Difference between revisions of "Heat Sink"

(The heat-sink article, 1st edition. Somebody's gotta start it.)
 
m (fixed a phrasing issue. I hope I'm not too long-winded.)
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Heat sinks have been around since electronics have existed. The earliest forms used on a large scale were for microprocessors which, much like a 'Mech's beam weapons, were very powerful but generated a lot of heat. Fans could help to cool a whole computer, but strategically placed heat-sinks were required to keep the processors from being damaged by the heat. When computerized weapons systems and lasers came into use on the battlefield, it was a logical jump to add large-scale heat sinks to these systems to widen their capabilities.
 
Heat sinks have been around since electronics have existed. The earliest forms used on a large scale were for microprocessors which, much like a 'Mech's beam weapons, were very powerful but generated a lot of heat. Fans could help to cool a whole computer, but strategically placed heat-sinks were required to keep the processors from being damaged by the heat. When computerized weapons systems and lasers came into use on the battlefield, it was a logical jump to add large-scale heat sinks to these systems to widen their capabilities.
  
It is also probable the when the ''[[Mackie]]'', the first BattleMech, was created, the [[Terran Hegemony]]'s engineers added heat sinks to the chassis to feed its powerful weapons. And, once the technology was propagated, heat sinks were a staple of BattleMechs across the galaxy.
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It is also probable the when the ''[[Mackie]]'', the first BattleMech, was created, the [[Terran Hegemony]]'s engineers added heat sinks to the chassis to feed its powerful weapons. And, once the technology for BattleMechs was propagated, heat sinks were a staple of BattleMechs across the galaxy.

Revision as of 03:00, 7 January 2007

Description

Heat sinks are cooling radiators, originating from the much-smaller versions used in early computers. They serve as a BattleMech's means of protecting itself from internal damage caused by heat, as most 'Mechs' weapons easily cause enough heat to fry the machine's own electronics. Heat sinks operate by absorbing nearby heat in the 'Mech, and discharging it into the air when possible. BattleMechs usually have several integrated into their fusion engine to protect it, and nearly all have additonal ones mounted externally into the chassis. Double heat sinks have largely replaced normal heat-sinks. They dissipate twice as much heat for the same tonnage, but take up more space to operate effectively.

History

Heat sinks have been around since electronics have existed. The earliest forms used on a large scale were for microprocessors which, much like a 'Mech's beam weapons, were very powerful but generated a lot of heat. Fans could help to cool a whole computer, but strategically placed heat-sinks were required to keep the processors from being damaged by the heat. When computerized weapons systems and lasers came into use on the battlefield, it was a logical jump to add large-scale heat sinks to these systems to widen their capabilities.

It is also probable the when the Mackie, the first BattleMech, was created, the Terran Hegemony's engineers added heat sinks to the chassis to feed its powerful weapons. And, once the technology for BattleMechs was propagated, heat sinks were a staple of BattleMechs across the galaxy.