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Over the life of the 660 I have had increasing reports from people that

either the 660 player just suddenly dies or when powered up and eject is
pressed the player resets and does not eject the tray. The above symptoms
are caused by defects in the power supply and if not fixed BEFORE the
above problems are noticed or attended to IMMEDIATELY when the
problems are evident there is risk it will damage your player beyond
repair or at the very least destroy the DVD drive mechanism.

Taking a look at the power supply from a 660 you will notice I have put
arrows pointing to the parts that cause this:

The parts are as follows:

C19: a 470uF 25V capacitor in the +12 Volt line


C22: a 1000uF 16V capacitor in the +5 Volt line
D12: a 1 Amp fast recovery rectifier diode in the +12 Volt line
R29: a 470 Ohm 1 Watt resistor in the +12 Volt line
C1: a 68uF 400V capacitor in the mains input section
Not all of the above parts are a problem if the power supply is upgraded
BEFORE problems arise. The only two parts that need immediate
replacement are C19 and C22 as these tend to go open circuit. When this
happens it causes the +5 Volt and +12 Volt lines to rise and get rather
"spiky" which can cause other parts to fail like D12 and R29 and the
DVD loader mechanism.

C1 is mentioned because sometimes it too becomes open circuit, however


this does not cause any catastrophic problems. The main symptom of C1
being faulty is the +5 and +12 Volt lines being LOWER than they should
be and the player behaving erratically. Only if after checkout and
replacement of the other parts does not fix the problem the suspect C1.

And please remember: Unplug the DVD player from the wall before
working on it. Also if you are not a qualified person who knows what to
do then DO NOT attempt the above yourself. Get someone who is
qualified to do the work for you. You may also need fixing if you do
something wrong!

Unlike most players discussed on this site,


there are TWO primary reasons to upgrade the
firmware on an Apex AD-660:
1. To get rid of Region and Macrovision restrictions
2. To fix the infamous "subtitles bug" (which turns on
the subtitles by default on any DVD) that plagues
earlier versions of the player.

The first step is to determine the firmware version that


is currently on your AD-660.
To do this, push the following buttons on the remote:
Eject (open disc tray)
SETUP
STEP ||
Skip Back |<<
Skip Forward >>|
A "VERSION" page MIGHT appear on your TV
screen.
It will list one of the following as the firmware version:

660-7
660-8-AM
660-8-MM
660-9-MM
660-C-MM
AD660-C
Make a note of the VERSION which is displayed. Now
scroll down to section titled "CHOOSING THE
CORRECT FIRMWARE FOR UPGRADING".

If nothing appears on your screen, then your player


has version 660-3 or the non-CD-upgradeable version
of 660-C. (Players running firmware version 660-7
*may* also fail to show the VERSION page.) You will
need to open up your player to determine the firmware
version. Look for a rectangular-shaped chip on the
green-coloured circuit board. There should be a sticker
on the chip noting the firmware version. Here's a photo
of a circuit board from a player which has firmware
version 660-3 (outlined by the red box) --
Note: This picture was taken from http://psych.tripod.com/apexdvdplayers/

Make a note of what it says on your player's firmware


sticker. Now, carefully peel off the sticker so that you
can see the writing printed directly onto the chip. Look
for one of the following codes printed on the chip:

27C040
29F040

Make a note of which code is on your chip.


Now scroll down to the section titled
"CHOOSING THE CORRECT FIRMWARE FOR
UPGRADING".

CHOOSING THE CORRECT


FIRMWARE
FOR UPGRADING
Explanations regarding where to get a new firmware
chip,
or how to properly upgrade with a CD,
are provided below the chart.

THIS IS THE ORIGINAL


OTHER
FIRMWARE UPGRADEABLE BEST CHOICE FACTORY
UPGRADE
VERSION VIA CD? FOR FIRMWARE
OPTIONS
UPGRADING AVAILABLE?
AD660-C * 660-3 patch
660-3 NO burned onto a new program YES
firmware chip (use along
(upgrading 660-3 with the
via CD is NOT original
possible) factory
firmware,
Firmware has available in the
Macrovision next column---
turned off and is >)
both region-free
and RCE immune. * Any of the
Subtitles bug is 660-8-AM,
fixed. Also, the 660-8-MM, or
ability to zoom the 660-9-MM
picture at 1.5X firmwares.
(instead of only Again, you
2X and 4X) has MUST have
been added. the firmware
burned onto a
new chip;
upgrading with
CD is NOT
possible.
660-7 660-7 burned onto YES
NO a new firmware NONE
chip (upgrading
660-7 via CD is
NOT possible)

The zip file


contains TWO
files: "6607-0.bin"
and "6607-1.bin".
Both files have
Macrovision
turned off.
And unfortunately,
both files still have
the subtitles bug -
sorry.

