Trouble with PE 250 overheating

Adam C. · 04-27-2003, 06:18 PM

For the first few months I had no overheating issues with my PE 250 in my EBS Shiva. Now when I play music (I have a VSXD811 turned volume to 46) for more than a half hour, the PE 250 is HOT to the touch. I know this was brought up at least once before but I could not find that post. Anyone have any overheating issuses with the PE?

Brian Bunge · 04-27-2003, 09:00 PM

Saying it's hot and saying it's overheating are two entirely different things. If you are really working the sub then the amp should be getting hot. If the amp isn't shutting down and if you've calibrated the sub then I'd expect things to be just fine.

Michael R Price · 04-27-2003, 09:04 PM

It's got a 75C thermal switch that should really never go off. It's just fine if the heatsink gets pretty hot (like, hot enough that it's uncomfortable to touch). However, playing continuous levels near its limits could heat it up enough to make it shut down. It isn't exactly built like a tank.

Adam C. · 04-27-2003, 09:08 PM

sorry, forgot to mention, every once in a while, it shuts down. I turn the amp off for about a minute and then turn it on and it works again.

Allen Ross · 04-27-2003, 10:57 PM

i had noticed after about 3 hours of decent volumes it gets hot to the touch, but i also have it about 2-3 inches from the wall, and at the time no feet, so it was getting almost no air flow.

I have since put four decks of cards under as tempory feet (hey the best i could do in my dorm room) and i had a small 120V fan that i put over the heat sink that i turn on when ever i know i will be pushing som serious db. I have periodicly check the heat sinks and noticed that it isn't nearly as hot as it was.

So my best suggestion is get it as much air as possible, even though that might pull it away from the sweet spot.

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Chuck Bogie · 04-28-2003, 01:14 PM

Suggestion - If you can fabricate it (and WAF can come into play...) you can make a chimney to cool it - No fan noise. It'll just draw cool in from the floor, flow it past the warmer amp heat sink, and then it'll move up the chimney, sucking more air in the bottom. Folks used to make 'em with PVC pipe for cooling fanless macintoshes...

Allen Ross · 04-29-2003, 12:43 AM

meah i will just move it a little bit away from the wall and put bigger feet on it. still sounds like a plan if you are hardcore about it

Hank Frankenberg · 04-29-2003, 06:30 AM

Stupid questions:
1. Do you have the amp mounted so the colling fins are vertical?
2. Is there an object close the to top of the cooling fins, blocking the vertical rise of warm air?
If ventilation is not a problem, you may have a defective unit. I crank my Tempest with that amp with no hint of *hot* or *overheating*. I fabricated an enclosure that's mounted on the side of my sonosub and I put ventilation holes in the bottom and top of the enclosure so that the inside of the amp gets a chance to have air flow by it:
http://www.geocities.com/hankbond1/index

JoelTW · 04-29-2003, 12:27 PM

ok I did some measurements (using 12" dayton titanic mkii 4 ohm) also, I have an ebs design if that makes a difference *shrug*

1/2 level on amp, playing trance (paul van dyk) with 90% sound card output results in...

heatsink temp = 57C

and my room = 28C (85F)

JoelTW · 04-29-2003, 01:13 PM

hmm... mine seemed to have cut out too. BAH

i had to turn it off and back on.