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Norcent DP315 Progressive Scan DVD Player $38 aftr rebate ($36.99 2/8/04)

T

tokyojoe

Senior member
Amazon.com has Norcent DP315 Progressive Scan DVD Player for $38 after rebate.

Amazon search B0000U5GMM


Features:

Plays DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD-RW, as well as MP3 CD playback for musical
Progressive-scan outputs offer superior image quality on HD and HD-ready TVs
Composite- and S-video outputs are compatible with most sets
Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel output through coaxial digital-audio jack (for use with compatible AV receiver)
NTSC compatible
 
Hey gang,
I bought one and here's what I've learned about these cheap DVD players and about gizmos in general as a design engineer.

You can spend a boatload of money to make a bad design work o.k. after many upgrades
A good design doesn't neccessarily work well but is easier to work with than a bad design.

In this country, I've seen companies spend tons of money to make a bad design work when it would have been much cheaper to scrap it and start over but I digress...

I've noticed that these inexpensive DVD players will stutter and freeze after running for a little while and so I believe there are heat issues with them...

These designs are pretty good and they fall short of the final 5-10% which makes a good design work well. On my norcent DP300 I noticed that the codec chip got VERY hot. There are air intake holes at the bottom of the case and none at the top which means there is no airflow. The hot air just goes to the top of the case and stays there. Since I didn't want to void the warranty I just added a heatsink since there was room.

On the DP315 the chip is mounted on the bottomside of a PCB and there is about .141" of an air gap between the bottom of the chip and the bottom of the case. I made up a nice piece of copper and used some heatsink grease and filled the air gap with the copper slug. The bottom of the case gets noticeably hot now and the skipping has stopped.

Just my $0.02 and a potential solution for those of you in the same boat. Other than that, I love my Norcent players. Once my warranty is over, I will drill holes in the case for ventilation.

 
I also have a Norcent dp300 and it's a nice little unit. It will play anything you throw in it! You get what you pay for though... don't expect to much out of a $40 DVD player.
 
I've always bought the APEX units because they were cheap, pretty reliable (never had ANY problems even when lugging the thing around and banging it up a bit) and played everything I threw at it. I'm wondering why the brand name DVD players always have problems playing SVCD's and the like? Is it legal issues related to region DVD's and the like that prevents a big company from supporting all these other formats?

Anyway, I've been looking for a DVD player for my cousins... no Apex deals recently though...
 
More than happy with my Norcent DP300 - IMHO, the best under $40 dvd player in terms of quality / compatibility. It plays EVERYTHING. I'll probably get this since it has progressive and give my parents my old one, but am waiting to hear reviews first...Some are starting at DVDRhelp
 
For what it's worth look at the customer reviews on this unit at Amazon. A consistent theme of freezing and skipping.
 
On the DP315 the chip is mounted on the bottomside of a PCB and there is about .141" of an air gap between the bottom of the chip and the bottom of the case. I made up a nice piece of copper and used some heatsink grease and filled the air gap with the copper slug. The bottom of the case gets noticeably hot now and the skipping has stopped.
Click to expand...
Nino, for this mod-challenged 😕 new DP315 owner, would you please provide a little more detail on how to do this, i.e. how to identify the codec chip and where to obtain the copper heatsink of similar dimensions. Will the heatsink grease allow the copper to hold to the chip in the upside down position, or does the bottom of the case help keep it in place?

There is a lot of amazon feedback on the stuttering/freezing issue. Attempting to correct the overheating issue sounds like a good fix to an otherwise decent player. I would rather mod mine than go the hassle/expense of returning this inexpensive purchase.

BTW, this is a great forum. I've saved a lot spending more money 🙂
 
Sorry for the delay guys.

Here's what you have to do.
1) Remove all 7 or 8 screws holding the outer casing on
2) Remove the 4 screws that hold the DVD Rom to the bottom of the case
3) Slide the DVD ROM back and then up and on the bottom-side you'll see chip that is about 1"x1" (it's the biggest chip there). That is the one that needs cooling.
4) Note that when the DVD ROM is put back that the chip lies right next to the upward dimple that is not used in the center of the case.
5) I guess I didn't realize how hard it would be for some to come across a piece of copper or aluminum .141" thick by 1.5"x1.5" but IF you can come by it then all you have to do is the following
6) coat the chip with thermal paste
7) coat one side of the "shim" with thermal paste (this is the side that you put face down on the bottom of the case.
8) Place the piece of AL/Cu down, paste-side down near that upward dimple. I don't recall offhand the exact position but I did it twice so that the thermal paste on the chip would leave a mark on the clean side of the slug which then told me in which direction to move the slug for better contact for the whole chip.
9) Reposition the slug for better contact with the whole chip.
10) Put the DVD ROM back in making sure to slide the front in first and then down onto the slug (so as to not move the slug). This can be improved by drilling a whole through the bottom of the case and threading the slug so that the slug won't move when installing the drive but I thought it was unneccessary.
11) Put the 4 screws back in, don't forget the ground wire.
12) Put the cover back on and install the remaining screw and enjoy skip-free playing.

