Heat Sinking ICs in the C-64 Solid state devices such as Integrated Circuits (ICs) fail for two basic reasons, assuming they were not defective from the factory: overvoltage and excessive heat. The causes of overvoltage by way of the power supply are predictable. The Commodore "black brick" has a history of catastrophic failure, sometimes taking the computer with it. After market repairable supplies are much more reliable. Voltage "spikes" and static electricity can destroy ICs in the computer through any of the accessory ports. Both of these hazzards are preventable to a degree... the use of a higher quality supply and simple precautions such as never plugging anything in (cartridges, mouse, etc.) when the computer is turned on just make good sense. A less predictable but nonetheless important concern is the fact that repeated heating and cooling of semiconductor devices (especially ICs and power transistors/diodes) with normal use, even within their normal temperature range, will eventually cause them to fail. It is usually the devices that generate the most heat in normal operation that fail first. It's a bit like bending a piece of metal back and forth until it fatigues and breaks. Repeated heating and cooling does the same thing to the structure of the microscopic components inside an IC or transistor. You could leave the computer on 24 hours a day... some systems run that way. A BBS is a good example. I know of one system that has run without a breakdown for over 10 years (except for the old hard drive power supplies). For most of us however, the computer doesn't get enough use to justify the expense of a system running all the time. An alternate solution is to reduce the extremes of temperature inside the ICs by the use of heat "sinks", and thereby reduce the thermal stress on the devices. Microprocessors in new IBM type computers are running so fast nowadays (100MHz and up) that heat sinking and direct fan cooling is an absolute necessity! Those chips would overheat and fail in minutes without some method to dissipate that heat. Some of the Commodore 64 ICs run too hot to touch in normal operation. There are two simple modifications you can do to improve the reliability of your C-64, namely, increasing the airflow inside the case, and heat-sinking the ICs. The physical design of the C64 limits the airflow over the chips. Tiny air vents in several places in the upper and lower half-shells offer minimal convection cooling. That cardboard and tinfoil shield inside the early C64s, although of questionable usefullness as an interference filter, is very good at blocking the airflow and holding all the heat inside the case. I have run tests to see how effective that shield is in reducing radio and TV interference. I found little difference after removing the shield. In fact, a stock 1541 (with all shields in place) generates more "noise" than the C64 with or without it's shield. Four of the large ICs tend to run hot normally: the PLA, the SID, the MPU and the VIC. These are the ones that fail most often, and in about that order. They would benefit most from "heat sinking"... drawing away the normally produced waste heat from the device by means of a metal "fin" attached to the case of the IC. The later C64, the C64C and the "flat" C128 all have a metal shield with "fingers" that touch each of the larger chips. The C-128D (metal box) has no such shield but does have space for a small internal fan near the power supply. NOTE: Quite a few 128D's were shipped without a fan installed. Commodore saved a few bucks. The SX-64 has one heat sink glued to the VIC chip, and the C64 has a metal "finger" touching the VIC inside the metal box. Other than that, C64's and SX's have no sinking for the hot chips. However, you can easily make and install them yourself to extend the life of your computer. Remove the screws from the bottom of the computer, but leave the keyboard in place. Run the computer for 15 minutes or so, lift the keyboard and feel the tops of all the chips... some will be quite warm. Those are the ones that most need the help! You can purchase commercial heat sinks that fasten to the top of the chips with clamps, adhesive strips or glue. Radio Shack and other parts houses can supply them in a variety of sizes. If you want to make your own, any thin metal stock will do. The only consideration is that it be flexible enough to bend without breaking, and stiff enough to hold its' shape when bent. It must be flat on the bottom for intimate contact when glued to the chip. I use strips of "tin" cut from large juice cans. With tin snips, cut a piece of metal about 4" long and about 1.5" wide from the "un-ribbed" part of the can, and bend it to fit the top of the IC. Careful! Those cut ends are razor sharp! The top of a 28 