Would adding fans help?

[b34tBoX 0]

** Coles notes: Very hot today, as soon as I turned up the volume the 2.600 amp shutdown, at about 1/3 volume every time. Was fine last night, had them cranked for a long time, no issues (I assume cooler outside too) **

Was thinking of adding three 140mm fans to each side of the amplifier rack after I drill some ventilation holes along the sides.

Soundstream Rubicon amps in amplifier rack

1.2500D - bottom

2.600 - middle

2.250 - top

Speakers.

CDT CL-62 (2 pair per side, front)

CDT CL69X (rear)

Fi BTL (Dual 2, loaded)

Had the fronts in parallel from the 2.600 @ 2ohm load.

Rears @ 4ohm load.

Sub @ 1ohm load.

Hooked everything up last night, no problems setting gains, front speakers sounded great, cruised around, bumped some tunes. Perfect.

Today, went for a drive, was increasing volume, got to about half and all front speakers kicked out, and 2.600 went into protection.

Turned HU off, then on, amp was OK to use again, then same thing, shut off as I increased volume.

Noticed the 2.600 was the warmest of the three amplifiers.

OK, disconnected a pair of components and ran one pair @ 4ohm load, no issues getting them to sing.

Amplifier didn't get as warm running a pair full blast @ 4ohms compared to running them all at less than 1/4 volume @ 2ohm.

Do I have a heat issue?

Was thinking of adding three 140mm fans to each side of the amplifier rack after I drill some ventilation holes along the sides.

Edited May 24, 2010 by b34tBoX

[SpeakerBoy 64]

I think fans are a good idea, either way.

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

To me it looks like you should have good air flow around the amps now. Maybe cut slots in the sides of the amp rack if you want.

I dont think lack of airflow is the problem. could be, but would nto be my first pick.

I would check that ground on the rear bat with a DMM and re check those gains.

[cheese20323 13]

you should get them if they don't work atleast they didn't do anything wrong. Nut in most cases they work

[The enD 467]

Won't hurt to put some fans to cool off the monoblock and see if there is positive effect. If you don't have some around the house, you can always buy cheap ones and if there is good effect you could buy better ones that are quieter and with more air flow.

What is your voltage?

[b34tBoX 0]

I would check that ground on the rear bat with a DMM and re check those gains.

I know, that ground is very questionable.

But would a poor ground cause an amplifier to go into thermal protection mode?

[Julian 641]

Check your grounds and power, this happened to me when they wiggled lose, causing voltage drops making them over heat

[b34tBoX 0]

Won't hurt to put some fans to cool off the monoblock and see if there is positive effect. If you don't have some around the house, you can always buy cheap ones and if there is good effect you could buy better ones that are quieter and with more air flow.

What is your voltage?

Voltage is 13.8V steady with DC Power 270A, two optima batteries and big-3 in 1/0.

[b34tBoX 0]

Check your grounds and power, this happened to me when they wiggled lose, causing voltage drops making them over heat

I just checked all connections from alternator to rear battery, all was fine except the rear battery top positive terminal post.

The wing nut which holds the power cable was slightly loose. Not enough to cause any issues I don't think, but you never know.

Also, I would have figured that the monoblock would have given out first if that were the case.

I'll run it as is, and see how it is, then run the 2.600 down to 2ohm again and see what happens.

I guess my next step after that would be to add some fans.

Edited May 25, 2010 by b34tBoX

[Duran 387]

That battery needs to be grounded to the frame.

[b34tBoX 0]

I checked the ground with DMM set to 200.

And it measured in at a whopping -22.5ohm.

I checked a seatbelt bolt which was pretty oxidized and it measured in at 0.7ohm.

I'm thinking if I can use a metal tooth washer and sandpaper the surface that it would provide a much better ground.

[Duran 387]

That's why I said ground it to the frame, no resistance there if you sand and bolt it.

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

Better yet, run a ground cable from the front battery to the rear battery.

[b34tBoX 0]

Better yet, run a ground cable from the front battery to the rear battery.

That was also an option I was thinking of.

I will try the new ground tomorrow and see how things fair, before I run a new ground front to back.

PS: Thanks for replying to my PM.

[Duran 387]

It's not necessary at all, because the frame is grounded to the front battery. You have a giant "ground wire" already ran.

[jonbearsmt 919]

low voltage will cause your amps to run hot.. and yellow tops are only like 40 amp hours..

