TO-220 Clip-On Heatsink

Get the most out of your regulators, transistors, and other TO-220 packaged chips by clipping on a heat-sink. Your transistor or regulator may advertise that it can handle high currents, but when multiplied by the drop voltage, the Wattage may be too high for the bare chip! Most TO-220's can dissipate about 2W's worth without a sink. This basic, and easy-to-use 23°C/W sink will let you burn about 4 Watts of power through a TO-220 (assuming an ambient temperature of 25°C and max die temp of 150°C). No screws or thermal paste required. For more detailed calculations, check out the Daycounter heatsink calc.