SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES FOR POSITIONING HEAT SINKS AND/OR OTHER DEVICES IN RELATION TO PROCESSORS AND/OR OTHER COMPONENTS ON PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS AND OTHER STRUCTURES

摘要

Adapters are described herein for accurately mounting a first component or device to a second component or device in a computer or other system. In some embodiments, the adapters comprise a structural beam member that bridges a variable gap across an opening in a bracket or other component to secure the bracket to an underlying substrate (e.g., a PCB) or other piece of hardware. The adapters may have a cross-sectional shape to provide a desired stiffness, and can have a variety of planform shapes (e.g., trapezoidal or rectangular shapes) that enable the adapter to be fitted to the mounting structure with sufficient clearance to adjacent hardware and features to enable the adapters to be used without structurally modifying existing hardware. Additionally, embodiments of the adapters described herein can allow the lateral positioning of mounting bracketry to be adjusted for proper alignment of interfacing components prior to attachment. Additionally, various embodiments of the adapters described herein also provide the ability to adjust the pressure or force between two contacting surfaces to meet design and performance requirements.