Difference between latest Port and earlier Connect Gen2

Adding cooling to a ZP or Connect is really easy, I just grabbed an old CPU cooler, no fan, from my junk box, cleaned the bottom of it and top of my ZP and just sat it there. I don’t recall the numbers after all this time but it was several degrees cooler.

Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Heatsink-90x90x15mm-Aluminum-Electronic-Amplifier/dp/B07VDRTFSD/ref=sr_1_65_sspa

Proof of the pudding is with you, so this is just curiousness: I would think that since the heatsink would be transferred heat to it via conduction, how does the non metallic surface of the Connect do this better than just by radiating the heat away directly?

The top of the Connect gets quite warm but has a limited surface area, adding surface area (via conduction to the heat sink) results in more radiated heat.

I think the metal spot in the center of the top gets the warmest, don’t have one currently to test.

I did try some messy, gooey heat sink bedding compound and saw no improvement worth the mess.

So the heatsink when placed on the Connect overlaps its edges? So the size of the sink has to be chosen to do that?

I tried a variety of heatsinks, most were bigger than the silver spot on the ZP’s top, all were far smaller than the top of my ZP.

The ones I ended up using for several years were off old HP systems, about 3 inches square and 2 inches tall. Just aluminum with fins on top, nothing special. Wiped off the dust, set them on and added a rubber-band and called it good.

Bigger is always better, but in this case but “how much better” is a good question. I tried some really hefty, copper heatsinks that only made a couple tenths (F) degree difference over the smaller ones. Likely due to the thermal resistance of the ZP case top.

I get it - what you suggest is that most of the heat is radiated away by the silver spot on the top surface Connect, so putting a heat sink that directly touches all that area should allow for better radiation of the heat? What did you obtain as measured temperature differences after placing such a sink on top?

Cooler is always better for long kit life, and a simple fix to obtain that in this manner sounds like a good idea..

I don’t recall the numbers but it was several degrees F.

Our earlier discussion of this has more numbers and even a picture of one of the early heatsinks that I decided was too tall after I banged it a couple times.

“I took my IR thermometer out when I saw this post, just as I removed the heat sink the ZP-80 was 87 degrees at the center of the badge area. After a half hour I checked it again and it was 93 so there is some difference from the heat sink, 6 degrees isn't much.”

Yes, it was interesting to read much the same conversation; six years ago though, so we can be forgiven for repeating it!

Forgiven? After only 6 years?

I’m guessing you are a single male?  :-)