6607-0.bin is
Region-free, but
NOT RCE
immune.
This means that in
order to watch
RCE-encoded
Region 1 discs
with this firmware,
you will need to
perform a little
"trick" with the
remote.
Click HERE and
scroll down to the
bottom for the
instructions.

6607-1.bin is set
to Region 1. If you
are going to be
watching only
Region 1 discs, it
is recommended
that you use this
firmware instead
of 6607-0.bin, so
that you don't have
to perform the
remote
control "trick"
mentioned in the
previous
paragraph, for
RCE discs.

NOTE: IT IS
*NOT*
POSSIBLE TO
USE ANY OF
THE OTHER
FIRMWARES
mentioned here
(like AD660-C) on
a player that
currently has 660-
7.
AD660-C
you *can* upgrade
* 660-8-AM
via CD.
patch program
Download the file,
(use along
and after
with the
unzipping
original
UAD660.ROM,
factory
rename it as U660-
firmware,
AM.ROM
available in the
next column---
Firmware has
660-8-AM YES >) YES
Macrovision
turned off and is
* Any of the
both region-free
660-8-MM or
and RCE immune.
660-9-MM
Subtitles bug is
firmwares. Be
fixed. Also, the
sure to rename
ability to zoom the
the unzipped
picture at 1.5X
file if
(instead of only
necessary.
2X and 4X) has
been added.
YES AD660-C * 660-8-MM
660-8-MM you *can* upgrade with YES
via CD. Macrovision (Look for "660-
Download the file, off, Region- 8MM.ORG")
and after free, but NOT
unzipping RCE immune,
UAD660.ROM, and the
rename it as U660- subtitles bug
NOT fixed.
(Look for
"6608MM-
0.BIN")

* 660-8-MM
with
MM.ROM Macrovision
off, Region 1,
Firmware has and the
Macrovision subtitles bug
turned off and is NOT fixed.
both region-free (Look for
and RCE immune. "6608MM-
Subtitles bug is 1.BIN")
fixed. Also, the
ability to zoom the * Any of the
picture at 1.5X 660-9-MM
(instead of only firmwares. Be
2X and 4X) has sure to rename
been added. the unzipped
file
if necessary.
DO NOT try
to upgrade
660-8-MM
with 660-8-
AM.
YES AD660-C * 660-9-MM
660-9-MM you *can* upgrade with YES
via CD. Macrovision (Look for
Download the file, off, a Region "6609MM-
and after selector for 1.BIN")
unzipping Region 1 / Note: Firmware
UAD660.ROM, Region 0, came from the
rename it as U660- subtitles bug factory with
MM.ROM fixed, and Macrovision
1.5X zoom. already disabled.
Firmware has
Macrovision * 660-9-MM
turned off and is with
both region-free Macrovision
and RCE immune. off, a Region
Subtitles bug is selector for
fixed. Also, the Region 1 /
ability to zoom the Region 0, and
picture at 1.5X subtitles bug
(instead of only fixed.
2X and 4X) has
* 660-9-MM
with
Macrovision
off, Region-
free, but NOT
RCE immune,
and subtitles
bug fixed.
(Look for
"6609MM-
0.BIN".)
been added.
* Any of the
660-8-MM
firmwares. Be
sure to rename
the unzipped
file
if necessary.
DO NOT try
to upgrade
660-9-MM
with 660-8-
AM
NO AD660-C * AD660-C
660-C burned onto a new with only 1.5X YES
(Only if you firmware chip zoom added.
couldn't get the (upgrading via CD It's still Region
VERSION is NOT possible) 1 and
screen to work Macrovision is
and you had to Firmware has still ON.
open up the Macrovision Note: this
player) turned off and is firmware is the
both region-free AD660-C
and RCE immune. which *does*
Subtitles bug is show the
fixed. Also, the VERSION
ability to zoom the screen. You
picture at 1.5X can safely use
(instead of only it on a player
2X and 4X) has that came with
been added. the AD660-C
that does NOT
Note: this show
firmware is the the VERSION
AD660-C which screen.
*does* show the
VERSION screen. * Any of the
660-8-AM,
660-8-MM, or
660-9-MM
You can safely use
firmwares.
it on a player that
Again, you
came with the
MUST have
AD660-C that
the firmware
does NOT show
burned onto a
the VERSION
new chip;
screen.
upgrading with
CD is NOT
possible.
AD660-C
you *can* upgrade
via CD.

