Fried LED. WHY?

[Jay-gon Jinn]

you'd be surprise by how much voltage is in one of thosse little static shocks....

[Angelus Lupus]

Just think: If static shock can build up enough to make you say ouch (I've been zapped by cars and door handles), it can certainly build up enough to fry electronics.

[Logan Cade]

You have any pictures of the Led and your set-up…maybe we could start there.

[Darth Morbius]

ESD is a filthy thing. One tiny little spark that is nigh invisible to the eye can utterly DESTROY an electronic component. Other times you can hit it and see a spark and still have something work afterward.

Too much heat from an iron can melt the junctions if you surpass the temperature threshold, but on a star based LED, you would have to be REALLY cranking out on the pad for that to happen. No offense meant, but if you are holding the iron on a pad long enough to surpass the rated junction temperature, then you are soldering all wrong.

[Eco]

I dunno. ESD makes sense, but it's so unsatisfying to know that an LED was fried by such a little nuisance as a little zap.
Also, I suppose I should mention that it actually fell on one of those rubber mats with carpet on it, so that mat itself was insulated from the rest of the carpet in the cab.
Can a little mat that hasn't had anything but rubber boots on it really generate enough of a discharge to fry an LED?
I'm not questioning the collective knowledge of anyone here, but it feels so incredulous a theory.

[Darth Morbius]

What is so had to understand? Why do you think places that sell LEDS ship them in ANTI-STATIC wrap?

Just because there is a rubber mat means nothing. If there is carpet there and your BODY can Carry a charge, your CLOTHING can carry a charge, and the vehicle itself can carry a charge. Plus variables in atmospheric conditions play a major role in it too.

I'm not saying that it is the DEFINITE answer, but it is not a possibility to scoff at...

It is by no means incredulous.

Haven't you ever had static discharge while wearing rubber soled shoes and touching a car that you just got out of?

Why do you think that the fuel dispensing industry places warnings on fuel dispensers at gas stations regarding ESD?

There are lots of factors that can be attributed to ESD with this case.

But you also bring up the point that you may have been a little Ham-handed with the soldering iron.

HEY! that brings up another question... Is your soldering Iron SHIELDED, IE grounded properly, and ESD safe? Because THAT can cause destruction of components too.

Seriously friend, do your homework before dismissing ESD. Ask J-Lo what she has to go through at her JOB to ensure ESD is not an issue. It's not Theory. It is proven.

[Logan Cade]

The Lux III Red LED I got from the shop died, or rather, it never lit.
The first thing I did to it was solder it to some quick connects on the heatsink,

Are you saying here you soldered the wires to the led while the led was mounted to the heatsink?

[vortextwist]

Are you saying here you soldered the wires to the led while the led was mounted to the heatsink?

I do it all the time. helps hold the led still.

[Lord Maul]

You have to solder with the LED on the heatsink, so the wires can go through the holes....

[Logan Cade]

Hmm…I never did it that way. I always used the helping hands tool set-up. Figuring it would cool off quicker that way and aid to prevent damaging the led, instead of sitting on a hot heat sink which would take longer to dissipate. After that, I just fish the wires through the heat sink and mount the led with thermal tape and the plastic screws.

In Eco’s case, I was wondering with the led mounted to the heat sink while doing the initial tinning of the led, it would have to heat that heat sink up also and all that prolonged heat could of damaged his led in some way.

But if you guys never had a problem with doing it that way….I guess it’s not an issue.