pin chip such as the PLA is approximately 1.5" long and 5/8" wide. The heat sink is fashioned into a "U" shape with "ears" that extend out to either side (see diagram). The sink ears are made high enough to clear all components on the PC board, but not touching the keyboard when it is reattached: bend the ears over about 1/2" from the top of the IC. The large "surface area" of the added heat sink is necessary since the airflow inside the case is poor. SIDE VIEW OF HEAT SINK ATTACHED TO IC |<-------------- APPROX 3" --------------------->| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .5" /\ |<---5/8"---->|<----- HEAT SINK \/ |_____________| ---- =============== <------ ADHESIVE |~~~~~~~~~~~~~| |______|______|<----IC ___________________!________!______________<----CIRCUIT ! ! BOARD Use fast-set epoxy to attach the sink to the IC. If you have several sinks prepared ahead of time, you can mix one batch and glue them all before the epoxy starts to set. Print the name or number on the top of the sink with a felt tip pen ahead of time so you can still identify the chips when you're done. Be careful not to use too much glue (one small pea-sized drop is plenty), or it will ooze out the sides and down into the socket. (Note: not all chips are socketed.) Spread the epoxy over the sink (or on top of the chip) and gently press it into place. I don't recommend super glue as the surface of the metal will not be flat enough for a good bond. Heat sink (white silicon "goo") compound is sticky enough if the computer will never be moved, but I don't recommend it either. If the metal sink falls into the computer, it will most certainly short something out. Epoxy forms a good bond even with irregular surfaces, as it fills the "voids" and provides sufficient heat transfer to the sink. Just make sure the metal is free of dirt, oil, fingerprints, etc. before you apply the glue. Use grease-cutting solvent on both surfaces, if necessary. Paint thinner works well. As I stated, the chips that benefit most from sinking are the large heat producing ones, like the PLA (CBM #906114-XX, 82S100PLA, or 93459), the SID (CBM #906112-XX or 6581), and the VIC (CBM #906109 or 6567). The VIC chip is already sinked in later C-64s. It's inside a metal box... the cover has a tab that touches the chip. If yours doesn't have one, sink it. You can use the "finger" test to see if any other chips in your computer run hot enough to need sinking (too hot to touch after 1/2 an hour with the case closed). The only other chip I would sink would be the MPU (6510), although I have only seen a few bad ones. Make sure the heat sink fins don't touch any circuit components and cause a short! The two VIA (6526) chips run cool to the touch and don't really need sinking. Since they connect to the external ports, they are more sensitive to static "zaps". The ROMs run warm. The eight RAM chips (4164) normally run cool, at least until the power supply regulator fails. When RAM chips get hot to the touch, they're gone! Heat sinking can be added to the chips in the 1541 disk drive as well. Its' power supply is internal, making IC heat buildup even worse. The problem with modifications to the drive is the space limitations inside the case. It's pretty crowded in there, but it can be done. Find the chips that get the hottest as described with the C-64 and add sinking as necessary. The heat sinks you make will have to be cut to fit the space allowed. The two bridge rectifier blocks get -very- hot and would certainly benefit from sinking. The easiest way is to cut and form the metal so it forms a U shape to clamp over the diodes (without touching the wiring, of course). A small amount of epoxy on one side will hold it in place. The 1571 has an internal switch-mode power supply that all but eliminates heat problems. The 1541-II and 1581 both use external supplies and consequently run cooler. No matter what equipment you have, it's important to keep the vents clear on the computer and accessories. Don't put papers, books or disks over the vent holes on the computer, drives or monitor. Don't stack 1541s. Replace your original C-64 supply with one of the repairable "heavy duty" types. A small fan placed on the rear of the 1541 drive is probably the best way to fan-cool it. Sinking the chips that run hot and installing a fan in the C128D are good ways to extend the life of that computer. There is plenty of room in the box for both. IC chips and other parts for Commodore computers and periferals are in short supply. Obviously, sinking will not help a chip that is already failing from excessive heat, but with the simple suggestions and modifications described here, you can help to extend the life of the ICs and keep your Commodore system humming along for many more years. Ray Carlsen CET