The Penny as Heat Sink

**AMEX** · 01-16-2009, 01:31 PM

Penny Heatsink - Hacked Gadgets - DIY Tech Blog

Quote:

Next time you are building a project and find a component running a bit hot you may want to look in your pocket for a few pennies to solve the problem. This Penny Heatsink idea is a nice idea since I can think of a number of times that I have bolted on expensive heatsinks when I only needed a bit of heat dissipation but a large heat sink is all I had on hand. The author suggests that it’s not really worth the effort and a good heatsink should be used but this is not always practical so I think it’s worth a try.

"In a recent thread on Head-Fi, someone asked how well a paperclip would work for heat-sinking a TO-220 part. Much speculation ensued (much of it from your humble author), including opinions that a penny might work better, and then the argument moved on to exactly how to use the penny and so on. I eventually decided that experimentation was called for, which lead to this article."

**Killer_Mopar** · 01-16-2009, 01:46 PM

<--- has done this

**Raven Rogen** · 01-16-2009, 01:52 PM

isn't that illegal?

i thought you couldn't do that to US currency, it's a felony...

**Killer_Mopar** · 01-16-2009, 01:56 PM

Technically you cant deface it, that is drill it or carve on it.....or if its paper, draw on it. Nothing stopping you from soldering it onto something else. If you still worried about legalities, use canadian monies.

**Cr@xheadMcgee** · 01-16-2009, 01:59 PM

Getting desperate I see.

**AMEX** · 01-16-2009, 02:06 PM

**RickJamesBish** · 01-16-2009, 02:23 PM

Even if it is illegal, not like anyone would find out...why would agents be looking for defaced pennies on computer hardware?

**Chair-Force** · 01-16-2009, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickJamesBish

Even if it is illegal, not like anyone would find out...why would agents be looking for defaced pennies on computer hardware?

**Raven Rogen** · 01-16-2009, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickJamesBish

Even if it is illegal, not like anyone would find out...why would agents be looking for defaced pennies on computer hardware?

well now that gives them probable cause to search our computer hardware and then find all our child pornography

**Vissionary** · 01-16-2009, 02:27 PM

getting desperate I see.

01-16-2009, 01:59 PM	#5 (permalink)
Cr@xheadMcgee SOT Administrator Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Miami Posts: 29,356	Getting desperate I see. __________________ SOT - WHO TOLD YOU ABOUT THIS!!

01-16-2009, 02:06 PM	#6 (permalink)
AMEX SOT Administrator Join Date: May 2006 Location: 345T C045t Posts: 32,079 gXboxLive Leaderboard: 37^th	__________________ SOT- your in my debt

01-16-2009, 02:27 PM	#10 (permalink)
Vissionary SOT Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: SoCal Posts: 65,488 gXboxLive Leaderboard: 36^th	getting desperate I see. __________________ SOT - Procrastinate later.

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01-16-2009, 01:46 PM	#2 (permalink)
Killer_Mopar Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Ohio Posts: 273	<--- has done this

01-16-2009, 01:52 PM	#3 (permalink)
Raven Rogen Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Chicago Posts: 10,294 gXboxLive Leaderboard: 4^th	isn't that illegal? i thought you couldn't do that to US currency, it's a felony...

01-16-2009, 01:56 PM	#4 (permalink)
Killer_Mopar Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Ohio Posts: 273	Technically you cant deface it, that is drill it or carve on it.....or if its paper, draw on it. Nothing stopping you from soldering it onto something else. If you still worried about legalities, use canadian monies.

01-16-2009, 02:23 PM	#7 (permalink)
RickJamesBish SOT Post Whore Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Fort Myers, FL Posts: 19,696	Even if it is illegal, not like anyone would find out...why would agents be looking for defaced pennies on computer hardware?