how hot is too hot for amps?

[Spooney 10+ year member]

Amp manufacturers often use a very thin piece of plastic between the heatsink and the fets/transistors. Some say it is to electrically insulate them. Others believe it is to actually minimize heat transfer to the heatsink due to end users believing that particular amp "runs hot". At any rate, fets/transistors put off a lot of heat and it needs to be removed.

Suggesting that the insulator film should be removed........bad advice

 

[LBC]

Suggesting that the insulator film should be removed........bad advice

I didn't do that. You misunderstood. I CLEARLY said the heat needs to be removed. Not plastic.

 

[xxlmagnum 10+ year member]

I'm having the same problem, but mine is actually going into thermal protection....its a dd c4a 4 channel amp imma get pics up soon...

 

[Fi_ 10+ year member]

This. I imagine the kicker definitely has that. However it shouldn't be getting *that* hot. If I play music for a while my AQ will be sorta warm but no where near too hot to touch. Do you have a volt meter keeping track of your voltage?

We also live in Maine Jesse Arizons is HOT the heat alone could make his amp too hot to touch... I'm betting half of it is temperature what about on cold rainy nights? Does it still get almost too hot to touch?

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

I didn't do that. You misunderstood. I CLEARLY said the heat needs to be removed. Not plastic.

Ya what you said made perfect sense to me.

 

[Spooney 10+ year member]

My apologies but reading your post it was a bit confusing in my opinion . I just don't want a bunch of noobs to start tearing apart their amps because of something they thought they read( just as I apparently did) . I'm pretty sharp usually so again my apologies on the miss . Just got me where you went from talking about insualtors and how some people think its to minimize thermal resistance so amps don't run hot and then in next the sentence seeing " it needs to be removed" . I see so much bad advice that occasionally I speak before I think.

 

[Fi_ 10+ year member]

Suggesting that the insulator film should be removed........bad advice

Dude clearly states that the heat needs removal not the transistors I do believe you owe him an apology... If people tear their amp apart based on what some random forum user says then they shouldnt be in the audio game. You can only take ANY of our information as a grain of salt when you don't know anything. I'll admit missinforming people doesn't help but don't blame people for others stupid mestakes;

 

[xxlmagnum 10+ year member]

Here are a couple pics of my digital designs c4a....its going into thermal protection and shutting off after ~30mins of playing time at listening volume.....I am thinking it's due to the location under the "false floor" where there is really no air circulation. I added a pic of the wiring underneath because I want to make sure the ground isnt the cause of this problem....voltage stays at 14.1-13.9 while playing...

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

Lift it up .5-.75 inches off the ground and add a rotary fan off a relay, it'll stay cooler. The C4 puts out power //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[xxlmagnum 10+ year member]

Yeah buck I was just on my way to do that.....and btw u got a NEW email for that 18" design //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[LBC]

My apologies but reading your post it was a bit confusing in my opinion . I just don't want a bunch of noobs to start tearing apart their amps because of something they thought they read( just as I apparently did) . I'm pretty sharp usually so again my apologies on the miss . Just got me where you went from talking about insualtors and how some people think its to minimize thermal resistance so amps don't run hot and then in next the sentence seeing " it needs to be removed" . I see so much bad advice that occasionally I speak before I think.

Understood. I don't want that either. I was just trying to explain that SOME heat is not a bad thing for a heatsink. That's what it's for... and with things there impeding its progress if the heatsink is warm just imagine how hot the chips are. That's what I was trying to convey. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Danometal 10+ year member]

Lift it up .5-.75 inches off the ground and add a rotary fan off a relay, it'll stay cooler. The C4 puts out power //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

This.

And, thanks for the compliment on my setup bro. It sounds cleaner now since you've heard it. I've been chasing down this strange crackling distortion (like crinkling a cellophane (sp?) wrapper) in the tweeters at ANY volume. After a frustrating troubleshooting I finally figured out that my iPod had its internal EQ on some jacked up boost mode. Set it to "flat," and now the SQ is better than ever! Even the bass and midrange sounds cleaner. I really thought the HU defeats the internal EQ of an iPod, but it sure as heck doesn't.

Your system is still hands down the most violent thing I've ever heard. It's just wrong. lol

 

[jsluss17 10+ year member]

We also live in Maine Jesse Arizons is HOT the heat alone could make his amp too hot to touch... I'm betting half of it is temperature what about on cold rainy nights? Does it still get almost too hot to touch?

yeah i'm assuming keeping the car outside in 100+ degree temps will get it pretty hot. it's never shut down or anything so i'm hoping it's not bad for it and i haven't really checked we haven't gotten a cool rainy night for awhile

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

yeah i'm assuming keeping the car outside in 100+ degree temps will get it pretty hot. it's never shut down or anything so i'm hoping it's not bad for it and i haven't really checked we haven't gotten a cool rainy night for awhile

ya.. just look into getting it off flatt surface, and getting some air under it..id try that first before getting a fan, but,i run a fan on my amps..not my temp set up, but all others..great for the amp/system keep them running cooler..they are gonna run hot regardless..just how it is..takes power generated to make power..lol