View Full Version : Amplifier
KLowD9x
10-17-01, 09:13 PM
I know this has nothing to do with computers, well somewhat, but I need someprofessional input from the water cooling masters... I am building a competition car audio system with 3 custom amps pushing out 3000 watts at 1ohm, and after a while of competing, they get HOT! the amps are square where the mosfets are, and I was gonna set up a watercooling system for all of the amps, like 1 radiator and 1 resv. for each amp. To cool the amps I was going to use a slot waterblock for maximum surface area coverage. but I need to know if I should hook up the waterblocks in series or parallel. also, any other tips for this setup is appreciated!
flounder43
10-17-01, 09:27 PM
There are competitions for car audio systems?
Wow.
On what criteria are these system judged?
eric
Right on dude! I used to be into the car audio scene, I still have a trunk full of ADS PQ.20s and alpine V12s. Could never run those at 1 ohm though!:(
Well anyway I never once ran an amp hot enough to trigger the thermal protection. Even at competitions or show-offs. If your amps can handle 1 ohm loads they should be pretty much bulletproof. Anyway I bet your trunk is open to show off yer stuff, right?;)
Maybe do it anyway just for the originality Judges usually dig the cool weird stuff! Although I doubt it will work for long, where is the heat supposed to go? Stuck in your trunk where it's always hot anyway. Hell give it a shot! Sounds cool!
VashTheStampede
10-17-01, 10:11 PM
Most amps I know of, their own construction acts as a form of heatsink, whereas the innards look like a PSU. So for maximum cooling, I would suggest taking cues from Koolance's water cooled PSU.
Right now I have a gimp little 75W Pioneer amp. I was told by the people who install it, that I needed a bigger one, because one that size has the high potential of over heating. It's the same size as your standard 125 or 150W amp. So maybe a custom amp enclosure, using copper, making it larger than the size you got right now?
~RT~
RangerJoe34
10-17-01, 10:42 PM
my brother has 1 kicker 12 " square sub in a HUGE ported box and it will hit 140 db. he has it powered by 1 infinity 600watt rms amp its great
I was told by the people who install it, that I needed a bigger one, because one that size has the high potential of over heating.
LOL that's because they wanted to sell you a new one!!:D Seriously modern car amps don't overheat unless they are of very poor quality. Pioneer isn't super high end but they still build solid stuff.
Most of the time when people say their amps are overheating, it's actually the built-in safety circuit turning off the amp before it starts hard-clipping the signal.
RangerJoe34
10-17-01, 10:59 PM
INFINITY 202A RULES!!!!!, its the best amp ive ever had
when i first got it, the speaker is dual 4 ohm voice coil, so i wired them in parallel, or whatever made it into 2 ohms and i bridged my amp which is 200x2 at 4 ohms or 600x1 at 4 ohms
and i was running it bridged so it was about 1200 watts for about 2 weeks, till i read the box for the amp(i read the 600x1 at 4 ohms as 600x1 at 2 ohms) and it seems to work fine now at regular power
Back to the original question: you want to hook the water blocks is parallel so each block gets it's own supply of cool water. I would use a surgeless Holly electric fuel pump (Blue Max, I think) and a big tranny cooler. Also wire in an electric fan (if you don't already have one) on a switch so you can turn it on without the car running.
r0ckstarbob
10-18-01, 05:19 PM
*chuckle*
only a stereo guy would ask if they should hook up their pumps in "parallel" or "series"
sounds like you're running bridged amps, hopefully at 2 ohm...
yah, you're gonna want to make sure each amp has their own pump/watersupply that way the water doesn't get preheated from one amp and then go to your next one to try and cool it with the now-warmer water.
used to design and install competition stereo systems myself back in the day. wow, this brings back some memories.
r0ckstarbob
10-18-01, 05:22 PM
Originally posted by flounder43
There are competitions for car audio systems?
Wow.
On what criteria are these system judged?
eric
decibles, noise, asthetic setup, you name it, they can rate it.
KLowD9x
10-18-01, 06:51 PM
Good thought, since my trunk is open, I shouldnt have anything to worry about. And when I say something is hot, everyone else says it is "luke warm"...
My friend has his amp hooked up in every wrong way possible, and it will burn your hand if you touch it, and mine dont even get nearly that hot, but ive never run them at over 200db for 3 minutes
KLowD9x
10-18-01, 06:53 PM
Originally posted by Monster of Rock
Right on dude! I used to be into the car audio scene, I still have a trunk full of ADS PQ.20s and alpine V12s. Could never run those at 1 ohm though!:(
Well anyway I never once ran an amp hot enough to trigger the thermal protection. Even at competitions or show-offs. If your amps can handle 1 ohm loads they should be pretty much bulletproof. Anyway I bet your trunk is open to show off yer stuff, right?;)
Maybe do it anyway just for the originality Judges usually dig the cool weird stuff! Although I doubt it will work for long, where is the heat supposed to go? Stuck in your trunk where it's always hot anyway. Hell give it a shot! Sounds cool!
The heat is gonna go to a/(3) cube radiator(s) that will sit in the back window...
Kingslayer
10-18-01, 10:27 PM
Parallel.
And ditto on the blue max Holley fuel pump. It is adjustable as far as flow. If you're takin it easy you can drop it down, if youre showin off you can crank it up.
Tranny cooler wouldn't be bad, like he said, but your going to need a big 12v fan to run it on. You could even go the extra mile. I would. I would get the tranny cooler, then use a electric fan from an import car. Something front wheel drive, that's gauranteed to have an electric fan. I would run the fan on a 150 degree or lower thermostat just for shock factor. Something collapsable that will prop open when you pop the trunk. That way the hot air isn't staying in the trunk and overheating anything. I would keep the whole system on a master switch. No reason to have the pumps running or the fan spinning unless you in a competition/show.
The heat is gonna go to a/(3) cube radiator(s) that will sit in the back window...
cool, good idea there. As long as you aren;t in the sun!:D
Most of the comps I was at took place inside anyway. Should be fine like that. Besides, it's mostly going to be for looks so it don't gotta work amazingly well. Right?:D
Good luck!
r0ckstarbob
10-18-01, 10:58 PM
heh
if you want to get all high speed you should find a way to mount your radiators to the grill of your car so you can keep that fan noise on the outside and keep yer stuff extra cool when driving around. :) :) :) you'll still want some kind of stud pump to move the water but...
anyhow... like it's ever gonna happen
beware of pump/fan noise comming through the your speakers in the form of ground/white noise. would definately recommend slapping a filter or something on there if it becomes a problem. am sure you know this already but found it worth mentioning.
Originally posted by KLowD
The heat is gonna go to a/(3) cube radiator(s) that will sit in the back window...
Naw mount it to the top of the trunk!!
Rob
Parallel
Wicked Klown
10-19-01, 02:39 AM
Klowd if you could hit 200 db`s you would be the #1 ranking car guy cause last I heard 180 was the worlds loudest. And I've only been out of the game for one year now. I ran with 5 Orion HCCA 250 hooked up to 5 15" Orion HCCA`s and I could only hit 175.8
Hmm..I was just gooing to say try tapping into your already existing engine cooling system in your car, but that water would probably get too hot to keep electronics cool. Maybe if you can mount the grills under your car with some fans blowing through it down to the ground. As for the waterblocks, since you already have spent a ton of money on the system, see if you can have your own milled somewhere. that way you can have a perfet fit.
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