Just installed this amp, and it hits super hard powering 2 12" Alpine Type R's in my Wrangler, after an hour drive last night, it cut off and was hot. I turned it down for about 3 minutes and it came back on. after I got home, I took the cover off and powered it up (smelled hot electronics when it shut down) and the fan does not turn, 0V at the fan plug when the amp is powered up. My question is, is this fan temperature controlled, or should it be on all the time?
Thanks!
Thanks!
I have the 4ch version, and it stays on all the time.
I don't have it in my car however. It has been sitting in my bedroom for over 6 months... I got bored and hooked it up to my home stereo. It consists of Acoustat 2+2 speakers, Pass Labs X2.5 preamp, and a ZAPpulse digital amp.
Wow, the Audiobahn amp sounds pretty damn good. Very detailed, super smooth, and good soundstaging. The bass is a bit soft, but I am using a weak battery right now -- one of the jump start boxes. It sounds WAY better than the ZAPpulse.
I don't have it in my car however. It has been sitting in my bedroom for over 6 months... I got bored and hooked it up to my home stereo. It consists of Acoustat 2+2 speakers, Pass Labs X2.5 preamp, and a ZAPpulse digital amp.
Wow, the Audiobahn amp sounds pretty damn good. Very detailed, super smooth, and good soundstaging. The bass is a bit soft, but I am using a weak battery right now -- one of the jump start boxes. It sounds WAY better than the ZAPpulse.
Usually car amplifiers equipped with a fan turn on the fan when the unit is powered on. Exceptions are Kenwood KAC-x23 series, they have a regulated fan. I had a 823, 923 and 2 1023 but their fans never turned on
but you can check that easily. The fan is always connected to a small power-transistor . you can find the transistor by following the lanes on the curcuit board. If you find the switching transistor you can check it´s base connection. usually that goes to a resistor that is connected to the remote-terminal.
probably the transistor is burned.
but you can check that easily. The fan is always connected to a small power-transistor . you can find the transistor by following the lanes on the curcuit board. If you find the switching transistor you can check it´s base connection. usually that goes to a resistor that is connected to the remote-terminal.
probably the transistor is burned.
Alright, the culprit seemed to be, so far, a visible cold solder joint at the fan plug on the bottom of the board. the transistors check out, now there is 12v at the plug, and when the amp is turned on, the fan jumps 1/4 turn, but doesnt seem to spin up. The fan works by itself on a 12v source, and with the fan load in the loop, there is still 12v at the plug, I'm lost. Any suggestions?
usually not. Most amplifiers turn on the fan with a remote-signal follower. That´s a small power transistor and a resistor that connects the transistor´s base to the remote - terminal , just like all illumination curcuits do if the amp is equipped with that.
If there is a real RPM-control curcuit , you will also find a transistor that powers the fan. But then the base is not connected (via a resistor) to the remote - terminal . It can be an easy threshold - curcuit ore a more complex current- limiter.
Can you make a picture (front and back) of the curcuitboard of that area where the fan is connected ?
If there is a real RPM-control curcuit , you will also find a transistor that powers the fan. But then the base is not connected (via a resistor) to the remote - terminal . It can be an easy threshold - curcuit ore a more complex current- limiter.
Can you make a picture (front and back) of the curcuitboard of that area where the fan is connected ?
Hm, this is really strange . If it gets hot, it gets power.
Did you mount the fan to the heatsink/chassis ? Maybe the fan itself doesn´t rotate if it is bended or smthg. Usually the fans installed in car amps are not really high quality parts. So if it is "physically stressed" the bearing inside will block free rotating .
Do you have access to a scope ? With a scope you could see how the voltage really looks. Maybe there is a control /regulating curcuit that causes the trouble and it is sending pulsed signals by fault (instead of a normal 12V DC voltage) ..... a normal DC-voltmeter will only show the RMS - value, that´s why maybe you read 12V but the fan doesn´t spin.......