Leave the
filename as
UAD660.ROM
AD660-C NO
AD660-C with
(Only if you (But the file
Firmware has only 1.5X
were able to located on the
Macrovision zoom added.
make the YES column to the left
turned off and is It's still Region
VERSION is virtually the
both region-free 1 and
screen work same as the
and RCE immune. Macrovision is
and it said original
Subtitles bug is still ON.
"AD660-C") firmware.)
fixed. Also, the
ability to zoom the
picture at 1.5X
(instead of only
2X and 4X) has
been added.
YES AD660-C
660-C-MM you *can* upgrade * Any of the NO
via CD. 660-8-MM or
Download the file, 660-9-MM
and after firmwares. DO
unzipping NOT try to
UAD660.ROM, upgrade 660-
rename it as U660- C-MM with
MM.ROM 660-8-AM.

Firmware has
Macrovision
turned off and is
both region-free
and RCE immune.
Subtitles bug is
fixed. Also, the
ability to zoom the
picture at 1.5X
(instead of only
2X and 4X) has
been added.

IF THE FIRMWARE ON YOUR


PLAYER IS
NOT CD-UPGRADEABLE...
You will need to get a new firmware chip. Click HERE
for details. Be sure to specify the type of chip that you
need, and which firmware you need.

For example, when opening up the player (see above),


if the sticker on the firmware chip said "660-3", and
the writing on the chip itself included the code
"27C040", then you would specify that you need THIS
firmware burned onto a new "27C040 32-pin DIP
chip".

If the sticker on the firmware chip said "660-C", and


the writing on the chip itself included the code
"29F040", then you would specify that you need THIS
firmware burned on a new "29F040 32-pin DIP chip".
Once you receive the replacement firmware chip, you
can visit THIS PAGE for instructions on how to
properly pop out the old chip and put in the new one.

IF THE FIRMWARE ON YOUR


PLAYER
*IS* CD-UPGRADEABLE...
Follow these instructions:

1. Download the appropriate file linked under the


"THIS IS THE BEST CHOICE FOR UPGRADING"
column in the table above.

2. Unzip the contents of the file you downloaded. If


necessary, rename the .ROM or .BIN file as stated
above. Once again, here are the renaming "rules" --

* If your player currently has 660-8-AM, rename the


unzipped file as U660-AM.ROM

* If your player currently has 660-8-MM, 660-9-MM,


or 660-C-MM,
rename the unzipped file as U660-MM.ROM
* If your player currently has AD660-C, rename the
unzipped file as UAD660.ROM

3. Depending on which file you downloaded, it may or


may not include a file named TEST20MB.TXT. If that
file is included, be sure to unzip it. If that file is NOT
included, download a separate TEST20MB.TXT zip
file by clicking here, and then unzip it.
4. Burn the .ROM file, and TEST20MB.TXT, to a
blank CD-R/CD-RW.
("TEST20MB.TXT" helps the player find the .ROM file more easily; it
has no other function.)
Be sure to apply these specifications before burning the
disc:
Data CD, ISO9660, Mode 1, "Close"/"Finalize" disc
session.
(If you need help with burning the disc, you might want to check out this
excellent article put together by the guys at Area 450. The article
references Sampo firmware, but the burning specifications are the same .

After the disc is burned, view the contents of the disc in


Windows Explorer/My Computer/whatever. Once
again, right-click on the .ROM file that's burned on the
disc and select "Properties" (or do whatever is
necessary to view the Properties.) Make sure that the
file size is EXACTLY 524,288 bytes.
If the file size is NOT 524,288 bytes, DO NOT
CONTINUE!
In addition...if the file you burned is named U660-
AM.ROM or U660-MM.ROM, make sure that the file
name actually appears that way on the disc! If the
filename appears as U660_AM.ROM or
U660_MM.ROM , the player will NOT accept the
upgrade! You must re-burn the disc so that the
filename contains the hyphen ... NOT the underscore!

