In a world of ever-increasing electronics, our lives are continuously impacted by devices that incorporate some sort of heat-generating circuitry. When it comes to electronics that dissipate power in the form of heat during normal operation, it is often necessary to manage this heat, to ensure the components don’t exceed their maximum allowable temperatures. One of the most common methods of managing power dissipation is through the use of a heat sink. Heat sinks are used on a broad range of electronics, ranging from CPUs to motor drivers.



In our most recent post on the Hardware Guide, we will walk through the basics of heat sinks, as well as the calculations involved in defining the proper heat sink for your application. In our example of proper heat sink design, we’ll use the common L298 (multiwatt15) Full bridge driver, as this chip can get very hot when operating at the upper limit of its range.

Check out the full post on the Hardware Guide to read more about the process of designing heat sinks!