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mesa 400+ racking?

mlwarriner

mlwarriner

Nov 8, 2003
1,734
41
51
KC, MO, USA
#1
OK, so I'm finally getting a Mesa 400+ and I have a question about racking it. Is the on-board fan adequate enough to cool the amp inside a rack, or should I invest in a rackmount fan panel to help the amp's fan?


please and thanks.
 
#2
This has come up a few times, and you will get varied responses (as usual!). I can only say that I use a Gator four space rack, with holes drilled in the handle recess on each side, which corresponds with the fan position. Other rack cases were tighter fitting on the sides and less suited to the hole drilling.I was advised to do this by another forum member with a similar setup. I have had no problem at all with this system, doing some big(and hot) outdoor gigs and many indoor ones where the amp has been driven hard..
 
#3
I agree. While the internal fan on the 400 is more than adequate to keep the amp cool, what it cannot do is exchange the air inside the rack, so additional cooling holes help, or what I did was to put a 4" fan in the side of my rack in the front to pull air into the rack (and thus pushing the hot air out the back) and let the fan on the 400 do the rest. Even with an oversize rack, heat will still tend to pile up inside it, since the 400 does not intake or exhaust any air through the front panel . . . .

- Tim
 

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