5. Read this disclaimer:


DISCLAIMER: USE AT YOUR OWN
RISK. I WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT MAY
RESULT TO YOUR PLAYER.
PERFORMING
THE PROCEDURE DESCRIBED
HERE WILL SURELY
VOID THE WARRANTY OF YOUR
AD-660!

6. Eject the disc tray on the DVD player.

7. Put the CD-R/CD-RW, data side down, on the tray.

8. Close the disc tray.

9. The upgrade process will now begin.


DO NOT DO ANYTHING UNTIL THE DISC TRAY
HAS AUTOMATICALLY EJECTED.
What you see on the screen depends on what firmware
you are upgrading from. Some firmwares will cause
the screen to change colours, and words or dots may
appear on the screen. Other firmwares will show the
following words on the screen, either with a scrambled-
colour background or a solid blue background:

-- AUTOMATIC UPGRADE --
ERASE/ERASING
WRITE/WRITING
DONE
DO NOT DO ANYTHING UNTIL THE DISC TRAY
HAS AUTOMATICALLY EJECTED.

10. Once the upgrade is complete, the disc tray will


automatically eject. Remove the disc.
The display may be completely blank, or it may show
an assortment of words/characters and icons. This is
normal.

11. Turn OFF the POWER on the front of the player


(NOT the remote). Wait 10 seconds, and then turn ON
the power on the front of the player (NOT the remote).

12. The disc tray should automatically close, and the


upgrade should be complete.

A MORE ADVANCED OPTION...


Would you like to view JPEG files on your TV? Or
how about hooking up a hard drive to your AD-660
and transforming it into an MP3 jukebox? There's a
special version of the firmware from the Sampo 631CF
which lets you add these exciting features, and you can
upgrade to it UNLESS your AD-660 has firmware
version 660-7 (sorry!)
Those of you whose players have firmware version 660-
3 or the non-CD-upgradeable version of AD660-C will
need to have the firmware programmed onto a new
firmware chip. See above for details on obtaining a
new chip. And again, don't even try this if your player
is running firmware version 660-7 -- it won't work at
all.
Here are the steps for applying the Sampo firmware
correctly if your player is running 660-8-AM, 660-8-
MM, 660-9-MM, AD660-C (the CD upgradeable
version), or 660-C-MM:

1. ***VERY IMPORTANT***
If you are already running a previous version of the
Sampo 631CF firmware, "flash back" to an AD-660
firmware which is appropriate for your player (see
above).
In either case, name the file SAMPODVD.ROM.
For an explanation of why it's important to "flash
back" first, see the next section, titled "FOOTNOTES
FROM STEP #1 ABOVE".

2. Download the newest Sampo firmware by clicking


HERE.
Unzip the SAMPODVD.ROM and TEST20MB.TXT
files.
3.
* If your player currently has firmware version 660-8-
AM, rename the unzipped file as U660-AM.ROM

* If your player currently has firmware version 660-8-


MM, 660-9-MM, or 660-C-MM,
rename the unzipped file as U660-MM.ROM
* If your player currently has AD660-C, rename the
unzipped file as UAD660.ROM

4. Follow the instructions in the sections above


for burning the disc and performing the upgrade.

5. After the disc tray has automatically ejected,


REMOVE THE DISC! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!

6. Push the main power switch (on the front of the


player) to the OFF position.
Wait at least 10 seconds, and then push it to the ON
position.

7. If you don't see a picture, listen closely to the disc


tray after turning the main power switch on. You will
hear it make a sound, briefly. Immediately after
hearing this sound, push the Power button ON THE
REMOTE. Hopefully you'll see the following on your
screen:

If nothing happens, or if you see something weird on


your screen (i.e., a Sampo logo with a red or gray
background, or a scrambled picture), DO NOT
PANIC. Just turn off the main power, and try again
until you get it right!

8. Once everything is working normally, you must do


the following to ensure that
DVDs play properly:

Push SETUP
Go into the MISSING LINKS PAGE menu
Select the MAXICD MODE menu
Select OFF

(If you select the "ON" option for MAXICD MODE, your player will
have the ability
to read MP3s, JPEGs, etc. from a DVD-R(W), but attempting to play a
regular DVD will bring up a file browser menu; thus, you should select
the
OFF option in order for regular DVDs to play automatically.)

