Old PPI Amp Question

[Tom]

I was thinking of going old school and buying some nice art series amps. can
these still be fixed if needed.

Thanks

[sanitarium]

Im pretty sure they used standard off the shelf components for that time.
Now if component vendors have ended production on some of the items, you
might have to search a little.

Garrett


"Tom" > wrote in message
. net...
> I was thinking of going old school and buying some nice art series amps.
can
> these still be fixed if needed.
>
> Thanks
>
>

[TO-3]

Tom wrote:
> *Xref: kermit rec.audio.car:298161
>
> I was thinking of going old school and buying some nice art series
> amps. can
> these still be fixed if needed.
>
> Thanks
>
>
> *

The Power Class amp is based off of the Art Series design. Some of the
parts have been obsoleted, but are easily upgradable.
--
TO-3
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CarAudioForum.com - Usenet Gateway w/over one million posts online!
View this thread: http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb2/showthread.php?threadid=159490

[Tom]

I heard that the new PPI'S aren't as good as the old?
any feedback.

The other question is US Amps, anyone have anything to say about them.

I am still trying to choose what brand of amp to drive my 4 10W7's.

I used to be a professional installer back in the early 90's and worked with
PPI and ADS.


"TO-3" > wrote in message
s.com...
> Tom wrote:
> > *Xref: kermit rec.audio.car:298161
> >
> > I was thinking of going old school and buying some nice art series
> > amps. can
> > these still be fixed if needed.
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> >
> > *
>
> The Power Class amp is based off of the Art Series design. Some of the
> parts have been obsoleted, but are easily upgradable.
> --
> TO-3
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> CarAudioForum.com - Usenet Gateway w/over one million posts online!
> View this thread:
http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb2/showthread.php?threadid=159490
>

[sanitarium]

Theres a lot of that going around... "they're not as good as they used to
be" kind of thing. I hear it all the time with my old zed audio hifonics
VIII amps.

I wonder if anybody has done a detailed comparison, and included failure /
defect rates and such?

Garrett


"Tom" > wrote in message
news:SR0db.596428$uu5.97637@sccrnsc04...
> I heard that the new PPI'S aren't as good as the old?
> any feedback.
>
> The other question is US Amps, anyone have anything to say about them.
>
> I am still trying to choose what brand of amp to drive my 4 10W7's.
>
> I used to be a professional installer back in the early 90's and worked
with
> PPI and ADS.
>
>
> "TO-3" > wrote in message
> s.com...
> > Tom wrote:
> > > *Xref: kermit rec.audio.car:298161
> > >
> > > I was thinking of going old school and buying some nice art series
> > > amps. can
> > > these still be fixed if needed.
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > >
> > > *
> >
> > The Power Class amp is based off of the Art Series design. Some of the
> > parts have been obsoleted, but are easily upgradable.
> > --
> > TO-3
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > CarAudioForum.com - Usenet Gateway w/over one million posts online!
> > View this thread:
> http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb2/showthread.php?threadid=159490
> >
>
>

[Ge0]

Yes they can easily be fixed. The exact replacement parts or better are
still available for them internally. Rather simple yet elegant design too.

Ge0
*******************************************
TeamAMP #4 - tech whiz type of guy
*******************************************
Low cost car stereo equipment repair/ modification
Contact me for advice or a quote.
Always interested in buying dead equipment too.
********************************************
Looking for answers on car stereo topics?
www.mobileaudio.com
www.teamrocs.com
http://go.to/bcae/
*******************************************
Geo uses:
Main Stage = a/d/s/ 336is.2
Rear fill = a/d/s/ 335is.2
Subs = Audiomobile Mass 2012 S24
Head unit = Alpine DVA-7996
Processor = Alpine PXA-H700
Sub Amp = a/d/s/ P4100.2
Main & rear fill amp = a/d/s/ P840.2
********************************************
Ge0 rides Ventanna and GT double boinger MTB's
Bikes built from deals at WWW.MTBREVIEW.COM
****
"Tom" > wrote in message
. net...
> I was thinking of going old school and buying some nice art series amps.
can
> these still be fixed if needed.
>
> Thanks
>
>

[Ge0]

The core design of PPI amps has not changed in years. What changes is the
manufacturing method. Cheaper labor, buying stuff off shore for cutt throat
prices, change in process, etc...

I do side work for a local chain of shops that sold a high volume of PPI
products. PPI had a gret track record for years with these guys. THey
started to have problems with PPI about year 2000. Every other amp they
installed self destructed upon 1st power up. Not installation issues,
quality issues. This chain store decided to drop PPI in favor of Kicker
just because of quality issues. The same reason they dropped Sony head
units in favor of Pioneer.


