I see people lamenting the high price of heatsinks all the time... can anyone tell me the details of what it cost to order a typical finned aluminum extrusion from Aavid/Thermalloy or ThermaFlow? Like price per foot or whatever?
I used to design power supplies for a living back in the 70's and I don't remember extrusions being prohibitively expensive. What's the story today?
I used to design power supplies for a living back in the 70's and I don't remember extrusions being prohibitively expensive. What's the story today?
I bought a 6ft length of raw extrusion from Avid (through Newark) 15 years ago and it cost me $120 (5.5"W X 4.5"D). Everything is working agianst the DIY'er WRT buying heatsinks. Heatsink manufactures are usually the only place for a DIY'er to get exactly what he wants, but there are:
High setup charges
High minimum orders
Long waits for production runs
costs for custom lengths
costs for special finishes, and that's assuming they will deal with the individual in the first place. The alternative is search eBay, surplus outlets, and retailers until you find something that suits you.
High setup charges
High minimum orders
Long waits for production runs
costs for custom lengths
costs for special finishes, and that's assuming they will deal with the individual in the first place. The alternative is search eBay, surplus outlets, and retailers until you find something that suits you.
As I recall Aavid has a minumum that is prohibitive for a DIY amp builder. I have used MM Metals , www.mmmetals.com, they don't have a minimum quantity, but the base set up and cutting charge is $100. However, their basic stock length is 6 feet, so if yoy can cut it yourself and can use this much, you will save money. Thermaflow looks like the same deal. In summary - none are heap.
However, there is Conrad in Australia. www.conradheatsinks.com. They have pricing info on their web page. My preliminary calculations tell me that in some cases even with frieght costs, they are competative with the above. Also I like the look of their flanged models. If you are going to use TO-3's, these would be real slick
However, there is Conrad in Australia. www.conradheatsinks.com. They have pricing info on their web page. My preliminary calculations tell me that in some cases even with frieght costs, they are competative with the above. Also I like the look of their flanged models. If you are going to use TO-3's, these would be real slick
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