Overheating problem with amp...i think

[I Like Waffle]

This weekend we took a trip to VA in my gfs car, and were just riding down 95 with the windows down so no ac or anything, i figure it was probably 100 degrees or so that day, hot as ****. Anyway, we were playing some luda i think and the amp starts cutting out, like itll stop, play one note, then stop some more, kinda like it was sputtering. So i go through the hu and turn the sub off till we stop at a gas station for me to check it out.

So i get my meter out and a screwdriver, first thing i do is take the cover off the amp and im getting voltage to everything, so i pull the speaker wires out and check those individually, and the coils read good, sub feels fine. Amp was hot as **** though, so i figured hmm mustve been thermal protect and we just leave it off for a little while.

Turned the sub back on when we got to VA and it played like normal for a day or 2, but a couple times it would slip up and kinda stop putting out like it would usually. Like all of a sudden the sub would play at half volume or so. I went to the HU and just for the hell of it put the bass on plus 6, that made it sound normal. I turned it back down and turned the sub off when that happened though, didnt wanna **** anything up.

Same thing happened on the way home last night, and i know the amps not putting out full power for a fact when it does this. Normally id have to keep it down at night to keep the voltage up at a decent level, but if i turn it up to normal listening volume at night it would drop to 13-13.5. I turned it up playing a test tone that will drop it to 12.8 with the lights off and it didnt drop past 14 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

What could this be? the problem seems to only happen after long periods of playing music, so im gonna assume its a heat issue or a protect feature in the amp?

Clifs

- was driving, amp started stuttering so i checked everything out, amp was hot as ****.

- amp will sometimes all of a sudden play at half volume or so, also decently hot

- want to know why amp does this

Incase you were wondering the setup is an m500 and a single PB 12, seeing 500rms or so

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[Team Maxxsonics 10+ year member]

Most amplifiers have a thermal protection circuit that shuts down the amp when it gets too hot but will stay off until the amp cools.

This usually takes 30 seconds to possibly a couple minutes.

Turning the radio on then off does not reset the amp.

our problem is not likely to be thermal shut down because it was cutting in and out.

It's best to call the amp manufacturer and find out how there thermal protection works.

If it's not thermal, they can likely offer additional suggestions.

 

[pawn man 10+ year member]

sounds like you may need a new amp very soon.

 

[I Like Waffle]

The amp is only 2 weeks old //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif I remember when i first got the amp though it would lightly smell like electrical fire when you ran it, but no smoke or anything happened and it worked great. I thought it was just a break in smell or something, lol .

 

[thegreatestpenn 5,000+ posts]

doesn't that alpine have a fan? is it getting enough air circulation?

 

[I Like Waffle]

Im not sure if it has a fan, im gonna add 2 to it though, gotta go pick up some relays first. Im 100% sure the problem is heat though, only does it when its like super hot.

 

[thegreatestpenn 5,000+ posts]

if you hear a humming sound when the amp cuts on it has a fan.

 

[I Like Waffle]

Ill check it out, i didnt really pay attention to if it had a fan or not when i was tuning everything.

 

[I Like Waffle]

Did some testing and its clearly a heat problem. Up until now the amp has been fine but now its running hot as ****. I played it earlier for about 30 mins and it did the half volume thing again. I laid my arm across it to remove the cover and it actually burnt me. Other than getting hot and doing this everything works fine though, think it could just be the weather?