dust cover is warm... how hot is too hot?

[jonbearsmt 919]

so allways hear people talk about how there dust cap is warm is it normal blah blah... and then say some or one is warmer then tha other......... but i never see people ask how hot is too hot!>?

i know it will be warm just knowing how a sub works i know it will be warm...

mine arnt too hot.. i dont think they are!

[JimJ 11]

If you're melting voice coils, then it's too hot.

I've never gotten a dustcap warm...

[jonbearsmt 919]

If you're melting voice coils, then it's too hot.

I've never gotten a dustcap warm...

whhhat,.. so dustcaps should not be warm!...... i have never blown a sub in ten years of playing with car audio.

im playin my bls hard.... and there warm. should i be alarmed

[JimJ 11]

Slightly warm isn't bad, as long as you know exactly how much unclipped power you're sending to them and that isn't a problem for them.

[jonbearsmt 919]

Slightly warm isn't bad, as long as you know exactly how much unclipped power you're sending to them and that isn't a problem for them.

well i know im over powering them a little, but hell there BL's thay should be able to take a little power somtimes,

i drive my car maybe 2 hours a week. and so i maybe play hard maybe an hour total a week.. and not an hour stright... like 5 min songs.... i go out drive down the street listen to one song... and then go back home.

[BKOLFO4 29]

how much power are you running on them?

you ever smell the glue getting warm?

[jonbearsmt 919]

how much power are you running on them?

you ever smell the glue getting warm?

i have a sundown saz 3000d.... umm i donno how much of it im pushing... the gain is half way up at 1 ohm.

and there in a trunk.. i cant smell anything... but when i open the truck there is no smell

[JimJ 11]

umm i donno how much of it im pushing... the gain is half way up at 1 ohm.

"Halfway up" is meaningless. Set your gains with an o'scope to make sure that it's not clipping.

[jonbearsmt 919]

i know sir thats why i said i didnt know... i just offered as much info as i know about how much power i have flowing....... i dont have an o scope, neither does the local shop.

and i cant seem to find the kind of oscilloscope i need on ebay... anyone have any idea where i can find a good deal on one????

also.. those hand held DB meter dont work that well is that correct?

Edited February 17, 2008 by bigjon

[johnecon2001 82]

The hand held one from radio shack will only read up to 120db. And it isn't very accurate.

As far as an O-scope goes, there's a decently cheap handheld on that parts express carries. Another option is to check craigslist and ebay. Alot of the older and larger ones go for fractions of what they used to.

[JimJ 11]

Alot of the older and larger ones go for fractions of what they used to.

Indeed. I see a bunch of Tektronix ones going for dirt cheap every year at hamfests/surplus electronic shows...for audio purposes you don't need very fancy/high-bandwidth ones.

[///M5 2,833]

I got mine from Toro when they were clearing out their old measurement gear. Awesome old school piece, dirt cheap.

[cougarballa2k5 0]

How do you use the oscope to set gains? Just adjust the gain until the waveform stays unclipped?

[johnecon2001 82]

How do you use the oscope to set gains? Just adjust the gain until the waveform stays unclipped?

In a nutshell, yes.

[zaxfire69 0]

To set your gains correctly don't you play a 60 htz or so tone at 3/4 radio volume and set your gains accordingly with an OScope?

[shizzzon 461]

Ok, this is how i do it -

Then i take a group vote on the settings and i am done.

No, this is really how i do it-

I use GoldWave to generate test tones recorded at 0db, so the graph will be completely full of sound . I then generate the exact same test tones but are attenuated down 30%, so 70% total of the original tones.

I then proceed to the vehicle. I walk out of the house..... anyways i'm there.

I setup the x-overs on the amp. Let's say i set the SSF to 28hz and the LPF at 65hz.

I generated test tones 1 note at a time so i have 2 sets of tones ranging from 15hz to 80hz.

I use the fully generated tones first. These tones i generate are 60 seconds so it's plenty of time before it switches to next track.

I just pick a tone, let's say 40hz. I then set the HU's volume to a point to where the wave form starts to get clipped then of course i back it down so it isn't clipped. I then go up and from 40hz in 3 hz increments and try to adjust the gain and bass boost so it levels my playing range as good as possible.

When i am done, i make myself remember that maximum volume level because this will be the level for bass tracks and test tones.

I then redo this process with the 70% volume tones. This would mean a slight increase in volume from HU or maybe the gain, just depends. When I am done with this, i make myself remember this maximum volume that the HU was at. This will be the max volume i use for playing music. When you look on a sound graph like in goldwave, the bass lines on a lot of heavy bass songs tend to be approx 70% of the graph, that's why i do that.

Whereas it may still be possible for some songs to clip, if they did, it would be very minor.

[muddybass 13]

john you should talk to meade and see how he handles his clipping problems, since he straps 4000 watts to each btl

[NDMstang65 403]

Meade doesn't have any clipping problems, clipping happens from turning the volume knob too far to the right and square waving your input signal..

Amps are dumb (generally speaking) they just amplify what they are given...

Thanks!

-Nick

[jonbearsmt 919]

Meade doesn't have any clipping problems, clipping happens from turning the volume knob too far to the right and square waving your input signal..

Amps are dumb (generally speaking) they just amplify what they are given...

Thanks!

-Nick

i hear that.. like i said i dont think im clipping, and if i am its just a hair,..... and as stated,. 10 years of playing with audio and i allways tune by ear. and i have never blown a sub!.

[shizzzon 461]

Amps are dumb (generally speaking)

i like that statement, hehe. I can't decide on which amp is dumber though for my setup. I hope i find the dumbest amp out there. I'm sure the cost is gonna be completely retarded.

Big Jon -

From past experiences, your dust cap can get warm with no worries. If it started to feel like it was about ready to start cooking for you, then let it cool down immediately.

Now, i'm not saying burning type of hot, but i'm saying you wouldnt want to keep your hand there for a prolonged period of time. If it's not that hot then no immediate worries.

You will know if there is too much excessive heat buildup back there. I used to own a crown vic and i could smell the glue gettin hot with this one setup i had long time ago so i know u'd be able to smell it too.

You will get more peace of mind knowing your amp is setup correct though.

[the727kid 1]

I've gotten my dustcaps pretty warm before. Yet again they were warm to the touch before I even pkayed them (damn FL heaT)