Thursday 29 November 2018
Switching identities: Revolutionary insulator-like material also conducts electricity
What is the capacitor used for?
I’ve previously said that:
“the capacitor is kinda like a small rechargeable battery with very little capacity”
But what is that good for?
One example is to blink a light.
To blink a light you need some kind of circuit to switch a light on and off.
But, you also need something to make sure that when the light is on, it stays on for a bit of time.
And when it’s off, it stays off for a bit of time.
Otherwise, it would just be switching so fast that it would seem to be halfway on all the time.
This is the perfect job for the capacitor.
Because a capacitor needs time to charge and discharge.
So it introduces a time delay into the circuit and thereby slowing down the light-blinking circuit to a reasonable blinking speed.
Another example is “emergency power” for circuits.
If a power supply does something power intensive – such as turning on a relay – it might have a drop in voltage for a very short time.
If that same power supply is powering a circuit that is very sensitive for voltage drops, then the capacitor comes to the rescue.
Since the capacitor can store energy, it can keep the voltage stable for a short time when the voltage supply can’t.
Learn about practical circuits where you need a capacitor from Ohmify:
Keep On Soldering!
Oyvind @ build-electronic-circuits.com
Copyright Build Electronic Circuits
Artificial magnetic field produces exotic behavior in graphene sheets
Interfacial electronic state improving hydrogen storage capacity in Pd-MOF materials
Study unlocks full potential of 'supermaterial' graphene
Wednesday 28 November 2018
Flexible electronic skin aids human-machine interactions
A big step toward the practical application of 3D holography with high- performance computers
Tuesday 27 November 2018
The kid who wanted to blink a light
Once upon a time, there was a curious kid who really wanted to understand how to blink a light.
So he did the obvious and went to read books on electronics in the library.
But little did he know that the authors of those books had no intention of making it easy for beginners. After all, they had worked hard to get to where they were, so why should they make it any easier for other people?
By using words like «n-doped materials» and «two-terminal passive device», the books quickly discouraged the poor kid.
«I am not smart enough to understand this,» he thought to himself.
Luckily, the kid had a father who knew better.
His father didn’t know the words from the book either – but he was a practical man who knew how to build things.
And he didn’t need fancy words to do it.
With a drawing on a sheet of paper – and using simple words – he showed the kid how to blink a light.
«Wow», the kid thought, «why wasn’t this in the books??»
The kid was hooked and a seed was planted.
Little did he know that years later he would become an author himself and write those books that he wished he had as a kid:
https://www.build-electronic-circuits.com/electronics-for-kids/
It’s funny to think back at those moments early in life that planted the seeds for the life I’m living now.
I never wanted to be an author.
And I never wanted to become a teacher.
I wanted to build cool things.
And I’ve always wanted to share those epiphanies that helped me get there – just in case they would help other people too.
So it kind of just happened that I started writing books, articles, videos, and courses to share them.
If you want to learn to build things with electronics in a simple way, I invite you to join Ohmify:
Keep On Soldering!
Oyvind @ build-electronic-circuits.com
Copyright Build Electronic Circuits
Monday 26 November 2018
Living electrodes with bacteria and organic electronics
Racing electrons under control
Environment turns molecule into a switch
Thursday 22 November 2018
Will there be a black Friday sale of Ohmify?
The short answer is no…
Instead, I will do something different – try to do good in the world.
There are a few reasons why I don’t want to do a black Friday sale of Ohmify.
Maybe mostly because it seems the whole thing has gone a bit bananas.
Anyway, I wanted to try something different…
(I got this idea from a company called ThriveThemes btw)
Here’s what we’re doing:
We will be giving 50% of all revenue generated from new Ohmify sales during Black Friday to Kiva.
Kiva is a micro-loan platform where you can give loans directly to mini-projects you want to support.
My wife and I are in Colombia at the moment, and we want to support projects here.
I really like this platform as it empowers people to improve their own situation.
(As opposed to an organization where your donation goes into a “black hole” and you just have to hope some of it will be used for something good)
So here’s the deal:
50% of all the revenue from new Ohmify sales purchased from now until the end of Friday (tomorrow) will be given to projects on Kiva.
It doesn’t matter your timezone.
As long as it’s before the end of Friday where you are, it counts.