I doubt that there are complex kind of curcuits installed. I have fixed a lot of car amplifiers so far and some of them had fan controls , but they all have been rather simple applications. Actually the "tuffest" curcuit had been a double fan layout where #1 fan was turned on with the RMT-signal and #2 fan was turned on by a NTC-resistor.
greets from Germany
sdoom
Did you mount the fan to the heatsink/chassis ? Maybe the fan itself doesn´t rotate if it is bended or smthg. Usually the fans installed in car amps are not really high quality parts. So if it is "physically stressed" the bearing inside will block free rotating .
Do you have access to a scope ? With a scope you could see how the voltage really looks. Maybe there is a control /regulating curcuit that causes the trouble and it is sending pulsed signals by fault (instead of a normal 12V DC voltage) ..... a normal DC-voltmeter will only show the RMS - value, that´s why maybe you read 12V but the fan doesn´t spin.......
I doubt that there are complex kind of curcuits installed. I have fixed a lot of car amplifiers so far and some of them had fan controls , but they all have been rather simple applications. Actually the "tuffest" curcuit had been a double fan layout where #1 fan was turned on with the RMT-signal and #2 fan was turned on by a NTC-resistor.
greets from Germany
sdoom
no, the fan is installed in the factory location, on a sheetmetal mount in the middle of the board, I have removed it and it spins just the same as when mounted. The fan spins fine when hooked up to my power supply, but i haven't yet measured the current draw on it while running.
one of the only things i do not have is a scope, i have a few DMM's and freq generators. Do you think i could measure this with a DMM set to AC voltage?
This is quite perplexing.
(when you place your finger in the middle of the fan motor, it is quite hot, not just from radiant temps in the enclosure)
one of the only things i do not have is a scope, i have a few DMM's and freq generators. Do you think i could measure this with a DMM set to AC voltage?
This is quite perplexing.
(when you place your finger in the middle of the fan motor, it is quite hot, not just from radiant temps in the enclosure)
Not sure, what are the readings on AC ? Problem is, most DMM ´s are only accurate on sinewave , not on square voltage.
Does your DMM have a diode-test function ? You could check the transistor that powers the fan. It is perplexing to have voltage but no spin.........
I assume the old housewife-trick ( hit the damn thing) isn´t gonna work
Does your DMM have a diode-test function ? You could check the transistor that powers the fan. It is perplexing to have voltage but no spin.........
I assume the old housewife-trick ( hit the damn thing) isn´t gonna work
BTW. Do you have another fan ? Maybe one out of an old computer power supply or a CPU-cooler. Just to really make sure it is NOT the fan. Sorry if I am annoying , but I always doublecheck electronics
Hm, can you follow the lines on the curcuit board ? What´s the part number of the transistor ?
Hm, can you follow the lines on the curcuit board ? What´s the part number of the transistor ?
Ok. Those are the transistors:
KTB631 = 2SB631 . That is a PNP transistor
If you look from the top the pins will be (from left to right)
XXXXX
XX XX
XXXXX <----- Transistor
XXXXX
XXXXX
X X X
X X X
X X X
X X X
X X X
E C B
___________________________________________________
KIA7805 = µA7805 is a 3pin voltage regulator IC , 5V
front view
XXXXXX
XX XX
XXXXXX
XXXXXX
XXXXXX
X X X
X X X
X X X
X X X
X X X
I G O (input, ground , output)
_________________________________________________
KTB631 = 2SB631 . That is a PNP transistor
If you look from the top the pins will be (from left to right)
XXXXX
XX XX
XXXXX <----- Transistor
XXXXX
XXXXX
X X X
X X X
X X X
X X X
X X X
E C B
___________________________________________________
KIA7805 = µA7805 is a 3pin voltage regulator IC , 5V
front view
XXXXXX
XX XX
XXXXXX
XXXXXX
XXXXXX
X X X
X X X
X X X
X X X
X X X
I G O (input, ground , output)
_________________________________________________
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