Heat sinking

[Murple]

I posted this info in another thread of questionable relevance, so I figured I'd give it its own thread where it might actually get read.

A while back I read Ray Carlsen's doc on heat sinking Commodore chips to prolong their life: http://www.zimmers.net/anonftp/pub/cbm/documents/repair/heatsink.txt

I thought, "neat-o!" I wasnt sure home made heat sinks were the way I wanted to go though.

Yesterday, I found a product that should be of interest to Commodore users. I went to the computer store today looking for small fans, and found heat sinks you need. They're made by some company called BFG Tech, and sold as "Graphics Card Memory Sinks." Theyre meant as heat sinks for the RAM chips on fancy new graphics cards, but they are just about perfect size and shape for various MOS chips. They come in a package of 10 sinks, with 3 sizes in the pack. Theyre already backed with thermal tape. Just $14 for them all! Some of them are even thin enough for use in standard C128s and C64Cs... and they should all fit well in the C128D, original C64, and Amigas.



I opened up my C128 and C128D and added heat sinks to the PLA, SID and MPU (well, not the SID in the 128D as its known bad already). The VIC chips already seemed sufficiently heat sunk by the RF shield (which also made no room for a sink anyway). Even in the 128, there was plenty of room to put back the RF shielding without even bending up the crappy contact heatshielding it offers. I opened up my 1581 and put one on the MPU in it as well. I have a few sinks left over that will probably end up in my C64, 1541, or Amiga.

[Mangelore]

Cool! Time to hunt down a reseller downunder.

[Blacklord]

Cool! Time to hunt down a reseller downunder.

David Reid Electronics do these sorts of things (they in Melbourne ?) If you can't find any, I can get you some & post 'em off to you.

cheers,

Lance

[Mangelore]

David Reid Electronics do these sorts of things (they in Melbourne ?) If you can't find any, I can get you some & post 'em off to you.

cheers,

Lance

Thanks Lance,

I haven't heard of David Reid Electronics. Will be in touch if I can't find them in Melbourne.

Cheers
Fotios

[klx300r]

excellent info thanks

[airship]

Just found 'em here in the states for $4.99 plus $4.99 shipping:

http://www.dealtree.com/cart/select_item2.cfm?cont=82323&cond=3

(I am not associated with this company and have never bought anything from them in my life.)

[airship]

Wow! Talk about resurrecting the dead! (Meaning this thread.) I FINALLY bought a set of these and stuck them on the chips in my C128. The link above is out of stock, but I found some on the eBays for $7.69, shipping included.



(How do you post those zoom pics like Lance is always using??)

The sizes aren't really right for the C128 chips, but it doesn't matter if they're a bit short or wide. They still work fine. Just make sure they don't short anywhere, like to the RF shield around the video circuits.

I chose to sink the 6526 chips (of course), the VDC and VIC-II, the 8502 and Z80 CPUs, and the SID. I didn't do the ROMs, though I will if anyone thinks it's really necessary. I want to mess around with various ROM versions, and didn't want to hassle with the heat sinks. Note that I only used seven of the ten, and still have three sinks left over (scattered there in the middle for the photo).

Just to test clearance issues, I used the two sinks with the biggest fins on the VDC (which is on a 64k expansion daughterboard) and the VIC-II. Works fine; the case snaps right back into place. I tossed the original C128 RF shields in the garage.

The adhesive seems to be adequate rather than nuclear, which will be good if and when I have to take the sinks off the chips. There's also a nice little screwdriver slot that goes under them from the sides to assist in removal. I wiped the white grease off the chips before I applied the new sinks, of course.

Advantages? It's easier to get to the board. The chips might even run cooler. Who knows? I wasn't really having any problems with heat before. Disadvantages? I dunno. RF interference? Who uses anything RF anymore anyway?

Summary: I like 'em.

Edit: I stuck two of the leftover sinks on the two chips on the right that have white grease on them. (I forget what they are.) I figure if Commodore thought they might get hot, maybe I should figure the same. I've also swapped out the Kernal now for a JiffyDOS 128 chip, but it's not sunk. So I've got one heat sink left.

[Blacklord]

(How do you post those zoom pics like Lance is always using??)

In the post window, expand additional options & attach the photo rather than use the img BBcode.

[BigDumbDinosaur]

I opened up my C128 and C128D and added heat sinks to the PLA, SID and MPU (well, not the SID in the 128D as its known bad already).

The 128D will also benefit from mounting a fan on the rear power supply bulkhead.

Guys, before you apply these stick-on heat sinks to a chip be sure to thoroughly clean the chip surface with isopropanol, which is the denatured alcohol solvent you can purchase in paint shops and hardware stores. Do NOT use rubbing alcohol, as it contains a small amount of oil and other chemicals.

[Golan Klinger]

It's always a good idea to apply thermal paste to ensure contact between the chip and the heatsink. Also worth noting, most speciality computer stores (not Best Buy type mega-stores) sell heatsinks for use with video cards. I've had good luck finding ones that are exactly the right size.

[RobertB]

The link above is out of stock, but I found some on the eBays for $7.69, shipping included.

Thanks for the report.  Those would be the BFG Tech Graphics Card Memory Heat Sinks, right?

The chips might even run cooler. Who knows?

I've always thought about liquid-cooling for my towered Amigas, but what about liquid-cooling for your C128DCR?! 

               Overkill is good,
               Robert Bernardo
               Fresno Commodore User Group
               http://videocam.net.au/fcug
               The Other Group of Amigoids
               http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/

[BigDumbDinosaur]

It's always a good idea to apply thermal paste to ensure contact between the chip and the heatsink.

Not if it's a stick-on heat sink!   

[RobertB]

I FINALLY bought a set of these and stuck them on the chips in my C128. The link above is out of stock, but I found some on the eBays for $7.69, shipping included.

After the TOGA meeting on Saturday, I visited one of my favorite tech stores, MicroCenter, in Santa Clara.  Inevitably, I was drawn to the area which had active and passive cooling devices for computers.  I looked at the graphics board ram heat sinks, which are about the same size or slightly smaller than the tops of common C128 chips.  A package of 8 for $9.99.  Not as flashy as Airship's heatsinks, but they would work.  Then there was that VGA chip heat sink shaped like of a folding hand fan.  It was one of the smallest VGA chip heat sinks there.  Hmm, I wonder if it could fit inside the case of my C128DCR.    Time to get out the tape measure!

             Overkill is good,
             Robert Bernardo
             Fresno Commodore User Group
             http://videocam.net.au/fcug
             The Other Group of Amigoids
             http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/
             Southern California Commodore/Amiga Network
             http://www.sccaners.org/

[maraud]

Any clues on where to get heat sinks now?  None of these links still work (big surprise), and with a 128 on 24x7 running a BBS and a 64c and 128D in line, this has renewed importance..... 

Thanks!!!!

[RobertB]

Any clues on where to get heat sinks now?  None of these links still work...

A good electronics surplus store would have scads of heatsinks for chips.  For example, the other day I visited Surplus Gizmos ( http://www.surplusgizmos.com ) in the Portland, Oregon area, and they had all kinds of loose heatsinks - mostly plain black ones but a few flashy ones, too.

              In Kent, Washington today,
              Robert Bernardo
              Fresno Commodore User Group
              http://videocam.net.au/fcug
              July 25-26 Commodore Vegas Expo - http://www.portcommodore.com/commvex

[jsixis]

cool, I was looking at some electronic stores online and noticed they had heat sinks for 18 pin dips, isn't the ram chips 18 pin dips?
Like your discovery better since it is stick and go