Use the link below to join – or to learn more about what Ohmify is and how it can help you:
Keep On Soldering!
Oyvind @ build-electronic-circuits.com
Copyright Build Electronic Circuits
13 Best LED Christmas Lights to Brighten Your Home & Garden
Decorating Christmas Tree with LED lights on this auspicious Christmas festival is quite interesting and fun for the childrens, adults and elders. You may involve in several activities like shopping, cleaning the house, gift packing, and preparing sweets, etc.
To boost the mood and create a festive environment at home, one must-have LED Christmas Lights that comes at inexpensive rates and offers vibrant colours – red, blue, green, yellow by supporting on glass windows, doors, staircase, and outdoor garden.
They come in different sizes to add warm, incandescent glow and the plug & play type Christmas lights makes easy to install without any hassle. When it comes to choosing the best brand Christmas light, you must always consider the no. of LED’s, string length, material quality, price and warranty information given in “Buying Guide“.
We’ve done tremendous research work on branded Christmas lights by reviewing products online, interacting with customers and brought you the Top 13 Best LED Christmas Lights that’re trending now… Let’s dive into the products description now!
Best LED Christmas Lights for Indoor and Outdoor
1) 25 Multicolour Faceted C9 LED Indoor/Outdoor Christmas Light String
The first product in the list is Wintergreen Lightening Christmas String lights. It is one of the best LED Christmas lights that make use of C9 type to fit comfortably at both indoors and outdoors.
We’re impressed with the lifespan which is 100000 hours and works efficiently without disturbances. The box contains a set of 25 LED bulbs that emits multiple colours – red, blue, green, yellow, white, etc. For this reason, we’ve given top priority in the list of best brand LED Christmas lights available online.
Specifications of Wintergreen Christmas String Light
- UL certified LED light kits.
- Easy to install and setup.
- Features 25 multicolour options.
- Pack of 25 C9 LED Christmas lights.
- 100000 hours of average lifespan.
- Backed with 3 years warranty services.
- Full-wave technology for easy accessing.
The bulbs uses epoxy resist breaking, and cracking materials and emit bright lights as you desire. In a systematic pattern, you can install effortlessly at home interiors, outdoor garden, and walkways. Full wave rectifier technology eliminates flicker, pulsing and stroking for a beautiful light display.
To add on, the product is backed with 3 years of manufacturing warranty from the date of purchase. Once you find the damaged bulbs or entire product, visit the authorized service center to get repaired/replace with new one.
Buy Now From Amazon
2) TaoTronics TT-SL036 33ft 100 LED String Lights
Make your home beautiful with the TaoTronics LED Christmas Lights. Although it offers exceptional performance, comes at low-prices to match with the user’s requirement. Hence, we’ve given as the best budget LED Christmas light in the list.
Specifications of TaoTronics Christmas lights
- 33 feet of LED wire length.
- Adapter with 5 feet cable.
- Made of eco-friendly materials.
- Weatherproof LED string light.
- 100 LED lights for decoration.
- Offers 1 year manufacturing warranty.
- Comes with remote controller with short circuit protection.
This amazing device includes remote controller with 24 buttons to monitor the LED’s lights and set time accordingly. It has power on/off buttons to start/stop and adjust the brightness if required.
Further, it is made of eco-friendly copper wire to keep LED’s safe and at low temperature after continuous usage for hours. It can easily be moulded into any shape around furniture’s, plants, windows, staircase, frames, etc.
When you buy this Christmas light kit online, you’ll get UL certified power adapter with 5 feet cable to support 33 feet lighting wire + 100LED’s. The waterproof nature of the product withstands in light rain or heavy water spills and thereby making it perfect for outdoors.
Buy Now From Amazon
3) MZD8391 Upgraded 66 FT 200 LED Christmas Lights Outdoor String Lights
Give it a try with MZD8391 Christmas tree lights to decor your home. It brings immense look to home indoors and joy in children while assembling LED lights on staircase, doors, and windows.
What is in the package?
- Green string light
- Spare LED beads
- Spare fuse and
- User-friendly manual
The 200 LED Christmas lights are perfect to craft on garden trees, wedding parties and take family pictures, selfies and make it into a frame as memory.
