Heating LED strips on aluminum profile in chipboard

5 min readOct 24, 2022

Full simulation of led lights under the cabinet.
How hot are the LED strips on the aluminum profile?
How hot are the LED strips on an aluminum profile in the chipboard?

We continue to measure the temperature of LED strips under different conditions. (Learn more about previous results)

Measurement description

We want to explore the effects of the heat sink commonly used with LED strips this time around. A simple 15" x 1" x 1/25" + 1/2" x 1/25" L-shaped aluminum profile was at hand. We glued the LED strips alternately to this profile.

Test bench and measuring instruments

We measure the temperature in a room with an air temperature of 73 deg F using a professional Fluke TiS65 thermal imager. We also use our past test bench, a simulated cabinet. (Learn more about previous results)

We added mounts to this bench to hang the profile and LED strips in the air.

Types of our measurements

LED strip on the aluminum profile in the air. We measure the temperature of the LED chips and the heating of the aluminum profile backside (heat transfer from the base of the LED strip to the profile).

2. LED strip on the aluminum profile in the air. We measure the temperature of the LED chips and the heating of the aluminum profile backside (heat transfer from the base of the LED strip to the profile).

3. LED strip, covered with a diffuser, on an aluminum strip in a chipboard groove. We measure the temperature of the LED chips and the chipboard heating on the backside.

This type of measurement completely simulates conventional LED fixtures sold in stores. The heat from the LED chips is removed mainly by the strip base and the heat sink. Air convection is negligible. The plastic diffuser creates a fixed air layer near the LED chips.