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Amp overheating


Ryan1776

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Hey guys. Just wondering if anybody has issues with their amp overheating? Specifically the sub? 
I know a bunch of you have some serious systems. I know I preach and praise the Polk stuff but my 880 for my sub will overheat and shut off until it's cooled down. Granted it takes some time to get there at volume and will come back fairly quickly, but once it's hot, it takes some time to be 100% consistent again. 
 

My question is, do the Wetsounds Mono Class D amps have such a problem?  

Something like this.
https://www.wetsounds.com/product/HTX-1

Or does anyone have a recommendation to solve my problem....other than "turn it down". :biggrin:

Edited by Ryan1776
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Yes, verify ohm load and supply amperage.

Beyond that is the amp spaced off the mounting board (especially if it's carpeted) or tight down to it? And no life jackets or seat cushions are packed against the front of it impeding air flow?

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My 07 had a pretty serious system in it. All Arc Audio amps. I would usually put the windscreen over the amps to stop sweatshirts/towels from getting directly on them, but never had a problem. The 19 has a serious system and plays hard and long and no problems yet. No overheating problems.

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Any amp worth a crap, should have an overheat self protect feature. its not an "problem", its a design feature. Some amps have taken it a step or two further and actually have 1 to 2 levels of power rollback as the amp gets hot, in order to prevent the final stage, total shutdown until it cool. 

With that said, installation, tuning, battery supply voltage,  low or no wattage headroom, as well as final impedance can all impact an amps heat generation.   

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15 hours ago, COOP said:

What ohm load is it at, and whats it rated at? How big is the power and ground wire?

 It’s a WS 12” dual 4ohm vc wired at 2ohm. 

Amp PA880 stated at 2ohm stable. 500 watts. 

I could have sworn I used 4awg but I think it might be 6awg. Interesting that too small gauge wire would cause overheating? Trying to draw power it can’t get and doesn’t have the correct supply? I will say, the power cables are not warm when the amp thermals out. 

14 hours ago, jk13 said:

Beyond that is the amp spaced off the mounting board (especially if it's carpeted) or tight down to it? And no life jackets or seat cushions are packed against the front of it impeding air flow?

Yeah, it is flush mounted. What do you guys typically use to offset it? I didn't notice that the stock amps were proud of the amp board? 
There are life jackets in that cubby, but nothing back that far. Most are stacked on the floor. There really isn't much airflow through there is there? 

12 hours ago, Sparky450 said:

My 07 had a pretty serious system in it. All Arc Audio amps. I would usually put the windscreen over the amps to stop sweatshirts/towels from getting directly on them, but never had a problem. The 19 has a serious system and plays hard and long and no problems yet. No overheating problems.

That's a pretty slick solution too. Are you amps mounted "above" the amp board? 

12 hours ago, MLA said:

Any amp worth a crap, should have an overheat self protect feature. its not an "problem", its a design feature. Some amps have taken it a step or two further and actually have 1 to 2 levels of power rollback as the amp gets hot, in order to prevent the final stage, total shutdown until it cool. 

OH it does protect itself, I know it's not a "problem". I'm just looking to rectify the result. I don't think it rolls back power. Not that fancy.

Edited by Ryan1776
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for spacing amp above the amp rack: https://www.lowes.com/pd/hillman-1-2-in-x-3-8-in-x-5-8-in-nylon-spacers/3012447?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-hdw-_-google-_-lia-_-126-_-fasteners-_-3012447-_-0&kpid&store_code=321&k_clickID=go_1737082938_73652688888_338436039340_pla-333193706604_c_9030901&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIv7_JiIyH4wIVl_5kCh2xMQZFEAQYASABEgLOlfD_BwE

you could also consider a adding a ventilation fan next to the amp: https://www.amazon.com/Stinger-SGJ78-8-25-Inch-Cross-Flow-Fan/dp/B001HHSPYI/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=12v+amp+fan&qid=1561550443&s=gateway&sr=8-2

All that said, like @Sparky450, I've had some pretty big systems pushed pretty hard in hot weather without fans and have never had a shutdown.  Could be that your amp just isn't up to it.  Something like a JL Audio XD 600/1 might be better suited?

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2 hours ago, shawndoggy said:

for spacing amp above the amp rack: https://www.lowes.com/pd/hillman-1-2-in-x-3-8-in-x-5-8-in-nylon-spacers/3012447?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-hdw-_-google-_-lia-_-126-_-fasteners-_-3012447-_-0&kpid&store_code=321&k_clickID=go_1737082938_73652688888_338436039340_pla-333193706604_c_9030901&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIv7_JiIyH4wIVl_5kCh2xMQZFEAQYASABEgLOlfD_BwE

you could also consider a adding a ventilation fan next to the amp: https://www.amazon.com/Stinger-SGJ78-8-25-Inch-Cross-Flow-Fan/dp/B001HHSPYI/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=12v+amp+fan&qid=1561550443&s=gateway&sr=8-2

All that said, like @Sparky450, I've had some pretty big systems pushed pretty hard in hot weather without fans and have never had a shutdown.  Could be that your amp just isn't up to it.  Something like a JL Audio XD 600/1 might be better suited?