This amazing device is highly IP44 waterproof nature and can be used for both indoors/outdoors. You don’t have to worry about the light kit when there is a little or heavy rain outside.
Specifications of MZD8391 Christmas Lights
- Emits warm white colour light.
- 12 months manufacturing warranty.
- Uses 200 commercial grade LED bulbs.
- Made of sturdy and durable materials.
- 60 days money back guarantee scheme.
- Suitable for Christmas Eve, wedding parties.
Unlike other brands, it is made of sturdy, durable copper material and re-usable bulbs for long-term usage. Its build design is such that it can overcome the problems like overheating issues, moisture or weather damage and short circuit.
Wrapping up, the performance of this Christmas LED lights is good, build design is great and best matches with the home purposes. The product comes under 12 months replacement warranty and also offers 60 days money back guarantee scheme.
Buy Now From Amazon
4) RPGT 1000 LEDs 336 ft Green Cable Wire Fairy String Tree Twinkle Lights (Blue)
Are you looking for the best Christmas lights that spread vibrant colors then you must add RPGT string light to your collection. It is one of the best quality Christmas tree lights that is made with durable materials and is environmentally protected.
This is the only device that comes with 1000 LED’s and a wire of length 336 feet to hold LED lights and use for multi-purposes.
What is included?
- Fairy light
- Mode controller
- Power adapter and
- User-friendly manual
This wonderful device can be operated in 8-different modes – waves, flash, fade, steady, etc. and choose the appropriate one depending on your mood. It comes with upgraded options like brightness to use it day and night and stay cool.
Specifications of RPGT Christmas Tree Light
- 6 watts of power usage.
- Very economical to buy.
- Emits only blue colour light.
- String length is about 102 meters.
- Absolutely UL, ROHS, CE certified.
- Protected with IP44 waterproof nature.
- Suitable for night parties, garden, patios
Buying this twinkle blue LED Christmas lights is like getting a huge pack at low-price. If your living space big or want to decorate home, and outdoor garden you should buy this product without any delay.
As the LED tree lights are operated at a low voltage of 30 V, you can simply touch the bulbs safely without carrying the risk of burns. If 1 LED breaks, then it keeps on working without damaging other LED’s.
Buy Now From Amazon
5) Decute Upgraded 105 Feet 300 LED Christmas String Lights
This is the perfect Christmas lights to have at home because of the IP55 waterproof nature that adds stunning visuals to the home indoors and outdoors. Once, the Christmas season is completed, you can also use for wedding, parties, night events, and so on.
The string lights come with 8 lighting modes to choose like flashing, blinking, chasing, fading etc. and minimize the efforts to select the colour every time you switch on the LED lights. It’s simply a plug and play type device that has end-to-end connection and can be attached to a maximum of 4 strips together i.e. 105 feet of each wire length forming upto 420 feet.
You just need to supply a maximum of 120 V using the UL-certified power adapter. The device utilizes less power and is absolutely safe to handle because of the shockproof and waterproof nature. That’s why this stylish product is considered as the best waterproof LED Christmas tree lights among the available brands.
Specifications of Decute Christmas String Lights
- String length is of 105 feet.
- Comes with 8 setting modes.
- 100% UL certified LED string light.
- 300 LED’s for to decor the home interiors.
- IP55 waterproof design to support both indoors and outdoors.
To conclude, this Decute Christmas tree LED’s emits warm white colour light and makes the surrounding environment romantic and cheerful. Moreover, it is very easy to install, clean and maintain as well.
Buy Now From Amazon
6) OMGAI Waterproof Meteor Shower Rain Lights
Next one in the list is from OMGAI brand. It’s a world’s leading online store that sells products to millions of customers around 200 countries. It offers top-notch products at the manufacturing price or even at low-prices to sustain in the market and beat competitors.
Compared to other brands, it is energy-efficient which means it saves electricity bills without shutting the device manually from time to time. To add on, it is highly IP65 waterproof, dustproof, and corrosion-resistant nature.
Specifications of OMGAI Shower Rain Lights
- Easy to install and maintain.
- String length is around 10 feet (320 cms).
- Energy efficient Christmas decor lights.
- UL certified adapter for even power distribution.
- Suitable for both indoor and outdoor decoration.
