I am interested in using a bus bar or clip to secure output transistors on a heatsink. Anyone know of a source to buy these?
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Bus bar... I always made my own out of square aluminium bar or plate cutout. Clips,.... you can buy, but all I have seen where suited to clip device to a heat-sink base of no more than 2-3mm thick.
I just cut short strips of aluminum U bar (10mm by 10mm or 12 by 12) covering two transistors, drill a 3.5 mm hole in the middle between them and bolt/press U bar against heatsink with a 1/8" or 3.5mm machine screw.
May tap a hole if heatsink is thick or drill through it and use a nut + washer if thin or simply aluminum sheet chassis.
Can do it with availabe everywhere stuff and is "universal", clips must be matched to heatsinks (usually have dedicated slots for that), fine in an industrial/production setting where you order a lot of both, not so practical for a home DIYer unless you buy matching clips and heatsinks together.
May tap a hole if heatsink is thick or drill through it and use a nut + washer if thin or simply aluminum sheet chassis.
Can do it with availabe everywhere stuff and is "universal", clips must be matched to heatsinks (usually have dedicated slots for that), fine in an industrial/production setting where you order a lot of both, not so practical for a home DIYer unless you buy matching clips and heatsinks together.
I currently have Aluminum U bars in there, Issue is the level of torque. Too less and you don't have good mating, a bit to much and Aluminum bends and unlike steel, does not return back to its shape. You have to be in the Goldilocks zone. And with 32 transistors per heatsink, the chances of error goes up, one shorted device and you have to replace and match half of them (quarter rather).
I was looking at something like a strip with a spring like tensioner portion, you just screw the top part on to the heatsink and the lower part clamps the BJT's. Have seen them in a few amplifiers...
I was looking at something like a strip with a spring like tensioner portion, you just screw the top part on to the heatsink and the lower part clamps the BJT's. Have seen them in a few amplifiers...