[Amps] Can I cool too much the tubes?

Colin Lamb k7fm at teleport.com
Mon Aug 16 10:40:41 PDT 2010


"I guess the fundamental question is why did Ten Tec select 90 CFM fan instead of 250 CFM."

Assume amp designed with 250 cfm fan and going to review to marketing, this might be the conversation:

Marketing: "This thing is too loud, no one will buy it."

Engineering: "250 cfm is what is necessary during a contest, to adequately cool the tube."

Marketing:  "No one will buy this thing, it sounds like a vacuum cleaner."

Engineering:  "I can cool it with 90 cfm, but then it will overheat at altitude, or during hot weather, or when heavily used."

Marketing: "Drop it to 90, we have to sell it."

Engineering: "No way.  I am going to management and tell them you are screwing around with the amp.  You are no engineer."

A week later:

Marketing: "Next time just do as we tell you.  You darn engineers think you know everything.  If we listened to you and your paranoia, we would go broke."

Amp goes out the door with 90 cfm.

This is a hypothetical story, of course.  It never is like that in the real world.

73,  Colin  K7FM




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