--
Ge0
*******************************************
TeamAMP #4 - tech whiz type of guy
*******************************************
Low cost car stereo equipment repair/ modification
Contact me for advice or a quote.
Always interested in buying dead equipment too.
********************************************
Looking for answers on car stereo topics?
www.mobileaudio.com
www.teamrocs.com
http://go.to/bcae/
*******************************************
Geo uses:
Main Stage = a/d/s/ 336is.2
Rear fill = a/d/s/ 335is.2
Subs = Audiomobile Mass 2012 S24
Head unit = Alpine DVA-7996
Processor = Alpine PXA-H700
Sub Amp = a/d/s/ P4100.2
Main & rear fill amp = a/d/s/ P840.2
********************************************
Ge0 rides Ventanna and GT double boinger MTB's
Bikes built from deals at WWW.MTBREVIEW.COM
****
"Tom" > wrote in message
news:SR0db.596428$uu5.97637@sccrnsc04...
> I heard that the new PPI'S aren't as good as the old?
> any feedback.
>
> The other question is US Amps, anyone have anything to say about them.
>
> I am still trying to choose what brand of amp to drive my 4 10W7's.
>
> I used to be a professional installer back in the early 90's and worked
with
> PPI and ADS.
>
>
> "TO-3" > wrote in message
> s.com...
> > Tom wrote:
> > > *Xref: kermit rec.audio.car:298161
> > >
> > > I was thinking of going old school and buying some nice art series
> > > amps. can
> > > these still be fixed if needed.
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > >
> > > *
> >
> > The Power Class amp is based off of the Art Series design. Some of the
> > parts have been obsoleted, but are easily upgradable.
> > --
> > TO-3
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > CarAudioForum.com - Usenet Gateway w/over one million posts online!
> > View this thread:
> http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb2/showthread.php?threadid=159490
> >
>
>

[TO-3]

Ge0 wrote:
> *THey
> started to have problems with PPI about year 2000. Every other amp
> they
> installed self destructed upon 1st power up. Not installation
> issues,
> quality issues.
>
> *

Yeah. They started using a thicker Keretherm, then was appropriate for
those models. I used to fix a bunch of broken ones and ended up putting
spooge on them instead. It's messy, but it works............. Jon
--
TO-3
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CarAudioForum.com - Usenet Gateway w/over one million posts online!
View this thread: http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb2/showthread.php?threadid=159490

[Tom]

What would you go with, PPI Art series or US AMPS.
I am driving 4 10W7's for subs . I know that US Amps have a lot of clean
power.

opinions?

"TO-3" > wrote in message
s.com...
> Ge0 wrote:
> > *THey
> > started to have problems with PPI about year 2000. Every other amp
> > they
> > installed self destructed upon 1st power up. Not installation
> > issues,
> > quality issues.
> >
> > *
>
> Yeah. They started using a thicker Keretherm, then was appropriate for
> those models. I used to fix a bunch of broken ones and ended up putting
> spooge on them instead. It's messy, but it works............. Jon
> --
> TO-3
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> CarAudioForum.com - Usenet Gateway w/over one million posts online!
> View this thread:
http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb2/showthread.php?threadid=159490
>

[TO-3]

Maybe Ge0 can help you. I don't have any time for projects these days.


Jon

Tom wrote:
> *What would you go with, PPI Art series or US AMPS.
> I am driving 4 10W7's for subs . I know that US Amps have a lot of
> clean
> power.
>
> opinions?
>
> "TO-3" > wrote in message
> s.com...
> > Ge0 wrote:
> > > *THey
> > > started to have problems with PPI about year 2000. Every other
> amp
> > > they
> > > installed self destructed upon 1st power up. Not installation
> > > issues,
> > > quality issues.
> > >
> > > *
> >
> > Yeah. They started using a thicker Keretherm, then was appropriate
> for
> > those models. I used to fix a bunch of broken ones and ended up
> putting
> > spooge on them instead. It's messy, but it works............. Jon
> > --
> > TO-3
> >
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > CarAudioForum.com - Usenet Gateway w/over one million posts online!
> > View this thread:
> http://tinyurl.com/ow4c
> >
>
>
> *
--
TO-3
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CarAudioForum.com - Usenet Gateway w/over one million posts online!
View this thread: http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb2/showthread.php?threadid=159490

[John Durbin]

um, yes - that's standard practice for anyone that has any kind of
quality system at all. But I don't think you'll see that kind of thing
published much, even when it shows that the current product shipping is
more reliable than the previous series.

