TenderSurrender Posted November 4, 2005 Report Share Posted November 4, 2005 Ok well i recently purchased a Line 6 Spider 2 - 212 and since then ive thought about an idea which could possibly improve my amp... Firstly to my suprise, this amp is passivly cooled e.g uses a Heatsink with no fans... now although the heatsink is fairly meaty it does get rather warm after an hour or so use (especially when turned up live) and although i suppose they would of done lots of testing before hand, i like to make sure its working perfectly... I like (for some reason) all things like that to run as cool as possible... My pc is heavily modified internally with high power fans and i was wondering... How easy would it be to attach say a standard 12mm Case fan to a 9v Battery (stored in the back of the amp (open back)) on to the heatsink... the catch is... is it possible to attach it easily to the internal power switch on the amp so as you turn the amp on, the fans also come on... I know this probably seems like a mad idea but id still be interested in hearing your views and also your suggestions on how to implment this idea Cheers guys/girls ~~ Slain Angel ~~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gripper Posted November 4, 2005 Report Share Posted November 4, 2005 If it doesn't boil spit when you puke on it I would leave it alone. My Marshall practice amp will almost burn you at the heatsink and it has survived some pretty brutal use. There probably is some maximun temoerature info available on the transistors or FETs that would give you a TOP TEMPERATURE BUT i REALLY WOULD BET THE line PEOPLE HAVE BEEN THERE, DONE THAT. Cap lock rocks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ansil Posted November 4, 2005 Report Share Posted November 4, 2005 i wouldn't put alot of money on people checking the max tolerances but thats my sad story working for a music store with a blown up duoverb. however you should be able to forgo the battery and just tap into the power from the transformer inside. with no ill effects. i have done it before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemleggat Posted November 5, 2005 Report Share Posted November 5, 2005 Heatsinks are supposed to get hot, thats their point. If its worked up until now then it will work forever. It wouldn't be difficult to hook up a 80m case fan, anything between 6-12v is fine to power those things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TenderSurrender Posted November 5, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2005 however you should be able to forgo the battery and just tap into the power from the transformer inside. with no ill effects. i have done it before ← Hey Ansil (or anyone else interested), would you be able to post a simple diagram for me to follow once i get inside my amp? I suppose i agree with you all that the heatsink must be doing its job if it is getting hot, but i suppose more for a sense of security, id still chuck the fan on... Thanks for the reply guys, Appreciate the time ~~ Slain Angel ~~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted November 5, 2005 Report Share Posted November 5, 2005 Just me, but I think it would be a lot easier (and safer, since any time you open up an amp chassis, you run the risk of damaging something expensive or hard to replace) to just find a surplus muffin fan that runs on mains voltage, and simply run the whole thing outside the amp. My old Yamaha/Soldano T-50 had a pair of 'em, completely isolated from the amp's power supply (except for the mains power cord), and there was no noise or hum whatsoever. I'm no expert on the Line 6 stuff, but working on the old adage that "a power amp is nothing but a modulated power supply", I'd be reluctant to "steal" any current from the amp's supply to run a fan that might be totally superfluous to begin with - this way, the only supply that's getting an extra load is the acual wall current. Just my two cents... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TenderSurrender Posted November 5, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2005 Ok Lovekraft, that seems the easier soloution and also safer... muffin fan that runs on mains voltage It could be that im from the UK, or that im just being stupid... BUT.... Muffin fan? ive never heard of a "muffin fan" so could anyone prod me in the right direction (UK preferebly) Thanks once again ~~ Slain Angel ~~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted November 5, 2005 Report Share Posted November 5, 2005 Muffin fans at Maplin Evidently you call them something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TenderSurrender Posted November 5, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2005 Muffin fans at Maplin Evidently you call them something else. ← Cheers for the link LK, Do you think i should get 2 x 80mm or 1 x 120mm? Standard 80mm Fan max airflow is 28CFM (792 Litres/minute) Standard 120mm Fan max airflow is 78CFM (2200 Litres/minute) The prices between them are not bad at all either with only £2 seperating them... And with these do you think the best route would be, attach to heatsink > Switch mounted onto amp > Mains? Cheers for all your help LK and others!! ~~ Slain Angel ~~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ansil Posted November 5, 2005 Report Share Posted November 5, 2005 [sings] do you know the muffin fan the muffin fan.. do you know the muffin fan...................... lol thanks LK i neede a laugh. very good point though I must appologize i am too quick to rip something apart and do it how i see fit instead of seeking alternate ideas. sometimes overengineering is a bad idea. perfect example. i had some bad wiring in a van once. so what did i do i thought well i will use some heavier wire and remove anythign i deem as obsolete. so what actually happened. gutted everyhting electrical. [oh yes i meanEVERYFREAKINTHING] ran completely new wiring for it. changed out everything to l.e.d's i put led panels [you can find them on ebay they have these great little diffuser looking things on them reminds me of the oldstyle fluorescent lights anyway they have about 100leds in each and they have mostly white light but there are a few misc ones in there to help make it closer to natural light anyway i digress] i put in a swamp cooler led lights extra battery supplys as well as we took off the original ac unit and fabricated a second alternator bracket out of the ac bracket and added that on.[that was the tricky part] so what happened. nothing it all worked fine and it ended up going to some friends of mine who tour around but the fact is i went extremely **** about it. [lets not get me started on the solar cells as well as the heating unit.] it would have been simpler to just fix what was wrong and not go that deep into it is the point. sorry for ranting. ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted November 6, 2005 Report Share Posted November 6, 2005 The 120mm looks like the better deal, but your application will dictate which dimensions are useable. Make sure to leave some air space both behind the fan and between the fan and the heat sink. If it was me, I'd simply splice into the existing A/C cable and use a DPDT rocker switch for power. Be sure to observe all standard practices and precautions when wiring up a mains-powered circuit - don't want to lose anybody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TenderSurrender Posted November 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2005 Ok cheers LK, Ill have to wait a few days before i can order it, but ill let you know how it goes once its done Thanks to all who have helped in this thread ~~ Slain Angel ~~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1guitarslinger Posted November 6, 2005 Report Share Posted November 6, 2005 Muffin fans at Maplin Evidently you call them something else. ← Crumpet fans? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x189player Posted November 8, 2005 Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 squirrel cage fans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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