Here's a list of the features available on this version of


the firmware:

New Fixes Patcher V1.3


----------------------
Play files (MP3's, JPGS and others) from a DVD-R(W)
-NotMeGuv's MaxiCD Patch, this must be turned ON/Off from the Missing
Links menu
in Setup.

Eject after Firmware upgrade


-I've added the Eject command after the Firmware upgrade is completed
so the CD-R(W)
you use to upgrade will be ejected after a Firmware Upgrade. (Note:
this will not work the first time you load this firmware; it will
start working for any subsequent upgrades.)

Fix ADV7170 Video Encoder Black level output

-The picture brightness is now normal when the player is outputting an


NTSC signal; it was too dark before.

Fixed Zoom Text


-Changed the "ZOOM X2" to display as "ZOOM2.0" to keep it looking like
the "ZOOM1.5"
fix.

Supports Proper Version Number


-Press 1,2,3,4,5 you should see that it matches the Patcher upgrades.
Currently
it should say "2.1-01.3 YourPlayerName". The 2.1 is the source
Sampo 631CF V2.1 software and the 01.3 is the Patched version.

CGMS is not so Destructive


-The old CGMS by-pass routine completely by-passed output of
Widescreen data and
CGMS data. This should only remove the CGMS info. Unfortunately there
are special
DVDs that seem to have the CGMS info in the video stream (Lord of The
Rings) and
these are not disbled by either CGMS by-pass method (New or Old).

New Fixes EZPatch V1.2


----------------------

Fixed ZOOM
-I've fixed the ZOOM while in DVD playback mode so it's no longer
blocky. It is
perfect, just like the Haier firmware. I also modified the text
display to show
the correct ZOOM setting ZOOM1.5 and ZOOM X2, there is no ZOOM X4
mode.

Hiteker Analog Audio Fixed


-With RichardK's help testing, I've fixed the analog audio output to
work properly
on the Hiteker players. No more hissing while playing back MP3, CDDA,
VCDs and
SVCDs...

Removed Chinese On Screen Message Selection


-Sakman has removed the Chinese message option in the General/On
Screen Display
Setup menu. The Chinese fonts had to be removed to make room for the
software
additions and the large MPEG2 background image. So this makes the
firmware a
little cleaner.

Auto Alphabetizing MP3/File Mode


-I've got the firmware modified to always alphabetize the MP3/file
menus. You can
still press the A-Brt button to do this same function in SUB-Folder
playback. I
left this in because the playback filelist is created in sub-folder
order and some
people like to hear their MP3's in this order rather then
alphabetically. Of
course you can always hit SHUFFLE to randomize the playlist.

Hiteker Front Buttons Fixed


-I fixed the front panel buttons so they now work on the Hiteker AD-
700 version
with the DV-R320.

Fixed Remote buttons


-Capncybo has mapped out the remote scan code table in the AD-700 DV-
R320. So I
took this data and under his suggestions we re-arranged the DVD-Digest
and the
PBC OFF buttons (they had the reverse function using the Sampo
firmware). Also
made the Vol+ button do the Mark function (set points in the DVD movie
to jump to.
Also made the Vol- button do the CF function (jumps to the Compact
Flash or Hard
drive without having to remove the DVD/CD in the player.

AD600 ADV7175 bug fixed


-hmpho has found out a small problem with the AD-600 AD7175 mods. This
bug would
set the player into black and white mode after it goes to sleep. It
has been fixed
now.

AD660 Front Panel Display


-Dano has given me all the data needed to get the front panel display
working
properly on the AD-660 and the AD-500. This was broken when I ported
everything to the latest
Unofficial Sampo firmware EZPatch.

Older fixes V1.0 and before


---------------------------

Goto Button does the Return Function


-I patched the GOTO button to work like the Return button while in
MP3/filemode
allowing you to select the types of files you want to playback.

Large Random Playlists mods


-I modified the Sub-T (sub-folder) mode to work so that whenever you
hit shuffle
it now creates a large Random playlist and forces the player into ALL
continous
playback mode. Press SUB-T again to go back to normal.
UOP - disabled
-Old hack thanks to Morbo

Increased number of files in SUB-T playback mode


-NotMeGuv increased the number of MP3's (9999) and other files (1396)
in the
sub-folder playback mode.

