How to solder 1W LED and heatsink using soldering iron

Watch me soldering up some cheap 1W LEDs and star-shaped PCB heat sinks purchased on eBay using a regular soldering iron. No heat gun or solder paste.

[tensor]

81 upvotes .. a joke .. should be more like 80M ... this is one of the very best actually practical hands on yt videos I have seen; I feel that I am actually the guy doing the stuff .. so well explained and so logical - everything makes sense - the challenge, the compromise - this is where most of us are in diy electronics all over the globe! Well done sir

[TheEulerID]

In the absence of being able to solder that centre pad, then I would use a tiny dab of thermal paste. A dob of solder on that middle pad is a bad idea as it limits the surface area. It will make for a very poor thermal contact. There are also silver epoxy mounting pastes that will transfer heat efficiently and you can guarantee good contact. Not cheap, but then you only need tiny amounts. Finally, a heat gun approach from a soldering station might work, probably aimed at the back of the heatsink, but it's essential to use low temperature soldering paste as an LED like that is unlikely to withstand the temperature required to melt lead-free solder (although soldering the tabs is OK).

I would go with the cheap thermal paste approach first and do some tests (although at 1W those star mounts will need to be thermally bonded to a bigger heat sink of some sort as even those get too hot at 1W (let along the 3W or more LEDs that are available).

[robertbarkerartandphotogra]

Really helpful, thank you! My biggest takeaway is the clothes peg idea. I struggle with clamping for all sorts of electronics/building projects and that's just simple genius!

[ajinkyakabbur]

I have a similar situation. I need to solder LED to a star PCB. Would it be possible to use thermal paste(compound) instead of solder to transfer heat from LED to PCB?

Like we do in case of peltier module

[tensor]

I have exactly the same ... a bag o' sinks from ebay + a bag o' lights from ebay. Just love the floating vice idea and the wooden clothes peg - genius!!! I will get to work following what you say - so useful to see this in advance. Slightly unsure about your "raised pimple in the middle" idea ... that may cause only a few actual metal to metal contact points reducing the conduction of heat to the sink?.. I get what you say - you don't want an air gap there .. I might try a bit of lightly crumpled kitchen foil. Kudos to you bruv.

[jephterodriguesdemiranda]

why would you want to put solder under the LED? I would think it makes worse contact with the heatsink then without.

[MACYNET]

Solder center pad for better heat transfert. Put the solder tip with power above 40W well tinned under the mcpcb until it melt, slight press down Led until it solidifies. Before this, better not have traces of solder on the pin pads or the solder will be raised

[adelasa]

Here s a helpful tip.... you bend the 2 pins upword.... they re going to act like a spring to keep led contact with heatsink... solder the first pin with led at an angl... than you can put heatsink compound if you like.... than you press the other pin and solder it... voila... easy and perfect heat transfer

[Nonononono_Ohno]

05:16 "to there, the center, and there"... instead of "there" and "there", the next solder pads in respectively clockwise direction would have been the correct choice, i.e., when you rotate the LED by 60 degrees clockwise. If you compare those two adjacent pads with the pads which you intend to solder to, you will realize that they have a different and asymmetric orientation on the PCB, just like the plus and minus pins of the LED are asymmetric. Also, these two solder pads extend much closer to the center pad.

06:00 You're not very optimistic about how long the LED is going to last, are you? :D

[jaadusidhu]

which driver I need if I use one watt 26 smd led heatsink in parallel circuit for vc supply

[usumakinaruto]

Bang bagus grease apa silicone grease?

[davidferguson]

Hi you need to use heatsink compound for those leds to take away the heat from them

[apexdentistry]

What was the camera model# used to record this video if you don’t mind me asking?

[Yksmarttech]

My led heating....but . I sold on heatshrink why pls reply

[fereganfortuin]

Nice video but tell me what wire do you use for that leds

[monsoon]

You are supposed to use thermal paste on the center.

[tonycstech]

Use low temp soldering paste.
You need to solder bottom as well. not just press it against it.

[dragosmarian]

Hi. Where can i buy this leds? What name or number have this led?
Thx

[pgladwish]

Oh My! - Use thermal paste in the middle. I can't believe it!

[taz]

I know it really doesn't matter but, he used the wrong pads.