Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Add a Heat Sink
HACK 61
A heat sink for your Raspberry Pi? But it's so little! Tiny, but mighty. You
may be surprised at just how warm it can get.
You've probably noticed that computers are hot. Not like “don't touch the stove” hot
(most of the time), but “my smartphone is sometimes a hand warmer in the winter”
hot. It's the integrated circuits (ICs) that make that toasty feeling (as well as make
your electronics work), and assorted bad things happen when they get too toasty,
ranging from warping the plastic case to (in extreme cases) burning laps of people
who take “laptop” literally. Sometimes you'll learn your computer is too hot because
it knows it's overheating and locks up or shuts down. It's unlikely your Raspberry Pi
will overheat in average use, but it's not impossible with more intense use.
A heat sink could seem like a bit much for such a little device, but depending on what
you're using the Pi for (have you read
Hack #06
?), it could extend the computer's life.
And frankly, heat sinks look neat. Of course, if your goal is “as small as possible,” this
isn't the plan for you. If your goal is “naked electronics looking awesome,” you're in
the right place.
Not Safe for Kids?
The Raspberry Pi was designed for education, and that includes with safety in
mind. It's exceptionally unlikely that in any normal use, the Pi is going to get so hot
as to be unsafe to touch, so don't worry about giving it to your kids.
The Raspberry Pi produces heat from three ICs: the CPU, the Ethernet controller, and
the power regulator.
Geektopia
used a thermal camera to study the Raspberry Pi's
heat output (as shown in
Figure 6-14
. Simply plugged in and running, the three ICs
had measured temperatures of, 48.7º C (119.66º F), 53º C (127.4º F), and 49.9º C
(121.82º F), respectively.