JD


sanitarium wrote:

>Theres a lot of that going around... "they're not as good as they used to
>be" kind of thing. I hear it all the time with my old zed audio hifonics
>VIII amps.
>
>I wonder if anybody has done a detailed comparison, and included failure /
>defect rates and such?
>
>Garrett
>
>
>"Tom" > wrote in message
>news:SR0db.596428$uu5.97637@sccrnsc04...
>
>
>>I heard that the new PPI'S aren't as good as the old?
>>any feedback.
>>
>>The other question is US Amps, anyone have anything to say about them.
>>
>>I am still trying to choose what brand of amp to drive my 4 10W7's.
>>
>>I used to be a professional installer back in the early 90's and worked
>>
>>
>with
>
>
>>PPI and ADS.
>>
>>
>>"TO-3" > wrote in message
s.com...
>>
>>
>>>Tom wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>*Xref: kermit rec.audio.car:298161
>>>>
>>>>I was thinking of going old school and buying some nice art series
>>>>amps. can
>>>>these still be fixed if needed.
>>>>
>>>>Thanks
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>*
>>>>
>>>>
>>>The Power Class amp is based off of the Art Series design. Some of the
>>>parts have been obsoleted, but are easily upgradable.
>>>--
>>>TO-3
>>>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>CarAudioForum.com - Usenet Gateway w/over one million posts online!
>>>View this thread:
>>>
>>>
>>http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb2/showthread.php?threadid=159490
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>

[John Durbin]

It's worth mentioning here that our engineering teams in Phoenix and
Vista made a significant number of improvements to the PCX series after
our acquisition. Some of the problems you mentioned were more tied to
cash-flow issues and poor decisions forced because of that, than design
problems.

JD

Ge0 wrote:

>The core design of PPI amps has not changed in years. What changes is the
>manufacturing method. Cheaper labor, buying stuff off shore for cutt throat
>prices, change in process, etc...
>
>I do side work for a local chain of shops that sold a high volume of PPI
>products. PPI had a gret track record for years with these guys. THey
>started to have problems with PPI about year 2000. Every other amp they
>installed self destructed upon 1st power up. Not installation issues,
>quality issues. This chain store decided to drop PPI in favor of Kicker
>just because of quality issues. The same reason they dropped Sony head
>units in favor of Pioneer.
>
>
>--
>Ge0
>*******************************************
>TeamAMP #4 - tech whiz type of guy
>*******************************************
>Low cost car stereo equipment repair/ modification
>Contact me for advice or a quote.
>Always interested in buying dead equipment too.
>********************************************
>Looking for answers on car stereo topics?
>www.mobileaudio.com
>www.teamrocs.com
>http://go.to/bcae/
>*******************************************
>Geo uses:
>Main Stage = a/d/s/ 336is.2
>Rear fill = a/d/s/ 335is.2
>Subs = Audiomobile Mass 2012 S24
>Head unit = Alpine DVA-7996
>Processor = Alpine PXA-H700
>Sub Amp = a/d/s/ P4100.2
>Main & rear fill amp = a/d/s/ P840.2
>********************************************
>Ge0 rides Ventanna and GT double boinger MTB's
>Bikes built from deals at WWW.MTBREVIEW.COM
>****
>"Tom" > wrote in message
>news:SR0db.596428$uu5.97637@sccrnsc04...
>
>
>>I heard that the new PPI'S aren't as good as the old?
>>any feedback.
>>
>>The other question is US Amps, anyone have anything to say about them.
>>
>>I am still trying to choose what brand of amp to drive my 4 10W7's.
>>
>>I used to be a professional installer back in the early 90's and worked
>>
>>
>with
>
>
>>PPI and ADS.
>>
>>
>>"TO-3" > wrote in message
s.com...
>>
>>
>>>Tom wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>*Xref: kermit rec.audio.car:298161
>>>>
>>>>I was thinking of going old school and buying some nice art series
>>>>amps. can
>>>>these still be fixed if needed.
>>>>
>>>>Thanks
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>*
>>>>
>>>>
>>>The Power Class amp is based off of the Art Series design. Some of the
>>>parts have been obsoleted, but are easily upgradable.
>>>--
>>>TO-3
>>>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>CarAudioForum.com - Usenet Gateway w/over one million posts online!
>>>View this thread:
>>>
>>>
>>http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb2/showthread.php?threadid=159490
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>

[Reekor]

I would go with a Orion HCCA to power 4 10W7's.

