Tweakers' Asylum

Can an amp have too much heatsink?

72.186.180.162

tweakk

I just built a chip-amp using a heatsink scavanged from a large receiver and the amp hardly gets warm even when cranked-up for a long time. Is this good or bad???

Follow Ups:

RE: Can an amp have too much heatsink? - Ric Schultz 10:47:03 02/02/10 (1)
Most power amp chips run very little idle current through them. So, at idle they need very little heatsink. If you are constantly playing them loud, near their limit then some more serious heatsinking may be required. Generally, you can just mount them to the side of an alluminum chassis of on a small heatsink. Larger heatsinks will not hurt, but be sure to damp any heatsinks you use (sounds better). If you run your fingernail along the ribs of the heatsink and it makes metalic sounds then those sounds will be tranfered through the device and be "heard" through your speakers. A single piece of constrained layer damping material along the ribs edge is all you need to damp them.....then, when you run your fingernail along the edges it makes a very damped sound with no ringing. The sound is sweeter....less "transistory".....he he. Try it!
- Good thought ... but can you explain a bit more? - andyr 18:15:49 02/02/10 (0)
  Sure, if you run the back of your fingernail across the ends of the bare heatsink ribs, you'll hear a "ringing" sound.
  
  And if you stick a piece of constrained layer damping material (say, Dynamat) along the end of each rib then, when you run your fingernail along it (the Dynamat) again, this time your fingernail will make very little sound.
  
  But shirley you need to run your fingernail along, say, the bare top edge of the ribs to see whether the Dynamat folded over the end of each rib end has actually damped the whole rib?
  
  Regards,
  
  Andy
My Stratos always runs cool - Hyfi 07:42:43 02/02/10 (0)
Massive heatsinks and never really warm while driven at any load or length of time.

I can warm lunch on my Counterpoint NPS-400.
In general it's a good thing... but... - Tweekeng 06:31:23 02/02/10 (1)
A heatsink not getting warm could be a indication of poor thermal transfer from the device to the heatsink.
- True... - tweakk 06:52:42 02/02/10 (0)
  I used a ceramic spacer with "silver" thermal compound. Overkill eh?
  
  I thought the same thing you did and touched the chip to check. Just warm.
  
  With my Jolida 1310 amp, the chips run super hot. Not much of a heatsink there though.
  
  Thanks for letting me know that things are OK.

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