Tag Archives: PCB cooling

ATS’ maxiFLOW Heat Sinks a Great Match with Altera’s Cyclone V

ATS’ new Heat Sink Selection Tool on www.qats.com allow engineers to match existing ATS heat sinks with specific applications from the top component manufacturers in the market.

Altera’s Cyclone® V FPGAs provide the industry’s lowest system cost and power, along with performance levels that make the device family ideal for differentiating your high-volume applications. You’ll get up to 40 percent lower total power compared with the previous generation, efficient logic integration capabilities, integrated transceiver variants, and SoC FPGA variants with an ARM®-based hard processor system (HPS).

Cyclone V (courtesy of Altera, http://www.altera.com/devices/fpga/cyclone-v-fpgas/cyv-index.jsp)

ATS has over 1,800 heat sinks that meet the specific application requirements of Altera. For example, the Altera Cyclone® V component part number 5CGXFC7D7F27C8NES has 17 cooling solutions, including ATS maxiFLOWTM high performance bga heat sink. maxiFLOWTM unique design provides thermal performance that is 30- 200% better than the conventional heat sinks. By combining maxiFLOWTM heat sinks with the Cyclone® V FPGAs, you can get the power, cost, and performance levels you need for high-volume applications including protocol bridging, motor control drives, broadcast video converter and capture cards, and handheld devices.

maxiFLOW heat sink results from the new Heat Sink Selection Tool

For mounting the heat sink to the pcb, these heat sinks are available with pre-assembled thermal interface materials and with the maxiGRIPTM heat sink attachment. maxiGRIPTM provides a steady, even pressure from the heat sink to the Cyclone® V with easy instillation and removal, eliminating the need to drill holes in the pcb.

Test out the new Heat Sink Selection Tool to view the full list of heat sinks specific to Altera components, along with the full list of component manufacturers that are compatible with ATS cooling solutions.

This Fixed Cost Plan for Cooling Hot PCBs Saves Money, Simplifies Ordering

For one fixed cost, a QoolPCB plan includes the full set of ATS heat sinks,  attachment devices and all other parts required for the effective thermal management of a PCBs components. There are no additional costs for the thermal engineering, performance testing, procurement or shipping. The heat sinks and hardware are kitted and provided for the full volume of boards requiring cooling.

Pricing for a QoolPCB solutions is based on the number of heat sinks that a specific PCB requires for efficient thermal management. For example, if thermal analysis and testing show that a PCB needs 10 heat sinks to operate safely, the fixed price for the heat sinks and hardware for a production volume of that PCB would be just $50 per board. For larger boards, or those with many hot components, the unit cost per heat sink is reduced.

Whether the solutions are for off-the-shelf heat sinks, custom designed, or a combination of both, the QoolPCB program from ATS provides it at fixed cost. QoolPCB eliminates separate costs for design, tooling, samples, verification and supply chain management. The program offers multiple benefits for companies looking to reduce their product development costs, speed time-to-market and ensure thermal reliability.

To participate, PCB developers simply provide 3D CAD models of their board layout, along with the technical specifications, including power dissipation of all board components. ATS performs a full thermal analysis of the PCB and develops a comprehensive cooling solution for each component on the board. Where possible, ATS engineers will specify existing heat sinks from a portfolio of more than 3000 off-the-shelf and application-specific designs and with in-stock attachment systems.

If any custom heat sinks are required to bring certain components within their manufacturer-designated running temperatures, ATS assumes all tooling charges and sample production costs, including any customized heat sink attachment hardware. In addition, ATS will perform all physical testing at its Thermal Characterization Laboratory, which features advanced open loop and closed loop wind tunnels, temperature and velocity measurement sensors and other analysis instrumentation, to verify the cooling design. All designs and performance reports are provided to customers, who can perform their own thermal analyses and verification studies using the ATS characterization lab and samples of the actual heat sink solutions at no extra cost.

More information about the QoolPCB thermal management program from ATS is available at: http://www.qats.com/Services/QoolPCB—PCB-Cooling-At-Fixed-Cost/57.aspx