The starting point for this column was my experience with a heat sink webinar. I was not happy with the approach that it was presented, and the reasons why have been outlined in this column.
To all who want to transfer basic heat sink knowledge: tell facts, not fairytales. The fact is that reality is complex. Basic heat transfer about conduction, convection and radiation: OK, but tell the attendees also that in order to realize a competitive edge in eventual sales, much more knowledge is needed than some limited and outdated design rules. Compare it with electronic design: nobody believes that one is capable of designing a functional printed circuit board (PCB) after attending a webinar of half an hour. After this column one should understand why it is not simple to assess heat sink performance, which should be the bottom line.