I have an older alpine amp model 3554, I'm running it in bridged mode producing 150 w x 2, the problem I'm having is the amp will shut down for a few seconds and than come right back on, all connections are correct power is coming thru a distribution block fed by 4 gauge cable, the amp is running a pair of coaxial speakers, the amp never feels like it's hot I have it mounted in the trunk of my car, I also have a PPI 2200am 2 ch amp (200 x 2) and it works fine so I don't think the alpine is suffering from a thermal problem. Anyone have any ideas??
Replies (8)
ttocs on 02/14/2004 00:08:06
sounds like the pwr supply is going out. Disconnect the speakers and see if the problem persists...
ahardb0dy on 02/15/2004 22:02:29
If I disconnect the speakers I won't know when the amp is shutting off, as it is in my trunk, One day I had a friend watch the indicator light on the amp and as usual it didn't shut off but 5 minutes earlier when we were both in the car it did!!, Anything in the amp that I can check as far as the power supply going bad ( if that's what it actually is)??
ttocs on 02/15/2004 22:06:56
the pwr indicator doesn't flash?
try running it it without bridging it. You will loose pwr but your problem will probably go away. How old is the amp? Is it one of the old black rectangular ones? Those things are tanks, you would be amazed how many +10yr old alpine amps I have installed....
ahardb0dy on 02/15/2004 22:15:16
I don't know if the indicator is changing color or not, usually when the amp shuts down I'm driving, today on a 15 minute trip to the store it must have shut down about 10-15 times, the amp was purchased around 1990-1991 yes it's one of the square black amps, recently replaced the rca board but still having problem, I borrowed another amp and problem went away so I know it's the amp. I swapped the amp out today so will have to hook it up to my power supply and keep an eye on the indicator light to see what it does, don't want to have it repaired if it's going to cost a lot.
ttocs on 02/15/2004 23:03:55
try shaking it, and gently pulling on the wires. did you have it mounted down? Does that have the screw terminals, or the wire hrns?
swez on 02/21/2004 17:36:28
You might as well open up the case and do a close inspection of the circuit board inside.
It's best if you pull the wiring harnesses off their connections, pull the board and go over it visually with a bright light shining on the component side of the board and a magnifying lense, viewing the other side of the board.
Look for dull, grey solder joints, lose connections, charred spots on the board or golden brown deposits on the back of the board. If you see these, get out an old tooth brush, some rubbing alcohol and give it a good cleaning. Then, touch up all suspect solder joints with a good solder iron (25 watts or more) and some thin diameter, rosin core flux 60/40 electrical solder. (Sn60) Clean it again, then dry with a hair drier for 10 minutes.
Now, reinstall the board, harnesses etc., and see if the problem has been corrected.
Good luck!
Swez
hardbody on 02/22/2004 00:43:57
I took the alpine back out of the car and I currently have it hooked up in my shed to my power supply and an old yamaha radio and some speakers, it hasn't cut out yet but I also haven't run it as hard as when it was in the car. The amp was starting to get a little warm but not as hot as when it's in the car, my power supply is only 25 amps so I probably wouldn't be able to push the amp too hard anyway, I've ad the amp open before I just replaced the RCA block with a new part from alpine but that didn't make any difference, I'll have to look at the board maybe it has a crack or something I know about the holding the board up to a bright light trick to look for cracks I used to do that when I repaired CB's, thanks for the suggestions, Ill let you know if I find out anything.,
swez on 02/22/2004 11:02:59
Great... I kinda figured you had some electronic repair experience by your posts. That makes it so much easier to discuss a fix for stuff like this.
Cracked board... probably not. Most likely a loose joint, bad soldering connection or corrosion build up on the board. Look closely for intermetalic migration traces between signal and power traces on the board. These happen over time and can play havoc on an amp, HU etc. These are tough to spot, but with a good cleaning and a stong light/mag lense, you can ususally spot them. They can be removed with alcohol and toothbrush or a clean pencil eraser.