Increased file counter in MP3/Filemode


-NotMeGuv fixed the MP3 file mode to show 4 digit numbers now to allow
better
handling of large numbers of files.

SCART Menu Option


-NotMeGuv's SCART output (Menu option) has been added.

5.1 Analog audio speaker selection


-NOTMEGuv's other speaker output selection (Menu option) this is
mainly for
Hiteker owners.

MP3/Filemode Sub-folder playback Handling


-Me

Analog Volume control during MP3/MPG playback


-I added in extra code so MP3/MPG Playback now has analog volume
control.

Sorting option with A-Brpt Button


-I added file mode Sorting

Boot to On - No More Standby mode


-Indigonose's Boot-up to On patch (no more hitting the remote power or
Open/Close
button).

VFD doesn't blink anymore


-Indignose's No more Blinking when turned on patch

Fixed Front Panel Display


-Indignose has fixed the Front panel display.

Remote control works properly


-I copied the remote code table into the Sampo firmware
-Note that the Sampo firmware doesn't support volume control
or Muting during DVD playback so these features wont work.

Front Panel Buttons work perfectly.


-I copied the front panel button table into the Sampo firmware

Analog audio output works on APEX machines


-I fixed the Analog audio output.

Check the OneFirmwareForAll Yahoo Group to find


out if additional features are available. You can always
upgrade from the Sampo firmware you just loaded to a
newer version by following the instructions posted on
the Yahoo Group.
Here's what the Sampo 631CF firmware looks like
when playing MP3s...

FOOTNOTES FROM STEP #1 ABOVE


Here's why it's necessary to flash back to the Apex 660 firmware first:

Previous versions of the Sampo firmware do NOT automatically eject the


disc tray after the firmware is upgraded. The Apex/Hiteker firmware
DOES eject the disc tray.

And why is it important for the disc tray to eject? Because this allows you
to REMOVE THE DISC before cycling the main power switch. You
definitely DO NOT want the disc to still be in the player after cycling the
power. The player may start re-reading the disc, and re-upgrading the
firmware, but you may not know it...if you turn off the power while the
firmware is re-upgrading, your firmware chip will get ruined!

The reason you won't know if the firmware is re-upgrading: the previous
Sampo firmware does NOT automatically output a picture after cycling
the main power.
In order to get a picture, see Step #7 above.

WHERE TO GET HELP


AD-660 forum on Nerd-Out.com
OneFirmwareForAll Yahoo Group (if you're using the
Sampo firmware).

I AM NOT A FIRMWARE PROGRAMMER!!!


So please don't ask me when other features will be
available...

Optimizing the Apex AD-660 DVD Player


Last Updated: 16th December 2001

I apologise for any pop-up ads from this page. This is a free web site and
the owners have gotta make it pay some way. Get a great free pop-
up stopper here.

Introduction

I wanted a cheap DVD player on which I could watch DVD movies from any part of the
world. I also wanted to be able to copy DVD movies to video tape. But damn it, most
players available are region-locked, meaning that you can only watch DVD movies
from one region of the world. Most (all?) players also come with Macrovision enabled,
a technology that effectively spoils any attempt to record from the player to video tape -
what a bummer! There are however some players on the market that can be adapted to
disable both the region-locking and Macrovision. Some of these are easier to adapt than
others and after a lot of research I finally settled on the Apex AD-660 DVD player.
Within one hour of getting my Apex player home I had a DVD player that could
play all my region 1 and region 2 discs as well as a player I could record from. So
here, for the benefit of all, is how I did it...

The easiest way to disable the spoiling technologies on a DVD player is via the remote
control and hidden setup menus. This facility is becoming less common on DVD
players as media distributors have been "persuading" the player manufacturers to
remove it. The next easiest method is to reprogram the player firmware using facilities
existing on the player. This will usually involve creating a standard data CD containing
a patched version of the firmware, loading it into the player, and allowing the player to
reprogram itself. This requires that the player has a reprogrammable firmware chip as
well as a version of the firmware that can update itself; this is the method that my AD-
660 uses. Sam's Club currently has the AD-660 for $129.99. I could also have got it in
Circuit City for $149.99 with a $20 Mail-in-rebate, but how I hate those freaking
rebates!You should note that not all versions of this player have reprogrammable chips
so there is an element of luck involved in the purchasing of one. Unfortunately I can't
tell you the probability of getting an Apex player with a reprogrammable chip, but my
guess is that the version of the player that is currently available in Sam's Club and
Circuit City is the same as mine, i.e. reprogrammable.

