Task: Use Heatsinks to Protect Integrated Circuits Prone to Overheating
Needed: Web Browser, Heatsinks
Time: 10-15 minutes
Introduction
One of the reasons integrated circuits (ICs) fail on retro computers is because they overheat. This is compounded by radio frequency (RF) shielding that can limit ventilation. An easy approach to protecting ICs is to remove RF shielding that is not needed today and add heatsinks that help remove heat from the chips. These are readily available to convenient thermal adhesive eliminating the need for messy thermal paste.
Instructions
I recently purchase a set of 20 highly rated heatsinks (9x9x5 mm) from Easycargo on Amazon for $7. You can also find these on eBay. These are designed for use on the ARM CPU of Raspberry Pis and work well for retro computer ICs and other components such as voltage regulators. They are small and have thermal adhesive tape built in making them very easy to install. I first cleaned the install site with some 99% isopropyl alcohol to make sure there was good contact.
Below are three I installed on a Commodore VIC-II video chip that can get pretty hot.
Comments
At about $0.35 each these seem like a worthwhile investment given original ICs like the Commodore VIC-II or SID can run upwards of $50 to $100 these days.