Water Cooled

[M0ses]

That's very true! Completely pure water is also completely non-conductive. You could immerse the amp in it and it would function just as well.

But the points about the weight of water are extremely valid. And the overall decline of portability.

 

[wkbryan]

I don't think it's that crazy an idea. The inside of a lot of modern amps look a lot like the inside of a PC so using a system designed for a PC might work fine. They don't use a lot of water so I really don't think that weight would be an issue. It might be kinda handy in places where conventional fan noise between songs would be undesirable.

I say try it and tell us how it goes.

 

[Korladis]

It would make more sense for a large, stationary PA system. Amps get the crap kicked out of them, and the way some people treat their amps, this could be not only prone to failure, but also dangerous.

 

[georgestrings]

Stupid idea, IMO...


- georgestrings

 

[greenboy]

Beer is mostly water. It's usually available at gigs, can be poured directly in to amps, or processed biologically to get a more fluid sound. And if you are in a RHCP tribute band, can even be filtered by a sock easily.

 

[Crockettnj]

...
Pure water, I mean. We went over this in a science class once. If it's pure H2O, it will not hurt electronics. I've seen videos of people putting a cell phone under pure water and using it. What hurts electronics is the other crap that is inevitably in the water....

Easy demo to do. light, cut cord, 2 cups, distilled in each, table salt...

anyway, in reality you dont or wont have pure water. The dust and other stuff on and near the amp are BOUND to dissolve in the water and some of that will conduct.

If you are looking for an easy nonwater way to cool an amp, and dont want to play with fans and heat sinks cause thats too easy ;-) then just get a bag of dry ice and sit it on your amp or visa versa.

looks cool (IS cool) and creates no mess.

dont tell Al Gore though, he'll want to cap and tax your rig.

 

[wagdog]

Water cooled amps is a great idea! Then you can hook up a radiator from a '57 Chevy with a big old fan and drive belts. How cool would that be?

 

[Billnc]

I just tried it.... crap

 

[B-string]

Fan fact: Over a half century ago tube crunchers would seal a #2 or #4 can on their metal octal output tubes, fill the cans with water and push more wattage from them!
Not a new idea

 

[M0ses]

Fan fact: Over a half century ago tube crunchers would seal a #2 or #4 can on their metal octal output tubes, fill the cans with water and push more wattage from them!
Not a new idea

I rest my case.

So if there is enough market for THIS sort of thing, why isn't someone manufacturing a system like this? I am convinced that it would significantly increase the amp's performance, and I am also convinced that there are situations where it would be practical.

 

[B-string]

I don't think with UL requirements you will get it certified for sale? That would be the biggest stumbling block.

 

[Rick Auricchio]

I rest my case.

So if there is enough market for THIS sort of thing, why isn't someone manufacturing a system like this?

Because the two are quite different. It's far more difficult and hugely expensive to build a water-cooled amplifier.

There is no decent volume of musical instruments. Computers are manufactured by the millions.

Oh, and if you want to offer any kind of a warranty, you have to charge even more.

 

[R Baer]

I doubt I could buy enough liability insurance to cover me on an amp that also has water in it!

 

[fdeck]

Don't make the heat in the first place. Class-D FTW.

There's a reason for fluid cooling a computer, which is to get as much **** as close together as possible on the CPU chip, which makes for a challenge getting all of that heat out of there. Historical amps dealt with it by distributing the heat over a larger area, either the surface area of a tube envelope, or multiple output transistors.

 

[Korladis]

As said, most computers aren't moved that often.

Now think of how amplifiers are treated on tour. That's why this isn't a good idea for instrument amplifiers.

 

[Berger912]

some computers while they do use a fluid cooling systems are hardly ever moved once they are setup. an amp even a well taking care of one will get far more abuse than a computer would. that might be the reason a fluid cooled amp might be unpractical.

 

[Korladis]

some computers while they do use a fluid cooling systems are hardly ever moved once they are setup. an amp even a well taking care of one will get far more abuse than a computer would. that might be the reason a fluid cooled amp might be unpractical.

Exactly. Even my air-cooled desktop isn't moved once set up. This one's never been moved, and my previous one was moved only once every few months.

My amp gets moved quite a bit, though.

 

[ddnidd1]

To OP: Keep smoking. You may be able to come up with more great ideas. What can it possibly hurt.

 

[Trevorus]

If you need that much more cooling, why not use heat-pipe systems like they do in a laptop?

 

[M0ses]

To OP: Keep smoking. You may be able to come up with more great ideas. What can it possibly hurt.

I stay away from that stuff my body is all natural, and so are my stupid ideas.

Anyway, someday every studio in the world will be paying thousands to get my 10-watt all-tube water-cooled amp that they won't have to ever move, with unbelievable heavenly overdrive and distortion, and you'll all be kicking yourselves