can I mount a stereo amplifier vertically

[Tim R]

I run the headphone jack of the PC we use for internet into a Yamaha AV amplifier and a set of stereo speakers. It's not an audiophile system but it's much better than PC speakers.

It would be really convenient to stand the amp vertically to save desk space. But it has vents top and bottom, none on the front back or sides.

Can you run these vertically? or do they need the airflow from the bottom to stay cool enough?

 

If you are going to really push the thing, a fan would be a good idea.

I had a Pioneer SA-1270 on the floor u on its side running into 2.3 ohms, and cranked quite often. Without the fan, which was a breeze box type, it would start smelling like an overheated iron. I am surprised it survived.

If you are running into eight ohms you probably don't have to worry.

At the very worst you'll have to get one of those little muffin fans and tape it or whatever to the top, the circulation it induces should be as good as the convection the amp was designed for.

Run it a while and feel it, if it is hot get a fan.

 

[N_Cook]

On 30/07/2017 03:26, Tim R wrote:

I run the headphone jack of the PC we use for internet into a Yamaha AV amplifier and a set of stereo speakers. It's not an audiophile system but it's much better than PC speakers.

It would be really convenient to stand the amp vertically to save desk space. But it has vents top and bottom, none on the front back or sides.

Can you run these vertically? or do they need the airflow from the bottom to stay cool enough?

Could you remove the top cover of the amp , cut a hole in the side that
would become the new top face and cover that with a fan grille or
similar mesh? A matching lower hole would not be required, assuming
there will be airflow into the original air vants

 

[T i m]

On Sat, 29 Jul 2017 19:26:36 -0700 (PDT), Tim R <timothy42b@aol.com>
wrote:

I run the headphone jack of the PC we use for internet into a Yamaha AV amplifier and a set of stereo speakers. It's not an audiophile system but it's much better than PC speakers.

It would be really convenient to stand the amp vertically to save desk space. But it has vents top and bottom, none on the front back or sides.

Can you run these vertically? or do they need the airflow from the bottom to stay cool enough?

If you consider how it cools itself normally, it probably draws a
small amount of air in though the bottom and passes it out the top,
plus random air movement of air from the top of the board out though
the top grille.

So, depending on where the vents were (all along or just specific
locations) you might find it could be made to cool better when on it's
edge because you could get a greater 'chimney' affect.

On my home server I blocked all the external holes in the case except
the air intake under the front panel and the PSU exhaust. I then
created air dams from polycarbonate sheet that ensured all the
incoming air went over the 3 hard drives and another over the
motherboard that ensured the air then went over the RAM and LSI
heatsinks, before being drawn out an over the PSU by the only fan in
there (in the PSU).

By sealing the case like that, ensured the air had to move *though*
the case, and not just round and round inside it and because of it's
height and general openness to airflow, convection would possibly keep
it cool even if the fan failed (in fact now the PSU only contains a
120mm slow speed fan as the PSU is an external 'brick').

So, say your amp had vents all the way along the top and the bottom
but a main board that covered most of the area of the inside of the
case. If you blocked off the middle section of the top and bottom of
the case and stood it on it's edge, convection would then cause air to
be sucked in at the (new) bottom of the case (on both sides), up
inside (behind the blocked off bits) and back out of the top? The
remaining open grill at each end only needs to roughly equal the cross
sectional area of space that is available inside the case.

In fact that's exactly what I have here with a TP-Link 16 port Gb
switch where there are only vent holes at the two ends and back and
nothing anywhere else (and no fan etc). I use it on it's end and just
added some extra feet to (what is now) the bottom to lift the end off
the work surface. It's also sitting beside a PC to I also added
bigger (stick-on rubber) feet to the bottom (now the side) so that it
ensures an airgap between the switch and the PC so that heat can
radiate out of the switch case and then air convect up the gap).

With some cardboard and tape you can experiment with your amp and see
if it feels hotter in use. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

 

[Tim R]

Huh. Interesting ideas.

I don't know where the air travels now. It might be worth borrowing a smoke tester and checking.

