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Cleaning Ampeg

#2
i guess the ampeg svt 4 pro has some sort of fan to blow out warm air?
my old pc's fan sounds just like that (dust in there). keep an eye on that, fans fail after some time (a couple of years!) esp. when they are dusty.
 
#3
If you open it up make sure its been sitting unplugged for quite a while. The capacitors hold a charge and can easily kill you if touched. Stay away from them period. Hold onto the fan blades so they dont spin and spray compressed air to get the crap out. Anything dusty just blow out. JUST DONT GO NEAR THE CAPACITORS
 
#4
Often you'll find the cooling tunnel of fan cooled amps become clogged with dust and other crud. It need to be cleaned out. I use a vacuum cleaner with a crevice tool and use a clean paint brush to gently loosen the dirt. You should wear a dust mask while doing this because you really have no idea what the amp has sucked up in the past.

Paul
 
#5
Aw the 4PRO won't kill you unless you hit the AC line. Just unplug.

The fan will juice up for a few seconds when you first turn it on and then go to low speed. Its running in there to blow cooling air all the time. If you hear it full speed you don't have enough cooling air going through your rack....

To decide if you need to do any cleaning look on the right side grill (right looking from front) that is the side with the whole side punched to let in air. If you see any dust on the edges of the openings, you might want to open it up.

Unscrew the top. Lift off. Then Gently wipe the fan blades with a Kleenex to collect the dust off the blades. Really unless you operate in a really nasty dust prone environment after 4 years it shouldn't be too bad. The cover will have some splattered dust on it wipe off.

I use two different products to clean electronics. The first is really simple Isopropol Alchohol from the local grocery store. Or CRC non residue contact cleaner (Home Depot or Menard's electrical department).

Set the 4PRO on its side over a big pan. The right side up.

With the alky in a spray bottle or the CRC can. Spray off the fan trying not to concentrate on the fan motor directly. Then down the heat sink letting the dirt run OUT the exit into the pan.

Don't blast the transformer; liquids and transformers don't mix even the evaporating kind like these two. The rest of the circuitry will be OK. If you don't have noisy pots stay away from the controls. You wouldn't want to use Alky on them anyway; we're just cleaning dust off the fan, heat sink and circuit board.

Let dry while still standing on its side out of the pan. then using mom's good white towels wipe all the dusty crap off the outside of the amp and put Mister cover back on.

You are now an Amplifier Service Tech Level Zero. Congratulations.

BOB

PS. Paul method works too. I've had more industrial dirty chores trying to clean HAM RADIO equipment back in the 70's where the gear sat right in front of guys blowing cigarette smoke into the gear directly. That stuff; the nicotine and tar that came off the rigs was really dark brown. I was able to clean up the really expensive gear to look like it wasn't from a smoke filled environment. I used stuff a little more nasty than CRC back then. You probably can't even buy that stuff anymore. HAHAHAHA
 

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