Overheating amps

[kulabula]

Hi, I have a Hartke HA5500, and when I use my boss chorus or overdrive my amp overheats ( a bit smelly) and shuts down. Anybody got any clues/ideas?? Much appreciated . Ta

[Dad3353]

[quote name='kulabula' timestamp='1407525969' post='2521550']... Anybody got any clues/ideas?...[/quote]

If it's overhear=ting, the ventilation isn't working as it should (or you're playing far too loud..! [size=4] ). Does the fan run when the amp is on..? It may be duff, or simply bunged up with grunge. It may be a good plan to open the amp (yes, unplugged from the mains, of course..!) and give the whole thing a blast with an airline. Outdoors is best, and with goggles, as dust and fluff will probably fly everywhere. If the amp is clean, and the fan runs, there could be something amiss with the heat detection circuitry or the protection, but this is unlikely. It would, however, need a visit to a tech if that's the case[/size]
[size=4]Hope this helps; subject to completion, correction and/or contradiction from others...[/size]

[kulabula]

Right, cool, thanks. It is nearly brand new and the fan works fine. I didn't know if the overdrive and chorus where just overwhelming it. They were particularly HOT nights/gigs when it failed.

[ahpook]

As an aside, I don't think the effects would have had much to do with it - sounds like a hot amp at a hot gig !

Go with Dad3353's excellent advice on giving the insides a good old clean out.

Does the fan seem to shift a decent amount of air ? - if it's gunked up it could need replacing.

Edited August 9, 2014 by ahpook

[kulabula]

It all seems to work fine, like I said, brand new. I'll put it down to Hot summer night.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='kulabula' timestamp='1407594520' post='2522149']
Right, cool, thanks. It is nearly brand new and the fan works fine. I didn't know if the overdrive and chorus where just overwhelming it. They were particularly HOT nights/gigs when it failed.
[/quote]

One has to think of having fresh air available, too; on a hot evening, playing a long set with the amp's fan up against a wall or obstructed by a tee-shirt could provoke overheating.
On the other hand, the amp could just be duff, and in need of repair. If it's [i]that [/i]new, maybe the guarantee could be invoked..?

Edited August 9, 2014 by Dad3353

[ahpook]

[quote name='kulabula' timestamp='1407597473' post='2522190']
It all seems to work fine, like I said, brand new. I'll put it down to Hot summer night.
[/quote]

Yes, so you did, sorry.

[icastle]

Couple of things about the HA series.

First up, if they overheat they do cut out by design.

Secondly, they do need some free air around them or they do overheat - make sure you don't shove it to close to a wall.

HTH

[kulabula]

I did everything by the book last night and all was well. Thanks chaps.

That said, I do have gas for a peavey vb3, anyone played with one?

[Ghost_Bass]

Aren't you overdoing on the gain? Using fx between the bass and amp will make your signal have diferent strenghts regarding the pedals you're using/not using at a certain time. If you have your amp's gain set too high as default the extra signal that a pedal may bring may cause the amp to reach it's threshold and cut into protection mode.

Try lowering the gain and raising the volume and see if it still cuts.

[JapanAxe]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1407533369' post='2521645']
Hope this helps; subject to completion, correction and/or contradiction from others...
[/quote]
You forgot to mention: subject to availability, terms and conditions apply, etc, etc...

[Dad3353]

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1407767683' post='2523753']
You forgot to mention: subject to availability, terms and conditions apply, etc, etc...
[/quote]

I'll take that as 'completion', then..? [size=4] [/size]

[iiipopes]

Does this amp have an fx loop? You might try your fx there, and see if the same thing still happens. With tube/valve amps and hot summer gigs in the midwest USA (35 - 40 Celsius), I've been known to point another small electric fan at the back of the amp, because nothing else will keep the amp from running hot in direct sun summer gigs around here. It may be duff, it may be a characteristic of the amp (like Jaguar E-types running hot everywhere but the UK due to the small intake), or it might be your fx are just overloading the front end that much.

***As I remember, some Hartke's have an input tube/valve 12AX7/ECC83 - does this one? If that tube/valve is overdriven continuously, it will also cause more heat. If you prefer your fx on the front end, you might try using more of the solid state input than the tube/valve input.

Edited August 16, 2014 by iiipopes