- Features 8 tubes with 144 LED’s (each has 18 LED’s).
This is completely a new-entry into the market that adds fresh looks to the home by choosing multiple colours and modes depending on the mood and personal choice. When you get this product to home, you’ll receive a pack of 8 tubes, each featuring 18 LED’s and a total of 144 LED’s in it. You just need to supply power of 5 watts to run a single tube or by connecting to a maximum of 5 string lights.
Overall, this professional LED light kit comes at inexpensive rates with high quality bulbs and ensures 100% customer satisfaction within 180 days from the date of purchase. Apart from that, the product has very good reviews and ratings online.
Buy Now From Amazon
7) LED String Lights with Remote Timer Controller, Christmas Tree Lights
If you’re seriously looking for LED lights to decor Christmas tree, home interiors, birthday parties, and other special events then simply add Dephen String lights to the Kart.
This amazing LED light kit comes with remote controller option which lets you access smartly. You can change the LED lights colour, adjust time, set 8 different modes and on/off switches. Thus we’ve given as the best LED Christmas lights with remote controller option.
With the timer function, you can set LED’s to glow and shine for a maximum of 6 hours a day and if you don’t want to continue the multi-colour lights then turn off using the power-off button.
Most people think that it’s difficult to connect and experience the wiring issues. It’s actually not. You can simply join 4 sets together for extended purpose. It is easy to wrap and take wherever you want. The presence of 200 LED’s gives an immense look to the home with bright light and by consuming less power.
Specifications of Dephen LED String Light
- Features 200 LED lights.
- 72 feet LED strip length.
- Comes with 8 mode settings.
- Made of fine grade plastic material.
- 30-70°C of working temperature.
- Suitable for both indoor and outdoor decoration.
- Can connect to a maximum of 4 sets at a time.
On the whole, it is perfect for home interiors and outdoor garden as you do not need much effort to install. What we didn’t like is the device gets damaged quickly when it gets wet or soak in water. Be careful as you may experience the electric shock too.
Note: To make use of remote controller effectively, you should be in 25-30 feet distance to operate the LED Christmas string light.
Buy Now From Amazon
8) PMS 1000 LED Warm White String Fairy Lights
Hurry up folks! Start decorating you home with PMS warm white string lights. It is considered to be the attention grabber in the list of top brands because of the unique design, durability and long-lasting performance.
Thankfully, it offers 1000 LED bulbs with 338 feet dark green cable. Given below are the 8 different modes that an LED light can operate and match with the decorative needs. Have a look!
- Waves
- Sequence
- Combination
- Twinkle
- Flash
- Steady on
- Slo-glo
- Slow-fade
IP44 rainproof nature of this light kit makes easy to use at outdoors during light/heavy rains. You will get an instruction manual that guides the users to install, and operate with hassle-free functioning. The low voltage transformer function cuts down the output voltage to a great extent to use safely at home i.e. without experiencing shocks or overheating issues.
Specifications of PMS LED String Lights
- IP44 rainproof light string.
- Includes 1000 LED bulbs.
- Emits warm white colour light.
- Comes at affordable price range.
- String length is about 338 feet (103 meters).
To summerize, the performance of PMS Christmas string light is good and best to use for beginners, hobbyists, electricians, etc. The lights are pretty small in size and cannot hold high power resulting in LED crash/damage in a short period of time.
Buy Now From Amazon
9) Brizled C6 Christmas Lights, 35.3ft 100 Faceted LED Christmas Lights
What are you waiting for? When you’ve Brizled C6 Christmas Lights with you. It is one of the famous brands that adds elegant look to the Christmas tree, garden patio, home, offices, and other public places like theatres, restaurants, pubs, etc.
In contrast with other brands, you can save upto 88% of energy bills and also comes at reasonable prices to match with the customer’s choice.
You can also establish end to end connection upto 22 sets i.e. around 2200 LED lights depending on your interest and should also match with the home space – balcony, staircase, doors, windows and outdoor garden.
Specifications of Brizled C6 LED Christmas lights
- 25000 hours of bulb lifespan.
- 120V/60Hz of input power supply.
- Stylish and attractive design structure.
- Can connect upto 22 sets (i.e. 2200 LED’s).
- Plug and play type with cool touch operation.
- Made of durable, break-resistant plastic material.
