BACKGROUND:
To many this heatsink could just be a used lump of aluminium but I am big on reusing or repurposing old electronic components and hardware, particularly from the point of view of sustainability.
Sustainability far more than NOT burying waste material back into the earth but consciously recognising the energy expended to create the item through it's various "stages" in life, beginning with the raw materials being extracted from the earth, processed, finished and then fitted into equipment - every single step used energy which is referred to as embodied energy.
To give an approximate representation of how much energy was used in the WHOLE production process of an item, I have created what I refer to as the Ee (Embodied Energy) value, measured in Mj
The Ee value is an approximation only and usually measured in Mj.
Coming up with an Ee value is an attempt to take into account the energy used for extracting and processing of the raw materials, manufacturing of the component, distribution of the component(s) and final assembly of the component. In fact the measurement of Ee can become extremely complicated and technical, many tertiary institutions are involved in this specialised field of science.
I have used various reliable sources online to arrive at approximate Ee values, these are approximations and the sole purpose is to raise awareness of the extraordinary energy consumed in the creation of various electronic components and hardware - it may give you cause to think twice before wasting all that energy and burying it in the ground, with the possible side-effects of poisoning the environment due to leeching.
HERE is a page I have created which gives some tables and more detailed information about specific Ee values for different materials plus a link which you can use as a starting point to investigate Ee for yourself.
This compact but efficient heatsink was extracted from the JVC BR-6400TR Professional VCR machine which has recently been on the "operating table"
HEATSINK
Material: Aluminium - raw
Source: most likely to be Japan, the country has a well established Aluminium manufacturing industry
Low profile design
Part # Unknown
Multiple holes predrilled as this heatsink originally had a number of TO220 devices mounted on it.
Thermal characteristics are unknown
If required, additional cooling could easily be achieved using forced air
DIMENSIONS:
External: 240mm length x 65mm width x 20mm height
Pre-drilled holes are all threaded
22x fins or 21 channels
The first 4 channels from each end are 6.5mm wide while all of the other channels are 9.4mm wide
Two slots at each end for securing to the equipment case
WEIGHT: 225g
This heatsink has now been placed within a sealed, clear plastic packet waiting for the opportunity to "cool down" other equipment
