Saphum

Ifos Assembly Attempt #2

July 22, 2008 | 0 Minute Read

I just started building the second Ifos prototype from scratch, and already I’ve discovered an issue that problably contributed to the DOA-ness of assembly attempt #1.

It turns out the land pattern for the voltage regulator’s heatsink doesn’t quite match the heatsink I’m actually using. When installed, the heatsink just barely clears the solder pads, and the mounting nut allows enough play that the pads may actually be shorted together.

Heatsink land pattern

The voltage regulator is mounted on top of a heatsink using a nut and bolt

Shorting the regulator

When positioned to line up the holes for mounting, the heatsink may short the regulator leads

The immediate fix was to simply cut back the heatsink with a hacksaw. This allowed enough clearance to prevent the short-circuit.

Modified heatsink

After trimming a portion of the heatsink with a hacksaw to increase clearance