I wish there was an easy way for people to come by these slugs. My first trial involved using typical auto-body bumper shims which are pretty thick and I used a thin and a thick one to get the right height. I then came back to school and made a one-piece out of Al then Cu.

I'd love to make a bunch and ship them out but this would be crazy if it got to be too many and I got to busy. I don't want to feel like I'd be letting someone down if I couldn't get to it.
 
Oh yeah,
The slug stays in place because it is being squeezed by the chip and the case which is why the dimensions are important. Too thick and "crack" and too thin would result in no cooling.
 
Thanks for going into detail nino.
Bumper shims. Now that is resourceful.
I got both an autoparts and autobody shop down the street, but don't own a caliper/gauge. Heatsink would be roughly the thickness of three pennies, no? You used two shim pieces one Al, one Cu (side up?) held together by pressure?
 
sorry about that...

...and sorry for not being more clear. I had several trials and that's why there is some confusion.

One ship was 3/32 and the other was about 3/64" thick and they were both aluminum. I just put grease between the two and smushed them together. Then treat the "sandwich" as 1 piece and follow the directions above.

When I got back to school I made a one-piece shim out of copper from some bar stock that we had here.
 
Oh yeah,
You should be able to go to an AutoBody shop and see if they have any since they are used to realign bumpers if they don't fit quite right. It'd be nicer to go to a machine shop and have them take a piece of 1.5" copper round stock and cut it off at 0.141" but that might be tough for some. I don't know what a body shop would charge nor a machine shop. You might see if the body shop has a shim that is near the thickness which would be about 9/64. I'm sure 5/32 would be fine too.
I just had these shims laying around because my Dad is a retired autobody guy and I was a little bored New Years Day. It was bothering me that I bought this for my Mom for Christmas and it didn't work right and I didn't want to force her to deal with the return and re-install so I figure what the heck, let's give it a shot since it seems like a heat issue.
 
Originally posted by: gergever
On the DP315 the chip is mounted on the bottomside of a PCB and there is about .141" of an air gap between the bottom of the chip and the bottom of the case. I made up a nice piece of copper and used some heatsink grease and filled the air gap with the copper slug. The bottom of the case gets noticeably hot now and the skipping has stopped.
Click to expand...
Nino, for this mod-challenged 😕 new DP315 owner, would you please provide a little more detail on how to do this, i.e. how to identify the codec chip and where to obtain the copper heatsink of similar dimensions. Will the heatsink grease allow the copper to hold to the chip in the upside down position, or does the bottom of the case help keep it in place?

There is a lot of amazon feedback on the stuttering/freezing issue. Attempting to correct the overheating issue sounds like a good fix to an otherwise decent player. I would rather mod mine than go the hassle/expense of returning this inexpensive purchase.

BTW, this is a great forum. I've saved a lot spending more money 🙂
Click to expand...


Too much work for $38 would rather, just get a good player.
 
Thanks for the clarification Nino. You are a big help.
I've got a lot of odds and ends around here, and just might have the right material on hand.

I believe this is a good player for the money. Cracking the case and sliding out the board will be easy (after several computer builds). Finding the right sized heatsink is the only prob. Besides its kinda satisfying to mod something to make it better. There's no challenge to drilling holes in the case or throwing more money at another player.
 
No problem gergerver. Let me know how it works out for you and send me a personal note at my usernameATPurdue.edu with whether or not it works. Maybe I can swing by the shop and lop off another piece of Cu
 
Originally posted by: rasputinj
Originally posted by: gergever
On the DP315 the chip is mounted on the bottomside of a PCB and there is about .141" of an air gap between the bottom of the chip and the bottom of the case. I made up a nice piece of copper and used some heatsink grease and filled the air gap with the copper slug. The bottom of the case gets noticeably hot now and the skipping has stopped.
Click to expand...
Nino, for this mod-challenged 😕 new DP315 owner, would you please provide a little more detail on how to do this, i.e. how to identify the codec chip and where to obtain the copper heatsink of similar dimensions. Will the heatsink grease allow the copper to hold to the chip in the upside down position, or does the bottom of the case help keep it in place?

There is a lot of amazon feedback on the stuttering/freezing issue. Attempting to correct the overheating issue sounds like a good fix to an otherwise decent player. I would rather mod mine than go the hassle/expense of returning this inexpensive purchase.

BTW, this is a great forum. I've saved a lot spending more money 🙂
Click to expand...


Too much work for $38 would rather, just get a good player.
Click to expand...


I agree.

 
can this dvd player be made macrovision (vcr) friendly?If so, can someone point me to the instructions?Would like to know before buying it.TIA
 
Originally posted by: dealzdude
can this dvd player be made macrovision (vcr) friendly?If so, can someone point me to the instructions?Would like to know before buying it.TIA
Click to expand...

This is a silly question. I mean, why would someone want to copy a DVD to a lower-quality VHS tape?
rolleye.gif


 
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