Hard drive thermal pads... Where to get them at an affordable price?

[neilsanner]

Hi,

I need to replace the hard drive in an Apple eMac G4 700Mhz. The
service manual says "The hard drive has 3 thermal pads. If the thermal
pads become damaged, replace them." (Apple part No. 076-0950)

OK, I want to change them, but they're unbelievably expensive for
three little pieces of foam!!! They sell it for approx. 31$ +
shipping.

Does anybody have any ideas where someone could buy a material that
can do the same thing for a lot cheaper? Maybe some sheets that could
be custom cut.

It seems to be some kind of heat dissipating material. It seems to be
there to help the hard drive "breath" and to prevent overheating,
since it's in a very tight space.

It's available from a couple of online store. Ex. :
http://macpalace.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=4335

Photos of the inside of an eMac:
http://lancej.blogspot.com/2006/01/macintosh-upgrading-700-mhz-emac.html

 

[Arno Wagner]

Hi,

I need to replace the hard drive in an Apple eMac G4 700Mhz. The
service manual says "The hard drive has 3 thermal pads. If the thermal
pads become damaged, replace them." (Apple part No. 076-0950)

OK, I want to change them, but they're unbelievably expensive for
three little pieces of foam!!! They sell it for approx. 31$ +
shipping.

Does anybody have any ideas where someone could buy a material that
can do the same thing for a lot cheaper? Maybe some sheets that could
be custom cut.

It seems to be some kind of heat dissipating material. It seems to be
there to help the hard drive "breath" and to prevent overheating,
since it's in a very tight space.

It's available from a couple of online store. Ex. :
http://macpalace.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=4335

Photos of the inside of an eMac:
http://lancej.blogspot.com/2006/01/macintosh-upgrading-700-mhz-emac.html

I just checked and suitable uncut termal foil seems to be
in a similar price range. I habe, e.g. Bergquist Gap Pad VO Ultra Soft,
1mm x 100mm x 100mm at 24CHF, rougly 20 USD. That is without
shipping. The other alternatives my electronics parts supplier
lists are more expensive.

Arno

 

[neilsanner]

I just checked and suitable uncut termal foil seems to be
in a similar price range. I habe, e.g. Bergquist Gap Pad VO Ultra Soft,
1mm x 100mm x 100mm at 24CHF, rougly 20 USD. That is without
shipping. The other alternatives my electronics parts supplier
lists are more expensive.

Arno

Thanks Arno for the info.

I had also found the Bergquist Gap Pads. It's still quite expensive.
And it's not available from "normal" online computer parts stores. Are
they the only people making this kind of thermal stuff? Are those
thermal pads still used in modern Apple computers or in some PCs?

NeilSanner

 

[Arno Wagner]

Thanks Arno for the info.

I had also found the Bergquist Gap Pads. It's still quite expensive.
And it's not available from "normal" online computer parts stores.

No surprise. This stuff is "experts only", just as other electronics
components.

Are they the only people making this kind of thermal stuff?

There are some others, but their offereigns tend to be even
more expensive.

Are those
thermal pads still used in modern Apple computers or in some PCs?

You can do one thing: Put the drive under load and measure
temperature. If its temperature, extrapolated for the
warmest operating conditions (room temperature) you expect
stays below 50C, you are probably fine without these pads.

If that fails, you can try to select a drive with very low
energy consumption. Loog into the individual drive datasheets
for that.

Arno

 

[neilsanner]

No surprise. This stuff is "experts only", just as other electronics
components.


There are some others, but their offereigns tend to be even
more expensive.


You can do one thing: Put the drive under load and measure
temperature. If its temperature, extrapolated for the
warmest operating conditions (room temperature) you expect
stays below 50C, you are probably fine without these pads.

If that fails, you can try to select a drive with very low
energy consumption. Loog into the individual drive datasheets
for that.

Arno

Yeah, there's a lot of unique or not common parts in those Macs. It
makes it kinda expensive to own. That's the price to pay to have a
pretty computer I guess! ;-)

Thanks again Arno for your support! It's much appreciated!

NeilSanner