The place for Arctic Silver would be between the chip and the heat spreader block as the heat transfer is over a small area. The much larger area between the heat spreader and the case is less critical, and the rubbing removing the thermal paste is probably helps in avoiding there being too thick a layer of paste.
Erin tortured that poor little amp to death, and Z has been poking around in it with his greasy sausage fingers.
Do you have a timestamp for when he says that?
I'm inclined to agree that there's not much so far to indicate fault with the amps themselves. I don't know how far or reasonably Erin tried to stress the amps or how ham-fisted Zeos was or whether the issue isn't with the op-amps.
He said it in a comment after the video was put up, not in the video itself.
Gotcha.
Can you explain this more?
I just meant mine are running more than warmer (more like a bit hot) as so much that I do want to put them in proper ventilated place.
That's great insight to have!
I have close pictures of the unit as well as PSU here:
audiosciencereview.com
It is not uncommon.
Cause of amp death: Greasy sausage fingers.
Given how cheap these amps are, how quick the tech is improving, the time/cost associated with the aftermarket thermal paste, the potential to messing up the unit and the likelihood of never needing it, why would anyone go down this path?
Thank you! @Fosi Audio. Could you please post the same information for the 5A power supply? I'm interested to see if the ripple spec is equally good. Impressive!This is a follow-up on the 48V/10A power supply. Our supplier Huntkey has provided us with a test report for this power supply, along with a video of the actual test, which you can review below. This power supply can indeed operate stably at a 10A current.
Noise & ripple test also included. @SMen
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Probably a five minute job that provides cheap insurance if one is concerned about the thermal dynamics of the V3 mono, if not, party on.
Considering one of the "rewards" to kickstarters is an op amp chip, many of us might be "poking" around in it with our sausage fingers, so the anecdote about Z is noteworthy. Not at all a serious concern, unless quite a few others mention the same issue.
No, do not use Arctic Silver. It is outdated, has a short working life and is conductive. Use MX-4 or MX-6 which guarantees a 8 year working life, lower thermal resistance than Arctic Silver and it is not conductive.
Well, I've got the best part of a 14g tube of Noctua paste so I'll be using that if I take the Zeos punt and swap my op-amps.
Is good stuff although it does not have the 8 year guarantee rating. I have used Noctua in a pinch and it performed very well for a PC overclock.
Replacing the rubber feet with small heatsinks seems a futile effort to me. Placing a metal sheet across the top will reflect the heat back and will stop air flow that is cooling the case and interior of the amp. If you want to cool it very effectively make sure nothing is on top of the unit and there is free air flow all around the amp. If you want even better cooling then get a small fan and have it blow over, under or across the amp.