In a nutshell, this C6 LED string light offers decent performance through the usage. Even children take it to hands and mount easily on walls, doors, without any fear. If you do not know how to install or use properly, there’re chances of damaging the product.
Buy Now From Amazon
10) TOFU 0006 Projector Laser Lights
When you use LED string lights, you may experience tangling of wires, overheating issues and bulb damage. For those, who’re looking for new brands with latest innovations must try TOFU Projector Laser Lights.
Projectors are of high-quality, durable and spread the light to a maximum of 32-66 feet. Hence, it is given as the best LED projector Christmas lights to buy online.
Specifications of TOFU Projector Christmas Light
- Very economical to buy.
- 50000 hours of average lifespan.
- IP65 waterproof projector light kit.
- Backed with manufacturing warranty.
- RF remote controller with timer function.
- Comes with 4 different patterns in red/green colours.
Using the wireless remote controller, you can adjust the light distance, colours and brightness as per your interest. Also, set the time for projection using the timer function.
Once, you finish the installation and switch on the device, you will notice 4 patterns – Christmas tree, Santa Claus, jingle bells and snow in red, green colours. It will be an eye-feast and children love playing in the dark lights.
When you purchase LED projector kit online, you’ll get LED Christmas projector light, remote control, user-friendly guide and a warranty card of 1 year from the date of purchase. If you find the damaged project, get it repaired for free of cost within the specified time duration.
The only drawback is that you won’t get power adapter which is must to regulate the unwanted power fed to the device. Apart from that, it’s totally worth purchasing.
Buy Now From Amazon11) MAXINDA [UL Listed] Outdoor LED String Lights
If you’re tired of using cheap-quality LED string lights that don’t even last for 2 days? Now, it’s the right time to shift to MAXINDA outdoor LED string lights. This wonderful device solves all your needs as it comes with 50 LED’s and 18 feet string length. You can easily fix them on walls, glass windows, doors, etc. with less effort.
This C3 LED Christmas light comes at low-prices and offers reliable performance throughout the bulb life. As the device is made of environmental friendly materials, last longer by supporting different climatic conditions outside.
Specifications of MAXINDA LED String Lights
- 3000 hours of LED lifespan.
- 50 LED’s bloom in warm white colour.
- Has 18 feet string length to support bulbs.
- Durable and energy-efficient LED lights.
- Made using eco-friendly plastic material.
- Best fits on walls, lawn, yards, parties, etc.
- Dustproof, waterproof and fire-resistant nature.
Built-in heating fuse protects against rust formation and the diamond shaped LED’s consumes less power and stabilize the heat. Lights can be used for a maximum of 3000 hours which most people do not like and approaching the manufacturer for long-term usage with the same build quality and design.
Buy Now From Amazon12) MZD8391 105 FT 300 LEDs Christmas Lights
It’s not easy to get the best brand LED Christmas lights available in the market. One must have to research thoroughly and make a purchase according to the budget. To make it easy, we’ve listed MZD8391 LED Christmas lights that best matches with the indoor and outdoor requirements.
This Christmas tree light features 300 LED’s along with 105 feet string length. You’ll be overwhelmed to see the warm white colour light at night times by operating in 8 modes – twinkling, steady on, slow, fade, wave, sequence, slogs, and combination. Set the desired pattern to look beautiful on homes, offices and other public places.
Specifications of MZD8391 Christmas Lights
- 300 LED’s with 105 feet string length.
- IP55 waterproof design Christmas lights.
- Manual cleaning for dirt, debris removal.
- UL certified adapter for even power distribution.
- Features 8 lighting modes with memory function.
It has got a memory function which stores the last setting – colour, time, theme automatically every time when you switch on the power supply.
Unlike other brands, the product manufacturer offers a replacement warranty of 1 year from the date of purchase. So, you don’t have to worry about the repairing costs.
Buy Now From Amazon
13) MAXINDA [Commercial Grade] Outdoor Colored Led Christmas Lights
Finally, we disclose the product reviews with MAXINDA C7 LED Christmas lights. Make your home colourful with this string light that emits multiple colours – red, green, blue, yellow to use at both indoors and outdoors.
