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Does a 1U D class amp exist


nash
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[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1488065986' post='3245628']
It's not a stupid idea, and it's something I've looked into myself (I have a Connex amp module and SMPS that I picked up a couple of years ago waiting to be put to use). But to be really effective for bass amp use you would need to sort out cooling fans and some sort of limiter, and ideally an HPF on the input too. And the price works out at a point where you could pick up a fairly nice rack power amp secondhand.
[/quote]

I built one using an ICEpower 700ASC module. I used a sufficiently large heatsink to negate the need for a fan (which I will not tolerate) and the onboard limiter works just fine for my purposes. Most of my preamps do have an adjustable HPF, but the ones that don't still work OK for me. But the build ended up being 2RU high by 1/2 rack width, and is not small or light weigh enough to be commercially attractive, I think. By my calculations I would have to build and sell 100 of them just to start to make it worthwhile anyway, and there are potentially profound liability issues, so no thanks!

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I'm using a no-name 800w 1U Poweramp to power my Tecamp Pleasure Board but because I can't bridge it I'm not getting the most out of it. It says D800 on the front, which I think means 400w a side into 4ohm. It sounded massive with my SWR cabs but I'm looking for something a bit more suitable for my 'board.

I saw this - Palmer Macht 402 for £250ish
http://www.palmer-germany.com/mi/en/MACHT-402-19-Stereo-Power-Amp-for-Guitar-PMACHT402.htm
http://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/Palmer-MACHT-402-19-Stereo-Power-Amp-for-Guitar/1QZG#full-des

It looks great - bridged it'll do 400W into 8ohms (Tecamp is 600w rated) and it also crucially has a 'rumble filter' and EQ for each channel, so I can make more use of the watts on offer by dealing out the high end completely (remember this is to power [url="http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Eich_Bass_boards.html"]one of these[/url] so it essentially provides a vibration)

Has anyone tried one? I'd like to know what frequency the EQ is set at... better email them...

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[quote name='Passinwind' timestamp='1488175983' post='3246449']
I built one using an ICEpower 700ASC module. I used a sufficiently large heatsink to negate the need for a fan (which I will not tolerate) and the onboard limiter works just fine for my purposes. Most of my preamps do have an adjustable HPF, but the ones that don't still work OK for me. But the build ended up being 2RU high by 1/2 rack width, and is not small or light weigh enough to be commercially attractive, I think. By my calculations I would have to build and sell 100 of them just to start to make it worthwhile anyway, and there are potentially profound liability issues, so no thanks!
[/quote]

I must get round to re-visiting that project; I bought modules from Connex about four years ago, then my electric bass gigs dried up for a while, I lost all sense of urgency about it and put them in the back of a cupboard. Connex were quite frustrating to deal with, and I think that blunted my enthusiasm a little too. They had very good documentation for the SMPS I bought, but didn't have it on their website for the amp module I went for. I presumed the manual would be sent after purchase, but after multiple emails it never was, and they still don't appear to have written one. So I have a power amp module with almost no information about it - I know what it needs in terms of power supply but I don't know what the input sensitivity is or whether it has a limiter on board. The SMPS and amp module would fit in a 1U height case, though that will probably need a fan.
At some point I'll get round to hooking it up with a dummy load and signal generator to measure the gain and calculate the input sensitivity, and then put it in a case, probably with a simple soft-clip circuit on the input, perhaps an op-amp HPF. My intention was to build a simple valve preamp in a separate box, which is the bit of the project I'm rather more confident about.

Edited by Beer of the Bass
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[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1488194604' post='3246592']
I must get round to re-visiting that project; I bought modules from Connex about four years ago, then my electric bass gigs dried up for a while, I lost all sense of urgency about it and put them in the back of a cupboard. Connex were quite frustrating to deal with, and I think that blunted my enthusiasm a little too. They had very good documentation for the SMPS I bought, but didn't have it on their website for the amp module I went for. I presumed the manual would be sent after purchase, but after multiple emails it never was, and they still don't appear to have written one. So I have a power amp module with almost no information about it - I know what it needs in terms of power supply but I don't know what the input sensitivity is or whether it has a limiter on board. The SMPS and amp module would fit in a 1U height case, though that will probably need a fan.
At some point I'll get round to hooking it up with a dummy load and signal generator to measure the gain and calculate the input sensitivity, and then put it in a case, probably with a simple soft-clip circuit on the input, perhaps an op-amp HPF. My intention was to build a simple valve preamp in a separate box, which is the bit of the project I'm rather more confident about.
[/quote]

That sort of project often has a way of ending up taking years, or at least it has for me. The first ICE based build I did was made a lot easier by an old designer's guide that I found online, but I still had to do a fair amount of homework myself. Best of luck with yours!

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