Thermal analysis of component placement in high-power electronics and LED Boards

• Smart PCB component placement and layout optimization can lower peak temperatures of high-power LED boards by up to 20°C, reducing hotspots and improving thermal uniformity. • Validated by both simulation and experimental thermal imaging, optimized layouts dramatically enhance the reliability and lifespan of LEDs and power electronics—without extra cooling hardware. • These results provide practical, cost-effective guidelines for engineers to boost device performance and safety, just by rethinking and improving board design. In demanding applications like contemporary lighting and automotive systems, high-power light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are becoming more and more important as technology develops. The performance and dependability of these LEDs depend on controlling the heat they produce. By using both computational simulation and experimental measurement, this study examines how component placement affects the thermal performance of high-power LED printed circuit boards (PCBs). Heat dissipation and temperature distribution were evaluated using thermal imaging and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations on three printed circuit boards (PCBs), each with a unique component arrangement. According to the results, the maximum temperatures attained and the general temperature distribution on the PCB surface are greatly influenced by the placement of the components. These results emphasize the value of integrated thermal management techniques and offer a starting point for maximizing the results.