heat pipe problem

B.I.G · 29th November 2004, 01:51 PM

i have a heat pipe on my LM3886 GC and it sometimes stop conducting heat and the LM`s get hot >> spike protection !

if i shake the heatsink a little it starts working !

can anything be done to restore it ?

i really like it

wimms · 29th November 2004, 02:11 PM

Too much heat for given heatpipe?

B.I.G · 29th November 2004, 02:14 PM

no i don`t think so because when it works it doesn`t get to hot it is just warm .... that`s why i wouldn`t like to change it .

when it doesn`t work the part where the chips are installed get`s very hot and the part where the fins are is cold .

wimms · 29th November 2004, 02:23 PM

Thats the working principle. When it works, its barely warm. When it fails to conduct heat, it disconnects heat source and sink. This happens when working fluid boils and can't condense. Shaking indeed might trigger condensation.

I assume you have your heatpipe physically installed correctly, and ambient temperature is right for it.

ir · 29th November 2004, 05:42 PM

sounds like the cooling at the other end is insufficient. is it just a heatsink or a heatsink+fan? remember of course, the heatsink at the other end should have the same C/W rating as a heatsink you'd mount the amp IC to directly. the heatpipe simply efficiently moves the heat away from the source, the chips heatsink requirements therefore remain the same

29th November 2004, 01:51 PM	#1
B.I.G diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Home	heat pipe problem i have a heat pipe on my LM3886 GC and it sometimes stop conducting heat and the LM`s get hot >> spike protection ! if i shake the heatsink a little it starts working ! can anything be done to restore it ? i really like it __________________ B.I.G

29th November 2004, 02:14 PM	#3
B.I.G diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Home	no i don`t think so because when it works it doesn`t get to hot it is just warm .... that`s why i wouldn`t like to change it . when it doesn`t work the part where the chips are installed get`s very hot and the part where the fins are is cold . __________________ B.I.G

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29th November 2004, 02:11 PM	#2
wimms diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: home	Too much heat for given heatpipe?

29th November 2004, 02:23 PM	#4
wimms diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: home	Thats the working principle. When it works, its barely warm. When it fails to conduct heat, it disconnects heat source and sink. This happens when working fluid boils and can't condense. Shaking indeed might trigger condensation. I assume you have your heatpipe physically installed correctly, and ambient temperature is right for it.

29th November 2004, 05:42 PM	#5
ir diyAudio Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: WGTN, NZ	sounds like the cooling at the other end is insufficient. is it just a heatsink or a heatsink+fan? remember of course, the heatsink at the other end should have the same C/W rating as a heatsink you'd mount the amp IC to directly. the heatpipe simply efficiently moves the heat away from the source, the chips heatsink requirements therefore remain the same

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