Updating the Player Firmware

The player's firmware controls the


player's functions and mpeg decoder.
The first thing I did with my AD-660
was to check its firmware version. To do
this I attached the player to the TV and
entered the following button sequence
on the remote control: <Setup> <Step>
<Skip-Back> <Skip-Forward> . If this
doesn't work for you the first time then
try it a few times. If it still doesn't work
then you might be scuppered and I
suggest further research starting from
here. As you should see, the version no.
is 660-8AM. Hurrah! This is exactly the
news I was looking for. Why? Because
this is a version that can update itself
and the version I had previously
downloaded a patch for from here . I
advise you to go to that link and read the
whole page, it will be especially helpful
if your player doesn't match mine
exactly.

Now, just because I had the firmware version I wanted, that didn't mean that I could
update it. Remember, I needed a reprogrammable ROM chip. The easiest way to find
out what sort of chip I had was to try to reprogram it. If it doesn't update it doesn't
update, no harm done. But I've never done things the easy way, so I opened the player
case to identify the chip. My advise to you is not to do this because you will
immediately invalidate your warranty - there's a little sticker which disintegrates when
the cover is removed and as carefully as I tried I could not prevent it's demise. So unless
your are a reckless dare devil, skip performing the next bit.

Looking from left to


right there are basically 3
parts - a decoder board, a
player mechanism, and a
power supply.

An interesting point to
note here is that the
player mechanism is
merely a standard
computer DVD drive.
Having a look at the rear
of it you can see all the
connectors you'd expect
on a standard IDE DVD
ROM drive.

I had a look at the


decoder board to identity
the type of ROM chip.
The board looked like
this (By the way, I forgot
to set the date on my
camera):

You can seen the big


ROM chip on the
extreme left, a closer
examination of which
revealed a good old
"AMIC A29040". Never
heard of one? No, neither
did I, but a quick search
on the web told me that
this was an EEROM - it
was programmable!

I sang, I danced, I took uppers, I took downers, and eventually gathered my senses for
the big push: the FIRMWARE UPGRADE.

I had now to prepare a cd to perform the firmware patch. I got a copy of the latest
hacked firmware from here. I renamed the ROM file to "U660-AM.ROM" and burned it
onto a blank CDRW. The CD I created was: No Multisession, ISO9660 Level 1, DOS
Character Set, Mode 1, Finalize CD (I use Nero). All I had to do now was attach the
player to my TV and insert the CD. The TV displayed garbage for about 20 seconds and
then spat out the cd - that was the firmware reprogrammed! I turned off the player and
turned it on and tested it. It played Region 1 and Region 2 disks with no problem. I then
tried a test recording to video tape. The result was an excellent quality recording. Yeah!
Some DVD movie releases (such as Charlies Angels) use Region Coding Enhancement
(RCE) which prevents a DVD from playing on a Region 0 player. In this case the player
can be changed to Region 1 from the setup menu and returned to the Bypass region
setting afterwards.

Updating the Drive Firmware

You'd think I'd be happy at this point wouldn't you? Well that ain't me. I had read a few
articles on the Apex AD-660 that suggested it suffered from an occasional picture stutter
(see here). Sure enough I had noticed that perhaps once or twice during a film the
sequence would seem to skip just a fraction of a second, so off I surfed in search of a
solution.

The DVD player


mechanism in my player
is a Raite model RDR-
202H, Have a look at the
label on it. Since this is
basically a standard IDE
drive it's firmware can be
upgraded like any other
modern CD drive. I
would like to have
obtained the latest
firmware directly from
the manufacturers
website (as indicated on
the label) but it seems to
be unreachable at the
moment. However, not
be undone I found
version 2.0 of the
firmware (including the
flash utility) here.
Version 2.2 can now be
found there also.

How did I upgrade the


drive firmware? I hope
this picture answers the
question. I attached a
power cable from my PC
to the drive and
connected the IDE
secondary channel cable
to it.

