Over the recent weeks on the Apex Forums the issue of "Heatsinking" the ES4308/4318 processor has become a topic worth talking about. Most American Apex players have a metal shield over the main PCB and this doubles as a heatsink, BUT the Australian Hiteker does not! Either way it has been noted that the player can perform better with a proper heatsink, because the Apex metal shield is proving to be inefficient anyway.

However while I was doing tests on my player I happened to place my finger on the ADV7170 DAC chip and I was shocked just how hot this chip was getting too. I understand not all Apex/Hiteker players have this chip but it might pay you to do the "finger test" on your video chip anyway the next time you have the cover off your player. I dare say along with processor failure the video chip may also be the cause of people saying "My Apex has died.....".

If you want to find out more about the ADV7170 chip click HERE. (pdf file)

The picture on the left is an ES4308 PCB and the one on the right is an ES4318 PCB

The cure is easy and involves simply attaching a heatsink to the ES4308/4318 and the ADV7170 chip. I made up two heatsinks salvaged from junked computer power supplies. Now the chips run significantly cooler.

Top and side view showing the two heatsinks attached to the chips in my ES4308 player.

To the uninitiated, "Heatsinking" is basically grabbing a chunk of metal (usually aluminum) and placing it on top of the chip. Fins in the metal give the heatsink more surface area for the heat to get dissipated more efficiently than just a basic metal block. The idea is that the metal will draw away heat from the chip and thus the chip does not get as hot. The benefits of this is that because the chip does not get as hot there is less heat stress which causes intermittent and/or permanent failures. Integrated circuit chips have very fine wires attaching the silicon circuit inside the chip to the outside world (the pins you see on the edges of the chip) and constant heating/cooling can cause these connections to fail.

You can buy heatsinks from electronics stores for a few dollars, or alternatively you can make your own out of some scrap metal or raid them off a junked piece of electronic equipment. An old computer monitor will have some useful aluminum or even proper heatsinks that you can cut to size. If you are using an ordinary sheet of aluminum you can fashion up some fins by simply bending the flat sheet into a "U" shape. Attaching the heatsink to the chip is easy. Just use some epoxy resin glue ("araldite" in Australia). Make sure the glue is high strength/high temperature or else the heatsink may fall off over time!

Some people have been known to go all-out and attach CPU cooler fans/heatsinks like those you can buy for computers. If you are so inclined by all means do so, but the type I have used provides adequate cooling.