? Can someone tell me what they really do? Can I make them myself?

[ynot]

Heatsinks work by absorbing heat from a component and dissipating the heat into the air. Generally, heatsinks have a base that contacts the hot component and "fins" that extend from the base. The base of the heatsink absorbs the heat from the component and spreads the heat to the fins by conduction. The fins then dissipate the heat into the air. The idea is that the heatsink becomes an extension of the component that increases the surface area exposed to the relatively cool air. The component is unable to heat both itself and the heatsink to high temperatures. Therefore the component stays cooler than it would without the heatsink.


You could make your own heatsink out of copper. Or just go
to a computer store and pick up some heatsinks for the older
pentium processor. If you want I have a bunch of them lying
around here at home. Let me know the size you would like and
I could make them up for you. I also put a small fan on top of
them to draw a little more heat away.

[Mislav]

Are there any advantages or dissadvantages in light spectrum, lifespan of the bulbs and balasts or anything else when using heatsinks?
Logic says that cooler balasts would last longer but then again maybe it is constructed that way that heat is important for balast to be able to work in optimum parameters.

[ynot]

"heat is important for balast to be able to work in optimum parameters."

That would be true in the bulb but not in the ballast. Cooling the
ballast will and does actually prolong the over the over life of it.

[Nirol]

wow! Thanks for the very nice offer ynot! I have not yet ordered my new lights, but will soon and will pm you when I get them.

[ynot]

just let me know the sizes and such and will make them
up for ya....;)

[jdieck]

You will need heatsinks if you will mount them on wood but if they will be in a metal box, the box itself works like heatsink.