It would be useful to know which component in an amplifier generates the most heat and therefore convective air flow, and which component is most sensitive to overheating. I'm assuming they are not the same component.

 

[Bennett]

On 7/29/2017 7:26 PM, Tim R wrote:

I run the headphone jack of the PC we use for internet into a Yamaha AV amplifier and a set of stereo speakers. It's not an audiophile system but it's much better than PC speakers.

It would be really convenient to stand the amp vertically to save desk space. But it has vents top and bottom, none on the front back or sides.

Can you run these vertically? or do they need the airflow from the bottom to stay cool enough?

How hot does the case get when horizontal? Is it appreciably hotter
when vertical? Do you hear any distortion when vertical? If not,
you're good to go.

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

Guys and gals, as it may be known here, I have an irrational appreciation of vintage Dynaco products, with specific reference to the ST120 and ST80 (solid-state). They may be run safely in any position but upside down. If that is any help.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

Why not upside down ?

 

[Adrian Caspersz]

On 01/08/17 11:47, jurb6006@gmail.com wrote:

Why not upside down ?

the electrons fall out?

--
Adrian C

 

[rickman]

Tim R wrote on 7/29/2017 10:26 PM:

I run the headphone jack of the PC we use for internet into a Yamaha AV amplifier and a set of stereo speakers. It's not an audiophile system but it's much better than PC speakers.

It would be really convenient to stand the amp vertically to save desk space. But it has vents top and bottom, none on the front back or sides.

Can you run these vertically? or do they need the airflow from the bottom to stay cool enough?

If there is no fan, the airflow by convection through the openings will not
be a lot. If you have any device on your desk that blows air out you can
sit this in front of that airflow and regardless of position it will likely
be better than sitting in still air in any position.

--

Rick C

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

On Tuesday, August 1, 2017 at 6:47:27 AM UTC-4, jurb...@gmail.com wrote:
> Why not upside down ?

The bottom plate is nearly solid. No air flow.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[Tim R]

On Tuesday, August 1, 2017 at 5:27:57 PM UTC-4, pf...@aol.com wrote:

On Tuesday, August 1, 2017 at 6:47:27 AM UTC-4, jurb...@gmail.com wrote:
Why not upside down ?

The bottom plate is nearly solid. No air flow.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

But on my Yamaha, there seems to be equal vent space top and bottom.

 

[T i m]

On Mon, 31 Jul 2017 05:30:45 -0700 (PDT), Tim R <timothy42b@aol.com>
wrote:

>Huh. Interesting ideas.

I can't take credit for any of it, convection is used all over the
pace for all sorts of hearing and cooling (and gliding and cooling
towers etc). ;-)

I don't know where the air travels now. It might be worth borrowing a smoke tester and checking.

Yup, you can manage what you can measure. ;-)

It would be useful to know which component in an amplifier generates the most heat and therefore convective air flow, and which component is most sensitive to overheating. I'm assuming they are not the same component.

I'm not sure you can do much about that, just 'manage' the airflow in
general.

The point is, 'to' actually manage the airflow, rather than have it
just random.

Cheers, T i m

 

On Sat, 29 Jul 2017 19:26:36 -0700 (PDT), Tim R <timothy42b@aol.com>
wrote:

>Can you run these vertically? or do they need the airflow from the bottom to stay cool enough?

Case position should not matter at all. Ventilation does matter though.
If need be, get a computer fan from an old computer and mount it inside
or outside the case. Then find a suitable 12volt power supply (wall wart
or other) to power it.

 

On Tuesday, 22 August 2017 19:11:07 UTC+1, olds...@tubes.com wrote:

On Sat, 29 Jul 2017 19:26:36 -0700 (PDT), Tim R <timothy42b@aol.com
wrote:

Can you run these vertically? or do they need the airflow from the bottom to stay cool enough?

Case position should not matter at all. Ventilation does matter though.
If need be, get a computer fan from an old computer and mount it inside
or outside the case. Then find a suitable 12volt power supply (wall wart
or other) to power it.

+1, but run it on 5v or 6v.


NT