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Overheating amp

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Old 07-19-2004
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Overheating amp

I have a RF 1500 watt amp powering 2 audiobahn 15" that total to 1200 watts, 600 watts a piece. If I do not have my back seat down my amp will overheat and cut off until it cools down then will come back on. Now I have heard that all RF amps just run hot period but when I run my system for awhile and then go back and feel it, it will burn flesh hehe. Is this a common problem? I know that it is not because my amp is overloading because it has 300 extra watts. Does anyone know a fix for this?
Old 07-19-2004
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I have heard that they run hot as well, but as a competitve RF user, mine has never gotten unusually hot.

Where is your amp mounted? You could try moving it to a place where more air can get to it, and/or install a couple of small 12v fans
Old 07-19-2004
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Originally Posted by Texas Rice
I know that it is not because my amp is overloading because it has 300 extra watts.
This seems to be a misunderstanding of the relationship between your speakers and your amp. Your subs will take whatever power your amp gives them until they blow. Your amp won't just stop giving power when the subs have enough...

Are these watt ratings RMS or peak and at what impedance (it might help just to give the models of the amp and subs)? How is the amp powering the subs (i.e. how are the wires attached)? How is the amp mounted, and how much space is there around it?
Old 07-20-2004
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What model is that rf amp? what ohm load is the amp seeing? and what is the amp stable to? and is the amp mounted correctly (ie not upsidedown)?
Old 07-21-2004
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I had the work done by Best Buy because I did not want to tackle the wiring, I am more of a motor guy. They mounted my amp on my on the back of my seat in the trunk but my amp is quite heavy and ripped some of the seat and fell off. Now my amp is not mounted because I take it out when I autocross but I only take it out because it is not mounted and I will just break it with it not being mounted. When I have my back seat down it never cuts out so I really just think it is not getting enough of air. So maybe I should just try to mount it where air can get underneath the amp or something. Any ideas?
Old 07-21-2004
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Air off your amp.

Or you can go hardcore like me and run a pipe from the front of your car's passenger feet vent to a/c the equipment. If you do A/C and a blowing air at the amp, I'm sure you'll be fine.
Old 07-21-2004
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Originally Posted by Texas Rice
I had the work done by Best Buy because I did not want to tackle the wiring, I am more of a motor guy. They mounted my amp on my on the back of my seat in the trunk but my amp is quite heavy and ripped some of the seat and fell off.
Hope you bitched at them!

Exactly why that place is never touching anything I own. Sorry to hear about it...

I like Norek's idea about blowing AC...where did you run the pipe? Details, we want details!!

-Flounder
Old 07-21-2004
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Originally Posted by Texas Rice
When I have my back seat down it never cuts out so I really just think it is not getting enough of air.
Well, yeah. But the question is why? Possible reasons could be because it is mounted incorrectly, because something is wrong with the wiring (e.g. you are wired for 1 ohm, but your amp isn't rated to go that low), or because it simply gets hot in your trunk.

Without more information, we can't really tell you anything. For example, we can tell you to stick a fan in there, but it might not be enough if you are running your amp incorrectly.

It sounds like it might just need to be mounted better (make sure the heat sink fins are vertical). However, this might not be the case.

Was it working fine before it fell off?

Also, it would really help if you could give us models, describe as best you can how things appear to be wired (between your amp and subs), and tell us how your amp is sitting in your trunk (is it just sitting there on the floor? Is there anything else around it? etc.).
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