Good luck,
Swez
PS If you find severe damage to a trace, just solder a new wire in its place.... point to point. Sometimes, if you can get under the solder mask coating, (down to Cu traces) you can use solder in place of the wire.
Replies (8)
ttocs on 02/14/2004 00:08:06
sounds like the pwr supply is going out. Disconnect the speakers and see if the problem persists...
ahardb0dy on 02/15/2004 22:02:29
If I disconnect the speakers I won't know when the amp is shutting off, as it is in my trunk, One day I had a friend watch the indicator light on the amp and as usual it didn't shut off but 5 minutes earlier when we were both in the car it did!!, Anything in the amp that I can check as far as the power supply going bad ( if that's what it actually is)??
ttocs on 02/15/2004 22:06:56
the pwr indicator doesn't flash?
try running it it without bridging it. You will loose pwr but your problem will probably go away. How old is the amp? Is it one of the old black rectangular ones? Those things are tanks, you would be amazed how many +10yr old alpine amps I have installed....
ahardb0dy on 02/15/2004 22:15:16
I don't know if the indicator is changing color or not, usually when the amp shuts down I'm driving, today on a 15 minute trip to the store it must have shut down about 10-15 times, the amp was purchased around 1990-1991 yes it's one of the square black amps, recently replaced the rca board but still having problem, I borrowed another amp and problem went away so I know it's the amp. I swapped the amp out today so will have to hook it up to my power supply and keep an eye on the indicator light to see what it does, don't want to have it repaired if it's going to cost a lot.
ttocs on 02/15/2004 23:03:55
try shaking it, and gently pulling on the wires. did you have it mounted down? Does that have the screw terminals, or the wire hrns?
swez on 02/21/2004 17:36:28
You might as well open up the case and do a close inspection of the circuit board inside.
It's best if you pull the wiring harnesses off their connections, pull the board and go over it visually with a bright light shining on the component side of the board and a magnifying lense, viewing the other side of the board.
Look for dull, grey solder joints, lose connections, charred spots on the board or golden brown deposits on the back of the board. If you see these, get out an old tooth brush, some rubbing alcohol and give it a good cleaning. Then, touch up all suspect solder joints with a good solder iron (25 watts or more) and some thin diameter, rosin core flux 60/40 electrical solder. (Sn60) Clean it again, then dry with a hair drier for 10 minutes.
Now, reinstall the board, harnesses etc., and see if the problem has been corrected.
Good luck!
Swez
hardbody on 02/22/2004 00:43:57
I took the alpine back out of the car and I currently have it hooked up in my shed to my power supply and an old yamaha radio and some speakers, it hasn't cut out yet but I also haven't run it as hard as when it was in the car. The amp was starting to get a little warm but not as hot as when it's in the car, my power supply is only 25 amps so I probably wouldn't be able to push the amp too hard anyway, I've ad the amp open before I just replaced the RCA block with a new part from alpine but that didn't make any difference, I'll have to look at the board maybe it has a crack or something I know about the holding the board up to a bright light trick to look for cracks I used to do that when I repaired CB's, thanks for the suggestions, Ill let you know if I find out anything.,
swez on 02/22/2004 11:02:59
Great... I kinda figured you had some electronic repair experience by your posts. That makes it so much easier to discuss a fix for stuff like this.
Cracked board... probably not. Most likely a loose joint, bad soldering connection or corrosion build up on the board. Look closely for intermetalic migration traces between signal and power traces on the board. These happen over time and can play havoc on an amp, HU etc. These are tough to spot, but with a good cleaning and a stong light/mag lense, you can ususally spot them. They can be removed with alcohol and toothbrush or a clean pencil eraser.
Good luck,
Swez
PS If you find severe damage to a trace, just solder a new wire in its place.... point to point. Sometimes, if you can get under the solder mask coating, (down to Cu traces) you can use solder in place of the wire.
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