How do i bench test

[bad03ranger 10+ year member]

I did seach but i didnt get any thing on exactly how to do it, if you guys could help me outh that would be great

EDIT: its a new amp so im pretty sure it works i just want to know the exact RMS

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[bad03ranger 10+ year member]

i know u have to measure some voltage but what formula do i use after that

 

[Rashaddd 5,000+ posts]

Do you have an o-scope? and true rms clamp?

 

[bad03ranger 10+ year member]

Do you have an o-scope? and true rms clamp?

no and no where to get them

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Do you have a giant power supply, a precision resistive load, an o-scope, and a purely resistive speaker? If you don't have the first 3, you're not going to get a number that means anything. If you don't have the last one, any number you get won't matter anyway once the amp is installed. If you're playing music with the system it becomes even more irrelevant.

The first 3 will run you more than your car. The last one doesn't exist.

 

[bad03ranger 10+ year member]

ok well is there some places i can send my amp off and get it bench tested

i called a few of my local shops and they cant do it

 

[jco1385 5,000+ posts]

i would say ask SM, but we all know you can't.

he would have hooked you up for cheap too...//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 

[bk12321 10+ year member]

u can do basic testing with an oscope, a function generator, and some non inductive resistors.

note, there are some factors that limit the absolute accuracy you will be able to achieve

thee equipment being used is quite expensive though... I used to be able to use these things at the EE buildings at my old school to avoid having to buy it.

 

[bad03ranger 10+ year member]

i would say ask SM, but we all know you can't.
he would have hooked you up for cheap too...//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

im new here and i may catch alot of shit for this but :

what is the deal with the spider monkey thing?

 

[bumpin buick 5,000+ posts]

im new here and i may catch alot of shit for this but :what is the deal with the spider monkey thing?

he lied to a noob about being a kicker rep in order to obtain $20 from the noob and make him look like an idiot, SM gave the money back but was then banned

 

[jco1385 5,000+ posts]

and it was dead wrong

 

[bad03ranger 10+ year member]

he lied to a noob about being a kicker rep in order to obtain $20 from the noob and make him look like an idiot, SM gave the money back but was then banned

that sucks im guessing he was well liked on here cause jst about everybody has something about freeing spider monkey or something of that nature

 

[DBDRAGGUY 10+ year member]

You are forgetting the most important part. THE BENCH! duh. J/K

You need a calibrated dmm and clamp meter for measuring the output.

You also need a power source that will feed steady voltage for testing, a power supply is the most commonly used but a battery bank and a charger with selactable charging level can be substituted for larger power demands.

A few key points to keep in mind.

a. Most manufactures tests and so called birth sheets are done with a resistive load. The load doesn't change and is useless in determinig real world performance.

b. A more accurate method of testing a amplifier to determine what its output is in a install is to test it in the car with the drivers and the enclosure it is powering. This test is a reactive test, and will only tell you your output at a certain frequency. If you feel really motivated you can test at a range of frequencies based on what you usually listen to. The load on your amplifier may be 1ohm when it is not playing , but when it is played and depending on how the drivers react with the enclosure your ohm load will rise lessening the load on the amplifier and making it deliver less power than advertised.

c. Bench tests and birthsheets are BULLSHIT! A convient way for manufactures to make you feel better about buying their product. A piece of paper with a inflated power# that will most likely never be duplicated in your car.

 

[bk12321 10+ year member]

You are forgetting the most important part. THE BENCH! duh. J/K
You need a calibrated dmm and clamp meter for measuring the output.

You also need a power source that will feed steady voltage for testing, a power supply is the most commonly used but a battery bank and a charger with selactable charging level can be substituted for larger power demands.

A few key points to keep in mind.

a. Most manufactures tests and so called birth sheets are done with a resistive load. The load doesn't change and is useless in determinig real world performance.

b. A more accurate method of testing a amplifier to determine what its output is in a install is to test it in the car with the drivers and the enclosure it is powering. This test is a reactive test, and will only tell you your output at a certain frequency. If you feel really motivated you can test at a range of frequencies based on what you usually listen to. The load on your amplifier may be 1ohm when it is not playing , but when it is played and depending on how the drivers react with the enclosure your ohm load will rise lessening the load on the amplifier and making it deliver less power than advertised.

c. Bench tests and birthsheets are BULLSHIT! A convient way for manufactures to make you feel better about buying their product. A piece of paper with a inflated power# that will most likely never be duplicated in your car.

If that is so, then is it not correct to say that an amplifier with a higher birth sheet rating will supply more power than a lesser amplifier, given the same enclosure, subwoofer, install, etc.?

So even though the given power cant be duplicated (because of a speakers various inductances and capacitances), it is still a reliable way to compare various amplifiers??

If so, then I wouldnt consider bench testing "bullshit".

 

[DBDRAGGUY 10+ year member]

If that is so, then is it not correct to say that an amplifier with a higher birth sheet rating will supply more power than a lesser amplifier, given the same enclosure, subwoofer, install, etc.?
So even though the given power cant be duplicated (because of a speakers various inductances and capacitances), it is still a reliable way to compare various amplifiers??

If so, then I wouldnt consider bench testing "bullshit".

Bench testing for the sake of " my amp puts out 3415 watts" is Bullshit.

Published test results that advertise a certain output power are Bullshit.

For general product comparison bench tests do have value, but have little relevance to real world performance.