Heat. When you are looking to kick back on a beach with a cool umbrella drink, it’s a good thing. For electronics? Not so much. In fact, heat management is one of the most critical, if not THE most critical factor in ensuring high reliability and longevity for your equipment.
Rectifiers have three major parts: control mechanisms, power components, and semiconductors. Each are critical to the proper functionality of the power supply and they all both generate heat and are negatively affected by heat. So minimizing the heat they generate as well as managing the unavoidable heat will maximize your rectifier’s performance.
Semiconductors
With semiconductors, there are always some form of losses through the device as it’s doing its job – and these losses generate heat. Heat management, ensuring adequate airflow as well as proper placement and installation are critical to protecting these important components.
Power Components
Transformers, capacitors and resistors can all be damaged by power fluctuations in incoming power as well as excess heat not being properly dissipated. The best way to protect power components includes proper cleaning, avoiding contamination, and keeping foreign objects away.
Firing Boards
As the brain of the unit, they are critical, but they are also relatively fragile. Ensuring that conformal coatings retain their integrity is key as is troubleshooting transformer and semiconductor performance issues that can put pressure on firing boards.
I recently worked with the folks at Products Finishing on an article for their website that breaks down in detail how to minimize heat generation and manage the inevitable heat issues. Check it out here.
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