Amp getting hot even when it is turned OFF?

[iiinoend]

I have a Dayton SA100 100w Amp with 2 Aura bass transducers connected in series. I connect the amp to my PC's Center Subwoofer out with a RCA to 3.5mm cable. It gets hot even when it is not turned on.

The red box is where it heats up.

 

[jsmithepa]

Very odd. Only class-A amplifiers get hot without signal, so that's for you to research, class-A?

Then looks like you have an auto-OFF, that should, *normally* shuts thing down when no signal regardless.

 

[the nerd 389]

It's class AB, not class A. The problem is in the general area of the power transformer. I would bet good money that the manufacturer skimped on the transformer, and it's dying as a result.

There's also another issue with the shakers that you're using. Because they have quite a bit of mass, they also have inertia. Amplifiers normally use electric power to dampen inertial forces in speakers. Since that speaker has significantly more mass than a conventional speaker, the amp has to put out a lot more power to dampen it. You're also running the shakers in series. That doubles the effect of their inertia. Combine that with the fact that the shaker resonates at 40 Hz, and you'll easily destroy a low power amp.

 

[americanaudiophile]

The transformer may not be disconnected from the AC line when the amp is turned off. It should be warm if that's the case but not hot.
Contact Parts Express since Dayton is their brand. They are usually very helpful.

 

[iiinoend]

It's class AB, not class A. The problem is in the general area of the power transformer. I would bet good money that the manufacturer skimped on the transformer, and it's dying as a result.

There's also another issue with the shakers that you're using. Because they have quite a bit of mass, they also have inertia. Amplifiers normally use electric power to dampen inertial forces in speakers. Since that speaker has significantly more mass than a conventional speaker, the amp has to put out a lot more power to dampen it. You're also running the shakers in series. That doubles the effect of their inertia. Combine that with the fact that the shaker resonates at 40 Hz, and you'll easily destroy a low power amp.

wait so does that mean I should connect them in parallel? in that case do I need another amp? I have no knowledge on this subject at all. Just building a sim race rig as a project. Also I am wondering what I can do to have it run on stereo so that I can distinguish feedback from left and right. Thank you.

 

[the nerd 389]

The amp can't really drive the shakers. It doesn't have the headroom. You should get something with an output of 200+ Watts, and it should be rated for 2 ohm loads. Then, run each shaker on a separate channel for the best results.