do they make any type of a liquid cooling system for amps
if not i think this would be a good idea don't you
if not i think this would be a good idea don't you
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
liquid cooling
- Thread starter tomzilla23
- Start date
I've never heard of it, but that doesn't mean that it hasn't been done.
Personally, I think that putting a liquid cooling system into an electronic device is asking for trouble -- especially when air cooling does the job just fine.
Then again, what do I know? I'm just an engineer.
Personally, I think that putting a liquid cooling system into an electronic device is asking for trouble -- especially when air cooling does the job just fine.
Then again, what do I know? I'm just an engineer.
- Dec 18, 2000
- 13,201
- 340
- Disclosures
- greenboy designs: fEARful, bassic, dually, crazy88 etc
Ah, yeah - they used to pee on the machine gun barrels during the great war when they had been fired long enough to get hot. Sound like the way to go. And you can do away with those pesky breaks between sets too!
It's fairly common to see liquid cooling systems in custom built PCs and nothing get hurt.
I imagine however that with a bass amp the only upside of a liquid cooling system is no fan noise, which sort of becomes moot whenever you actually start playing.
I imagine however that with a bass amp the only upside of a liquid cooling system is no fan noise, which sort of becomes moot whenever you actually start playing.
Are you trying to overclock your amp? Water cooling is cost prohibitive, maintenance intensive, and won't have any appreciable improvement in an amps performance.
The only mayor plus is noise reduction, which in computer systems where liquid cooling is allready a known technique, has it's uses. Mainly because the fans in a computer are fairly loud.
But in an amp your honestly not going to hear that little fan unless there are no other sounds at all. Sure some might find it a good thing to have an ultra silent rig, but the drawbacks seriously outweigh the advantages.
But in an amp your honestly not going to hear that little fan unless there are no other sounds at all. Sure some might find it a good thing to have an ultra silent rig, but the drawbacks seriously outweigh the advantages.
lol
but seriously i just thought maybe this would be a good idea for someone with a cramped rack or something
I'm sure you could adapt a PC liquid cooling system to use in an amp, sounds like a fun project if you either have one laying around or have the money/time to burn. Last I checked decent liquid cooling system for PCs were around $200 though and that's a new pedal or 2.
we use liquid cooling for tetrode based electron beam power supplies
these a big tubes
and the output ranges from 6 kW to 25 kW
they may still use these in laser power supplies, but since the development of igbt output devices, almost all liquid cooled supplies have been replaced with solid state fan cooled supplies
and unless we need to do it we dont
and you shouldnt either it is process that requires a host of attention
so again dont do it
get a fan instead, this will keep the electronics cool enuf, and fans dont require coolant tight connections, and they rarely fail
these a big tubes
and the output ranges from 6 kW to 25 kW
they may still use these in laser power supplies, but since the development of igbt output devices, almost all liquid cooled supplies have been replaced with solid state fan cooled supplies
and unless we need to do it we dont
and you shouldnt either it is process that requires a host of attention
so again dont do it
get a fan instead, this will keep the electronics cool enuf, and fans dont require coolant tight connections, and they rarely fail
Another reason not to go for it. A PC stays in one place most of the time so there's less risk of it getting tipped up and leaking. But with an amp it will get moved around a lot.
It might be a good idea in a studio where it stay still and needs to be silent though.
It might be a good idea in a studio where it stay still and needs to be silent though.
The only practical application I can see for liquid cooling in an amp would be to just have a radiator or somthing and have the fan blow that slightly colder air onto the amp parts. I cant see anything like a PC liquid cooling, especially on a tube amp. I would imagine the cooling efficiency of the liquid cooling system would be too dramatic for thin glass tubes, and cause them to crack.
I dont think its a matter of if i can be done, because it most certainly could be if someone was so inclined to do it, I just dont think its worth while or practical.
I dont think its a matter of if i can be done, because it most certainly could be if someone was so inclined to do it, I just dont think its worth while or practical.
An overdrive pedal on the front and a 2 Ohm or less load on the back. I am not sure if this would cause it to overheat (in which case water-cooling might actually be useful) or just spike the probability of spontaneous combustion/failure. Anybody want to go try and let us know how it works out?
No, bad idea. Too much maintenance and would add lots of weight.
Liquid cooling a PC is one thing. The voltage inside a computer is only about 12 volts DC. We're talking about an amp that has much higher voltages. If a leak occurred, it would be very dangerous. The cost of a good system capable of cooling a large amp would also be quite costly. It's much easier to just get a bigger rack or slightly modify one for more cooling.
It's not needed with these new high efficiency class-d amplifiers with SMPS
But I do wish some of these would forgo fans for cooling fins. Not so much for the noise, but just to get rid of the mechanical part.
But I do wish some of these would forgo fans for cooling fins. Not so much for the noise, but just to get rid of the mechanical part.
A computer that uses a liquid cooling system still has to have a fan to cool the radiator. No advantage in amps in my opinion.
Paul
Paul