I then set both drives on


that channel in my
computer BIOS to auto
and I booted up. As you
can see, the drive
appeared as the master
on the secondary
channel:
After Windows had
booted up I ran a little
utility called Drive
Region Info, available
here. This gave me the
firmware version as well
as informing me that the
drive itself was not
region locked. As you
can see, the firmware
was version 1.9j , so I
was encouraged to apply
version 2.0:
I created a Windows 98
bootable floppy disc
using a utility called
WinImage (available
here), and created a
subfolder called Raite
into which I unpacked
the drive firmware files.
I rebooted from the
floppy and then ran the
flash utility:

Although the parameters


within the batch file
(p.bat) had specified the
drive as being a slave
drive on the secondary
channel, the upgrade was
performed without a
problem. So after
rebooting the PC the
drive list looked like
this:

Success! I loaded up
Windows again and ran
Drive Region Info just to
be sure that the DVD
ROM drive was still
region free:

Phew! I then closed up the Apex and tested it. Everything worked perfectly.
HALLELUJAH!! I then used two RCA 'Y' adapadter to split the audio between the
VCR and the TV with no noticable signal degradation.

Update - Disaster Strikes.

Some may call it devine retribution ("the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away" and all
that), but I call it the 'cheap dvd drive syndrome'. I simply forgot to turn the player off
and left it running on a repeating movie trailer all night, which was obviously waayyyy
too much for the Raite to handle. Since I always try to turn failures into an learning
opportunities (yeah, right!) I picked up a new PC Raite DVD drive at a computer fair
and stuck it in. This was an 8x model RDR-108H and it cost me a mere $45 c/w
PowerDVD. I obtained a special firmware version 1.6k for it here, which is special
because it makes the drive run at 2x. Why 2x? Because that's as fast as you need to play
movies and any faster makes more noise and has a slower spin-up time. [BTW the 1.7
version on that site is the actual version I ripped from my drive before downgrading.
Note: I backed up my firmware before blowing it away!]. I set the drive jumper to
Master and I stuck (literally) the new drive in right were the old one was; after a lot of
experimentation I discovered the the easiest and best way was to use a heated glue gun.
The black door from the Apex player even fitted the new drawer perfectly.

The new drive glued in place. Do you think I've invalidated my warranty?

I removed the faceplate and the drawer-front from the new drive then attached the 660's
drawer front. I first tried to install the drive with the drive's faceplate in place but the
drawer wouldn't lock home with the 660's drawer-front attached. Beware: the Apex
drawer-front won't fit every brand of drive because I first tried it on my Lite-On LTN-
122 and it didn't fit. There are spacers beneath the drive - the same spacers that were
under the original drive - I just added a few squares of tape on top to get the height
exact. I was able to position the drive in the player perfectly so that the drawer was flush
with the front of the player. The gluing was reversable because I had two attempts at it;
one hard tug and the drive popped off. I keyed (sanded) the gluing surfaces to get the
best hold. Heated glue guns can be got at Walmart or anywhere like that for under $10
c/w glue and because the glue has bulk and is softish it makes a great bedding for the
drive. All in all it turned out a really neat job. Hopefully the new drive will be a bit more
robust than the old one, seeing it's designed to run faster and is quite a bit heavier. Does
tend to get a bit hot after 24 hours continuous play, but hey, wadda y'expect?!

Credits and Links

http://psych.tripod.com/apexdvdplayers/index.html - the site with a lot of the


information I used.
http://www.nerd-out.com - loads of Apex related hacking. Check out the forums for the
latest info.
http://www.apexdigitalinc.com/ - the Apex company's site. It's not very good... in fact
it's crap. I don't know why they bothered.
http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html - tons of info here.
http://www.dvd.reviewer.co.uk/default.asp - nice site with some hack info.
http://perso.club-internet.fr/farzeno/firmware - firmware galore.

FAQ

1. What's legal and what's not on this page? As far as I know it's neither illegal to
change the region of your player or to disable Macrovision. The illegal bit comes
when you break copyright laws and copy something you shouldn't.
2. What do you do with your Apex? I have some Region 2 discs with the intent to
buy more, which is why a multi-region player is important to me. As for taping
movies, to be honest I have found that I'd rather have a DVD of a feature that I
really liked rather than a tape of it. The Matrix is the first DVD I bought even
before I had a player ($6 from Buy.com). As for the rest, once I've seen most
movies once I generally don't want to see them again.
3. Has anyone ever successfully repaired anything with Super Glue? No, which is
why it's now 3 tubes for a buck. It did set my dad's nylon trousers on fire, which
was fun.
4. How long is a piece of string? Twenty six inches, or twenty two if you're from
the U.K..

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