This is a great article as far as it goes. However, another problem
with plating, especially when done for cosmetic purposes, is that nice
shiny metal is exactly what you don't want if you care about heat
radiation. Heat sinks are frequently treated with black anodization to
make them act like the proverbial black body radiator. So plating is
even more complicated.
In a prior life I was the project manager for the HP5334B frequency
counter. The outside of the enclosure had to be a plastic coating with
the color "mint gray" to match other HP equipment. I didn't have the
authority to change that. But I was allowed to paint the inside of the
cover with black spray paint. It noticeably lowered the temperature
rise vs bare aluminum.
73
Rick N6RK
On 6/25/2026 9:31 AM, Wes Stewart via Topband wrote:
You might want to read this before slapping on the Cool Amp.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/w5u2m0qvuwjs0i3vlwdsf/Plating.pdf?rlkey=n99dlrd2joh5548drtczvtsks&st=7kj0624o&dl=0
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