The strings come with flexible, and connectivity option to use for birthday parties, live events, reality shows etc. Furthermore, these string lights are less tolerant to heat, and safe to touch for children.
25 C7 diamond shape bulbs can be connected to 80 strands via end to end connection. When you place lights on tree or walls, make sure the lights are at 6inch distance to prevent heating issues and look fantabulous for the guests you invite to home.
Specifications of MAXINDA Outdoor LED Christmas Lights
- Uses diamond shaped LED’s.
- 25 C7 LED’s with 13 feet string length.
- No more flickers and emits bright light.
- 3-cord wire with copper insulating plug material.
- Suitable for birthday parties, wedding, live events.
Wrapping up, the performance of C7 Christmas tree light is excellent and comes at reasonable amounts. To enjoy this wonderful innovation, simply turn on the device; adjust the light brightness to transform a casual party to unforgettable event.
What made us so disappointed is there is no instruction manual provided in the kit which makes difficult for beginners to handle and may experience shocks if handled without any care. The length of the strip is small which is not suitable for decorating outdoors, and on other large surfaces.
Buy Now From AmazonChristmas Lights Buying Guide – How to Choose the Best Brand Christmas LED Lights
Give your home a festive makeover with the Christmas LED lights. They’ve huge demand in the market because of the festive season, affordable price and come with versatile functionality to make indoors/outdoors look stunning.
While choosing the best brand Christmas lights, you may come across different parameters like types of Christmas lights, no. of LED’s, strip length, colour options, material quality, power, price and warranty information. Read on, to know how these factors make the Christmas lights worth buying and enhance the usage capabilities.
1. Types of LED Christmas Lights
Most of the Christmas lights are compatible with both indoors and outdoors. They come in different types, styles and generate different colours as per the user’s choice of interest. Given below are some of the types of Christmas LED lights that’re in great demand. Have a look!
- Mini string lights
- Icicle lights
- Net LED lights
- C6 string lights
- C7 string lights
- C9 string lights
- G12 raspberry lights
- Wide angle mini LED lights
- Battery operated Christmas lights
2. String Length and No. of LED’s
The popular brands offer string length ranging from 20-100 meters and no. of LED’s in Christmas lights do matter while purchasing online to support the entire home. The above-listed brands feature LED’s from 100-1000 to make the home look fantastic with eye-pleasing colours. Further, it will let you know and fix Christmas lights depending on the requirement – fence, walls, outdoor garden, doors, etc. If you’ve complete idea about the home dimensions then you can probably minimize the purchasing costs.
3. Vibrant Colour Options
During Christmas season, every one of us loves to decor the home with colourful lights. It is possible using the Christmas LED lights which emits different colours – red, blue, green, white. Some of the LED’s emit multiple colours in a single bulb with a slight variation in time to add a glossy look.
4. Durable Material Quality
It is also important to check quality of the material when you buy LED Christmas light kits. It is because the durable nature of string light ensures the long-lasting performance and doesn’t damage the product quickly.
Most of the Christmas lights brands use copper inside and ABS plastic material outside. They’re available at reasonable prices and enhance the usage abilities. Whereas, fraud models breakout easily and consumes more power that the actual. Hence, it’s better to avoid such annoying models completely and opt for high-end Christmas lights.
5. Shockproof, Waterproof and Dustproof Nature
When you place string lights outdoors, they may prone to dust and other contaminants. You cannot even wash and have to simply wipe with wet cloth to deter the stains. If you do not install the Christmas light properly, you may experience minor shocks too.
To overcome such issues, LED Christmas tree lights are made of high-quality materials, tend to be stronger and withstand certain climatic conditions. Hence, they’re absolutely shock-proof, waterproof and dustproof nature.
6. Power Adapter
To handle LED lights and maintain the even power flow it requires a power adapter which utilizes 120V/60Hz. The power circuit is designed such that it doesn’t make noise and offer uninterrupted power supply. If you fed more power to the device, this adapter will regulate using the internal circuitry and saves energy.
7. User-friendly Guide
What we mostly like in Christmas tree LED light kit is the user-friendly manual which comes with custom designs, themes, styles, installation procedure, safety tips and precautions. Even kids, beginners, and hobbyists craft lights easily at homes, offices, and other public places.