 

21 minutes ago, Sparky450 said:

My O7 I spaced off the carpet like @shawndoggy. The 2019 they are stacked on a rack with plenty of ventilation. I would think while you are moving, you should get plenty of airflow.

Alright so first order is to get it off the amp board. Totally obvious. That fan is SLICK. Says it only draws. 0.6amps....I wonder how may amps the trigger circuit off the MC-1 can handle. That will be 2nd order if the simple raising doesn't fix the issue. 

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12 minutes ago, Ryan1776 said:

Alright so first order is to get it off the amp board. Totally obvious. That fan is SLICK. Says it only draws. 0.6amps....I wonder how may amps the trigger circuit off the MC-1 can handle. That will be 2nd order if the simple raising doesn't fix the issue. 

I have an MC-1 on my houseboat. It is triggering 3 amps, an eq and a WS220.

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4 minutes ago, Sparky450 said:

I have an MC-1 on my houseboat. It is triggering 3 amps, an eq and a WS220.

Right but trigger is just a signal. I know there's some current, but it's not a inductive load like the fan would be. That will change over time and temperature. I can easily run a solid state relay if needed. 

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2 hours ago, Ryan1776 said:

Right but trigger is just a signal. I know there's some current, but it's not a inductive load like the fan would be. That will change over time and temperature. I can easily run a solid state relay if needed. 

yeah, just wire up a bosch relay to be safe.  $3 and then you can have power to spare to run LEDs or a discoball or a stand-alone USB phone charger or whatever.

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13 hours ago, Ryan1776 said:

OH it does protect itself, I know it's not a "problem". I'm just looking to rectify the result. I don't think it rolls back power. Not that fancy.

The problem is not the amp protecting itself, the is the over heating. Would you rather the amp just keep plugging along until the power supply melts down? That to me, would be a problem. 

Fan only works if you introduce fresh air to the locker and remove the old hot air. There a number of things id do, well before the fan.  

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10 hours ago, MLA said:

The problem is not the amp protecting itself, the is the over heating. Would you rather the amp just keep plugging along until the power supply melts down? That to me, would be a problem. 

Fan only works if you introduce fresh air to the locker and remove the old hot air. There a number of things id do, well before the fan.  

Hey man, we always seem to have a disconnect when discussing things. I'm agreeing with you. I understand the amp going into thermal protection is a BENEFIT not a PROBLEM. 
As I said earlier... "OH it does protect itself, I know it's not a "problem". I'm just looking to rectify the result."

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35 minutes ago, Ryan1776 said:

Hey man, we always seem to have a disconnect when discussing things. I'm agreeing with you. I understand the amp going into thermal protection is a BENEFIT not a PROBLEM. 
As I said earlier... "OH it does protect itself, I know it's not a "problem". I'm just looking to rectify the result."

I guess im going back to your opening post where you ask if protect mode was a problem with other brands of amps. Any amp can over heat given the right external conditions. So from my point of view, the protect mode is not the problem, but rather the overheating, or what ever condition creating the protect mode, is the problem. There are a number of things that can cause an amp to run hot enough to go into protect mode. A fan may reduce the temps in the locker, but this may be treating the symptom, not the root cause. 

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Getting air out of the observer compartment is going to be the key. Before I upgraded the cooling on my amps the entire compartment would get steaming hot.

I used a blower fan to suck air from a air vent into that compartment. It was kind of loud but it did work. 

This was my permanent fix, https://www.wakegarage.com/projects-archive/sound-system-projects/water-cooled-amplifiers-r126/

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1 hour ago, MLA said:

I guess im going back to your opening post where you ask if protect mode was a problem with other brands of amps.

But I had since clarified my point. You're right, I did use the word "problem". I used it incorrectly. My intent was not to insinuate that the thermal protection was a problem. As I mentioned in subsequent posts. 
I'll ask the question better, do other amps have better thermal dissipation? :) It would seem some do. 

35 minutes ago, cowwboy said:

I had actually read that last year! That's SERIOUS! :D well done. 

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@MLA if I understand you correctly. There is a wiring problem/improper installation/wrong settings making the amp overheat. This causing the amp to go into protect mode, which is in turn saving the amp from total destruction. Is this correct? 

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@Sparky450 Very low driver impedance, how the amp is installed, less then ideal settings, ambient temps can all be factors in an amp getting hot enough to shut itself down. Rarely is it a fault of a properly function amp. So before condemning an amp, id want to go through a few things and see. Now, im sure there are some price-point amps that went big on wattage and light on heatsink mass, which can lead to overheating even under normal conditions. 

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