Prusa, heatsink for a4988? DIY

I'm building a Prusa with Ramps 1.4, a4988. It did not come with heatsinks. i have aluminum rods i can cut. Like little top hats. Would that work as well as the little finned heatsinks? I will also add a fan.

Thanks

Maxi

Maxi-

The fins exhibit greater surface area per the mass of aluminum. Greater surface area allows for better heat dissipation. The fins will work better.

Will the rods be enough? Proper adjustment of the trim pots is sometimes enough to do the job without heatsinks. -Phuzzy

Thanks. I ended up ordering the Sinks. What to use to adhere them to the chips?

You need double sided thermal tape.

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Waitaki 3D Printer

A lot of people use either superglue or locktite to secure them. The thermal characteristics of these materials probably aren't as good as the thermal tape's, but you only need a thin film, and a lot of the heatsink ends up directly in contact with the chip, so it ends up working at least as well, possibly better. And, it holds it significantly more securely.

Just make sure that they are attached to the chip but not touching any other components, especially pins. I think one or two people on the forums have blown a driver because the sink accidentally bridged some pins.

Good advice. I will use loctite. Its getting expensive getting all these misc things. Not just the ebay cost, but the time cost. I don't want to extend my build start time an extra week or two.

Thanks

I know this is a little late, but a cheap fan is also a good way to cool the entire Ramps board. Get a quiet one and just hook it to the power supply. Let it run all the time.