ADS Instant DVD USB2.0 That Shuts Down

I have an ADS Instant DVD Video Capture device that I use to transfer photos and video clips from my cameras to my computer. I use the clips to make personalized DVDs using ULead Video Studio 10 Plus.
PROBLEM: The ADS shuts down after 15 minutes of recording.
DIAGNOSIS: The ADS overheats due to inadequate ventillation and/heatsinking. ADS help advisors disagree with me.
FIX: Add a fan and heatsinks to the IC fins.

Step 1: Original Device - Front View

Low profile device - small vent holes on back of top. No vet holes on the sides or bottom.

Step 2: Original Device - Rear View

Low profile device - no vent holes. Excellent connectivity.

Step 3: Add a 3.5 X 3.5 Inch, 9/12 Volt Ventillation Fan to the Bottom

Take the unit apart - with due care for static or displacing components. Use fan as template. Cut a hole on the bottom of the case a little smaller than the circular fan housing.

Step 4: The Fan Installed and Wired

Use an appropriate 9\12 volt power pack and wire it to the fan. Secure the wires away from the fan. Install a line connector to facilitate dismanteling. Mount 4 stand-offs as shown using a cable tie under one stand-off to be used as a tension relief for the fan supply leads.

Step 5: Vet Holes on the Top Cof the Case.

Use a 3/16 bit and add several vent hole to the top of the case as shown. The hole should be over the fins of the ICs on the circuit board inside the case.

Step 6: Add Heat Sinks to the 2 IC Fins

Cut 2 aluminum heatsinks (1\16x3\8x1\2) and dril mountong holes to fit each of the IC fins. You may have to file down edges or otherwise fit the heatsinks in such a way the the DO NOT come in contact with ANY OTHER PART AFTER ASSEMBLY is complete. Use heatsink compound between the sink and the fin and mount the sinks using small nuts ans bolts with lock washer under the nut. Double check your work and do a trila assembly of the complete unit. DOUBLE CHECK for shorts.

Step 7: Final Assemble - THE BUG

Carefully assemple the ADS: 1) install the circuit board in the bottom part of the ADS checking for shorts involving the heatsinks and mounting screws. 2) Insatall the case top (the heatskiks should NOT be moved out of place by this action. 3) Install the 4 mounting screws that secure the top to the bottom of the case. Voila! You are ready for a trial run. I like to plug the two power packs (ADS, Fan) into a power bar with an ON\OFF switch so that I can be sure to turn on both ADS and FAN at the same time.
I have run the modified ADS for 3 hour non-stop without a problem.

Comments

[digitalenigma]

hah, my ads dvd express does that to, i ported the top , it helped some , now im considering the heat sinks and fans as you did

[panvent]

I have an ADS DVD Express that was giving me the same problem. Mine would heat up and shut down, especially if it encountered a noisy section on the source tape (wrinkled or scratched tape or noise between takes on a camcorder tape). I would prop mine on end and use a household fan to cool it. That was a kind of noisy and ugly solution though. That fan seemed to let it run for an hour or so. Recently, I got a different video card and put more memory in my computer and It no longer heats up. This may be a combination of a design defect that only shows up with certain configurations of video, memory, etc.

[westfw]

Did you try any intermediate steps? It would be nice if vent holes and heatsinks fixed the problem without the fan, for instance.

[richjd]

Yes I tried the holes and the sinks and got up to 45 minutes of recording before shutdown. The addition of the fan did the trick for me. By the way, I even put it on ice cubes, with a plastic sheet between the ADS and the ice, of course. That did't sole my problem either so I used the ice cubes to make myself a drink while I thought about other solutions. Yum! Yum!

[VIRON]

Everything I ever played with that was cheap and generated MPEG would stop after 15 minutes. I figure it was designed in as a reasonable length of time for a personal video or maybe it's the maximum length of a file but in any case the 15 minute limit obviously discourages using it for VCR things, like recording TV shows.

[mrmath]

I don't see how this can work. I mean, the tech support guy said it wasn't the heat, so it must be something else. Maybe you had a short, and when you opened it up, you unshorted it. That's probably it. Those tech support guys are NEVER wrong. :) (FULL DISCLOSURE: I worked first level tech support for two years straight. We were told, and I trained people, that unless harm to body or computer was involved, don't contradict the last piece of advice, no matter how wrong it is.)

[thearchitect]

I didn't get this disclosure? Could you, or someone else, explain it?

[mrmath]

It was supposed to say "FULL DISCLOSURE", but I enclosed it in brackets, so it came out as a link. I was trying to say that I was making fun of myself, so no one should get offended at the "tech support guys are NEVER wrong" stuff.

[ewilhelm]

I fixed it.

[mrmath]

Thank you!

[richjd]

The proof is in the pudding! Many members of an ADS Forum have reported the same problem. Check in out! I too have done electronic servicing for 30+ years and I have learned that the expression NEVER WRONG is born of stuborness, not fact. Sincerely, richjd