13.8 is not to great...

you said it was hot today... were you running your a/c while playing when it shut off?

if so i would look into voltage issues.

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

It's not necessary at all, because the frame is grounded to the front battery. You have a giant "ground wire" already ran.

Not necessarily, but it should be.

Some cars dont have metal frames that run the length of the car and some others are pieces welded together.

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

Better yet, run a ground cable from the front battery to the rear battery.

That was also an option I was thinking of.

I will try the new ground tomorrow and see how things fair, before I run a new ground front to back.

PS: Thanks for replying to my PM.

[Frostedflakejake 148]

I'd just like to say i love your amp rack install and how it looks inside your car! I think it's badass. I'm interested to know about the fans as well. I was going to install some myself but making them fit and look nice adds a certain level of complication.

Good luck on your heat issues! Sweet install

[GlassWolf 5]

** Coles notes: Very hot today, as soon as I turned up the volume the 2.600 amp shutdown, at about 1/3 volume every time. Was fine last night, had them cranked for a long time, no issues (I assume cooler outside too) **

Was thinking of adding three 140mm fans to each side of the amplifier rack after I drill some ventilation holes along the sides.

What electrical system upgrades are you using? HO alternator? Is that Optima in the trunk isolated or just run parallel to the starter battery?

How are the amplifier gains set? (most common reason amps shut down like you describe is from clipping due to lack of current, of the input stage being over-driven.)

The amp rack looks great.. from the front

If you want some really slick fans that will help with airflow, google "PAC CF-1 FAN"

You'll get a result of my favorite car amplifier fans. Give those a try.

[Julian 641]

It's not necessary at all, because the frame is grounded to the front battery. You have a giant "ground wire" already ran.

Not necessarily, but it should be.

Some cars dont have metal frames that run the length of the car and some others are pieces welded together.

First off, your alternator is grounded through your engine block. most if not all frames are one piece. your frame is ALWAYS the best ground you have. no doubt about it.

[b34tBoX 0]

** Coles notes: Very hot today, as soon as I turned up the volume the 2.600 amp shutdown, at about 1/3 volume every time. Was fine last night, had them cranked for a long time, no issues (I assume cooler outside too) **

Was thinking of adding three 140mm fans to each side of the amplifier rack after I drill some ventilation holes along the sides.

What electrical system upgrades are you using? HO alternator? Is that Optima in the trunk isolated or just run parallel to the starter battery?

How are the amplifier gains set? (most common reason amps shut down like you describe is from clipping due to lack of current, of the input stage being over-driven.)

The amp rack looks great.. from the front

If you want some really slick fans that will help with airflow, google "PAC CF-1 FAN"

You'll get a result of my favorite car amplifier fans. Give those a try.

270A DC Power alt. with big-3.

Battery is run parallel to front battery.

Last year I was using a cheap 200A ebay alternator, and I was seeing about 14.8V steady, the alternator swap was the only difference since I last measured voltage.

I know there is a voltage booster available for my car which increases it by .6 volts. It's a connector that plugs inline with the alternator, the voltage regulator is found inside the alternator.

I set gains by ear. They are all approximately set to 1/2.

Edited May 25, 2010 by b34tBoX

[The enD 467]

Your frame is ALWAYS the best ground you have. No doubt about it.

No, frame is good, wire is better.

[GlassWolf 5]

Your frame is ALWAYS the best ground you have. No doubt about it.

No, frame is good, wire is better.

This I have to agree with. With modern subframe cars (not full frame cars) your car is really held together by the subframe in the front, which is joined to the rest of the car by spot welds and floor pans and such, which have the equivalent current capacity of approximately 4AWG wire. If you're running a high current setup, the best bet is to run dedicated, isolated audio batteries (parallel, busbars) with the amplifiers connected directly to the batteries (or via distribution blocks) at both Pos and Neg terminals. Skip passing the ground through the chassis (don't confuse the terms "chassis" and "frame.")

Most modern cars also do not have a single frame that runs the length of the car. Heck, my car from 1966 is even a sub-frame, or at least was until I welded in the subframe connectors to link the front and rear halves to reduce chassis flexing at launch. It had the added benefit of giving me a good place to run cables, too though, once it was all boxed.

[Duran 387]

Have you done any testing to support your claim that grounding to the frame in a modern vehicle is equivalent to 4AWG?