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Heatsink or Fan Recommendation

emjay26

The AUBoard 15P FPGA Development Kit doesn't include a heatsink or fan.  These parts can get quite hot, so I think some cooling solution is needed for most applications, even if used only in a climate-controlled space at room temperatures.  The user guide lists an example heatsink part number (EA-270- H245-T710), but it's not in stock anywhere and shows minimum order quantities of 500.  No example is given for a fan or how to attach it, only a description of the fan header.  Can you recommend a heatsink or fan that is available for ordering and provide guidance on how to attach it?  Thanks.

  • +1

    Why not both? You have to do some math first to find a sufficient solution. Measure the part temperature and calculate the die temp. Then pick a solution that is capable of transporting enough heat away to keep the chip in the goldilocks zone. 

  • 0

    Having not received any part or installation recommendations, I did some research on heatsinks and fans over the past week and am including what I learned below, in case it helps any other users of this board.

    A special plea to Avnet/Tria for the future: please include a heatsink and fan with this type of evaluation board. This will cover 99% of the typical use cases and still leave users free to replace it with their own custom thermal solution if they choose. Purchasers of this board just want to be able to use it out of the box to its fullest capabilities and not worry about overheating the part. Don't make them become experts in heatsinks and fans or figure out how to install them on this particular board.


    Heatsink/fan information:
    The FPGA package is 27 mm x 27 mm and the height from the board surface to the top of the package is ~3.3 mm. You're looking for a "BGA heatsink" and can use either a passive heatsink or a heatsink with a fan attached for active cooling. If no fan, either directly attached or nearby, is blowing air on it, a heatsink will rely on natural convection to cool the part. A taller heatsink will have more surface area available for heat transfer to the air. If a fan is directly attached, a shorter heatsink can be used. The fan should be installed so that the air blows directly into the heatsink. A thermal transfer material like a thermal pad is needed between the heatsink and the part. A solution which physically holds the heatsink against the part will allow for the use of thermal pads with better heat transfer properties and will also be more secure mechanically. For this specific board, this would be a plastic holder designed for this part's dimensions, which clips to the underside of the package edge and a spring clip which holds the heatsink firmly against the part, with a thermal pad between them.

    Here are a few options in order of increasing thermal performance and cost:
    1. Passive heatsink with double-sided thermal tape:
    ATS-55270W-C1-R0
    2. Passive heatsink with thermal pad and a plastic attachment and spring clip:
    ATS-53270R-C1-R0
    3. Similar to #2, but with a fan directly attached to the top of the heatsink:
    ATS-61270D-C1-R0 (heatsink, thermal pad, clips, fan attachment hardware)
    MF25060V1-1000U-A99 (5V, 2 #28 AWG wire leads, 25 x 25 x 6.5 mm fan)
    22-01-3037 (Molex fan connector housing)
    08-50-0113 (Molex fan connector pins)
    Note: a crimping tool capable of working with the #28 AWG fan wires is also required.