Problems with amp overheating...help?

[beans-on-toast]

Checking the amp out for anything obvious, such as dust, is the first logical step in troubleshooting a problem. As others have said, the next step is taking it to a tech to have the amp checked out and brought up to spec. Having a clear written description of the problem and a contact number for the tech to call if they have questions would help.

It could be anything. Transistorized amps sometimes need to have their bias adjusted. Power supply caps age and need to be replaced. Even in newer amps, components can be defective and the problems take time to manifest themselves.

As for cooling, I find that it makes a big difference to have a small desk fan, like this one, that blows into the back of my equipment. Excessive heat can be a killer when it comes to electronics. In the case of a rack, it helps to circulate the air around the rack to help the fans inside the rack out. Also don't position a rack too close to the wall. It needs free space around it.

 

[will33]

alright guys...so i opened up the amp...no dust. Left it out the case and played for almost an hour at gig level volume. The amp got VERY hot right over the vent of the fan. It didn't overheat, but feel like it was almost there. I also noticed that the amp was almost struggling to maintain its loudness...like it wasn't as loud as it used to be. Could I have blown something? What do y'all think? Thanks for the help guys.

Was the fan running? As mentioned earlier, the excessive heat and/or lack of air flow could've burned out the motor on the cooling fan. Don't play the amp anymore until you get this figured out. Doing so will only lead to more damage and a more expensive repair.

 

[georgestrings]

alright guys...so i opened up the amp...no dust. Left it out the case and played for almost an hour at gig level volume. The amp got VERY hot right over the vent of the fan. It didn't overheat, but feel like it was almost there. I also noticed that the amp was almost struggling to maintain its loudness...like it wasn't as loud as it used to be. Could I have blown something? What do y'all think? Thanks for the help guys.

Did the fan ever come on???


- georgestrings

 

[will33]

Did the fan ever come on???


- georgestrings

Curious as well.

The fan sucks in from the top. If he was feeling a bunch of heat rising out of the fan vent, it kinda tells you the fan's not working, but it's probably not a good idea to crank it up and get it hot again to find out.

Replacing a fan isn't hard to do yourself, but he still needs a tech to check thermistors and give it a "general checkup". This thing has been exposed to high heat a few times now.

 

[twotonetommy4]

yesterday morning, i brought the amp into a tech to check it out. the fan is working, as well as everything else that he checked was in tact. The tech thinks what the problem is a bad transistor. Based on what the amp has done, that's all he could conclude. Any agree? (one snidbit i forgot to tell you guys is that when i played a gig a while ago, the soundman had me DI from my bass amp as well, and when my amp shut off from overheating, my bass was still playing through the house PA.) What do you guys think? Thanks again for all the help

 

[Toolmybass]

FWIW all my racks have a separate fan that helps move some air around. Most amps are made with vents on the sides or top beside the fans and cases just block the air flow. for over a decade if haved added an extra fan in a strategic postion in every rack i use. usual i try to blow " outside" air towards the vents to help bring cool air into the amp instead of just pulling air out qhich the internal fans do and which may actually be pulling hot air from normally trapped in the rack.

+1

I use something very similar to this and i have 2 1001RB's in my rack and they stay very cool!
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[Ric5]

By your description, the lack of ventilation seems the only likely cause. Maybe tack it out of the rack, and test the theory?

+1

 

[bassmangotdbluz]

I had a similar problem a few years ago and since I put all my 2 space amps in the center of a 4 space rack with a fan in the back. I just use a small cage type fan that I picked up at Walmart for about $7 and it does the job well. However, first I'd make sure that the cooling fan in your amp is functioning and the circuit board isn't layered with dust.