8. Affordable Price
Most of the people think twice when they look at price. It’s actually the right thing to do. But, when you got the right Christmas light with high-end features, simply invest on the product and get benefitted. If you stick to the low-cost you can go with the basic models that best matches with the home requirements.
9. Brand Reputation and Warranty
What not, you should also look at the brand reputation and the warranty services offered by the manufacturer. Now-a-days people love to have branded items than getting product on roadsides. It’s because the popular brands have built a trust in customers by offering top-notch Christmas lights and warranty services to minimize the repairing costs.
The post 13 Best LED Christmas Lights to Brighten Your Home & Garden appeared first on Electronics Hub.
Wednesday 21 November 2018
What is a Heat Sink? Heat Sink Types
In this article, we will learn about Heat Sink and different aspects of Heat Sinks like what is a heat sink, what are the types of heat sinks, what is active cooling and passive cooling etc.
Introduction
There is a special branch in modern engineering design that works around energy, thermodynamics and heat transfer. This branch is known as Thermal Design. Few important components of Thermal Design are Fans, Pumps, Heat Exchangers, Refrigeration Units etc.
These components are traditionally used in industrial applications. But implementing a similar thermal design i.e. fan cooling technique for example, in modern day laptops and computers doesn’t provide the necessary cooling that is required.
Apart from industrial processes, every electronic or electrical material will generate heat when connected to a power supply. Especially high-power semiconductors, LED or any optic devices generates more heat. They do not have enough capability to give away the heat. If the components are over heated, it results in failure of circuit board. So, to avoid such problems, heat sinks are used.
What is a heat sink?
We can think of heat sink as a thermal device, which are conductive in nature. It is designed to absorb and remove heat from an object like Computer, mobile phones, DVD players and fridges. It removes heat from object or circuit, sends them to surrounding medium.
More technically speaking, a Heat Sink is a metallic device, which increases the effective dissipation area of a surface and therefore increases the rate of heat dissipation when compared to the rate of generation.
Heat sinks consist of fan or cooling device to disperse heat from another object. In computers, it is attached with a microprocessor chip to absorb heat and sends it to air. Heat sinks are made of metals like copper or aluminum alloy.
Types of heat sink
Active Heat Sink
When the heat sink utilizes fan (HSF) it is active heat sink. In most of computer processor, a fan is attached just above the heat sink. This utilizes power for cooling process. Active heat sinks are used in liquid cooling system.
Passive Heat Sink
When the heat sink does not utilize a fan, it is passive heat sink. They do not have any mechanical component, which makes them more reliable. These heat sinks are made of aluminum-finned radiator. They dissipate heat through principle of convection. Proper and steady airflow is maintained between the fins, to attain full stability of the device.
Thermal Conductivity
In general heat is transferred via three techniques namely convection, conduction and radiation. Among this conduction is a type of heat transfer that happens in a solid. Since, heat sink is also a solid device, heat transfer occurs due to conduction in heat sink.
How conduction occurs?
Imagine you bring two different objects with two different temperatures closer to each other. Warm object will have fast moving molecules and cold objects will have slow moving molecules. When those two objects meet at a point, fast moving molecules will try to interact with slow molecules. Due to this, energy from fast moving molecules is transferred to slow moving molecules. This process heats the cooler object. This entire process is Thermal conductivity and by this technique, the heat sink removes heat from computer processors.
Active Cooling or Passive Cooling
Passive Cooling
This type of cooling uses radiation or convection methods for heat transfer by using heat sink or heat spreader. For architectural designs, natural resources like soil or wind act as heat sink for heat absorption. This helps for better performance of the electronic devices within the operating temperature.
Active Cooling
This type of cooling depends on external devices for heat transfer. The mode of heat transfer is convection, which helps to increases the fluid flow for more heat removal. Additional components like fans are used when natural convection is not sufficient to remove heat. This type is used in electronics, hard drives and CPU for heat removal.
Heat sinks in Power Transistors
Heat sink is used when designing transistor to remove heat. They are available either as fined aluminum, copper sheets or as blocks.
Heat transmitting grease is applied in-between transistor and heat sink, to make them place closer to each other. When electrical insulation is required between transistor and heat sink, a mica layer is applied between the two.
The post What is a Heat Sink? Heat Sink Types appeared first on Electronics Hub.
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