In article >, "Tom"
> wrote:
>What would you go with, PPI Art series or US AMPS.
>I am driving 4 10W7's for subs . I know that US Amps have a lot of clean
>power.
>
>opinions?
>
>"TO-3" > wrote in message
s.com...
>> Ge0 wrote:
>> > *THey
>> > started to have problems with PPI about year 2000. Every other amp
>> > they
>> > installed self destructed upon 1st power up. Not installation
>> > issues,
>> > quality issues.
>> >
>> > *
>>
>> Yeah. They started using a thicker Keretherm, then was appropriate for
>> those models. I used to fix a bunch of broken ones and ended up putting
>> spooge on them instead. It's messy, but it works............. Jon
>> --
>> TO-3
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> CarAudioForum.com - Usenet Gateway w/over one million posts online!
>> View this thread:
>http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb2/showthread.php?threadid=159490
>>
>
>

[Reekor]

So far there isn't a PPI, Orion or ADS amplifier that I could not find parts
for. Worst case you may have to upgrade or even in some cases downgrade a part
to repair these amps. Alpine and Kenwood amplifiers 95% of the time you can
get direct replacement parts, no matter how old the amplifiers are. The newer
MTX Thunder amplifiers are a little costly to repair, because other then the
fets, reflectors and a few capacitors these amplifiers are made of suface
mount components.



In article >, "Tom"
> wrote:
>I was thinking of going old school and buying some nice art series amps. can
>these still be fixed if needed.
>
>Thanks
>
>

[Reekor]

Funny that you said the they dropped Sony head units in favor of Pioneer. Just
the other day I was working on a newer sony xplod amplifier that was going
into offset protection. Thinking cool another victim of a blown speaker or a
shorted wire. Popped the cover off the amplifier and damn!! There were chunks
of blue/green corrosion on all of the brass power rails. The corrosion built
up so thick that it shorted the power rails that were mounted closely side by
side. I have seen this blue/green corrosion before on brass car battery
connectors (cheap brass) and I know that it will come back. Hoping to slow the
growth little, I have coated the rails with heat sink compound. If that
wasn't fun enough the shorted rails fried a pair of n-channel mosfets, I
unsoldered the fried fets, and noticed that the soldering pads from where I
removed the fets were lifting off the main board. Never the less the
amplifier is working again. I have never seen an amplifier that was soo poorly
built as this sony.


In article >, "Ge0"
> wrote:
>The core design of PPI amps has not changed in years. What changes is the
>manufacturing method. Cheaper labor, buying stuff off shore for cutt throat
>prices, change in process, etc...
>
>I do side work for a local chain of shops that sold a high volume of PPI
>products. PPI had a gret track record for years with these guys. THey
>started to have problems with PPI about year 2000. Every other amp they
>installed self destructed upon 1st power up. Not installation issues,
>quality issues. This chain store decided to drop PPI in favor of Kicker
>just because of quality issues. The same reason they dropped Sony head
>units in favor of Pioneer.
>
>

[Ge0]

Either amp would be a spectacular catch. My personal choice would be
USAamps over PPI simply due to my own taste. The founder of USAamps started
off like me, a guy who experimented and built custom stuff. Not to say PPI
is any lesser, just like USAamps history. Plus, the VLX-400 was a damn
impressive piece of equipment :).

Ge0

"Tom" > wrote in message
et...
> What would you go with, PPI Art series or US AMPS.
> I am driving 4 10W7's for subs . I know that US Amps have a lot of clean
> power.
>
> opinions?
>
> "TO-3" > wrote in message
> s.com...
> > Ge0 wrote:
> > > *THey
> > > started to have problems with PPI about year 2000. Every other amp
> > > they
> > > installed self destructed upon 1st power up. Not installation
> > > issues,
> > > quality issues.
> > >
> > > *
> >
> > Yeah. They started using a thicker Keretherm, then was appropriate for
> > those models. I used to fix a bunch of broken ones and ended up putting
> > spooge on them instead. It's messy, but it works............. Jon
> > --
> > TO-3
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > CarAudioForum.com - Usenet Gateway w/over one million posts online!
> > View this thread:
> http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb2/showthread.php?threadid=159490
> >
>
>

[Ge0]

Corrosion could be from salt water air. It made a long trip over the seas
to reach here :). Seriously though, I had a serious issue with my product
(www.microheat.com) not too long back. Relays were conducting small amounts
of current through the contacts even when off. This was causing my product
to kill car batteries and make customers unhappy. I found out that the
leakage path was due to rust and contamination inside the relay housing.
This rust would form after the product was built and in the field for a few
months. It could not be detected using our typical functional test before
shipment. A comprehensive study showed this was caused by moisture (salt
water) getting in the shipping container of the relays coming from China.
Let the moisture sit while the product is in-route, stored in a warehouse,
then installed in a product and you have trouble.

Problem easily corrected with a 100% sealed relay and improved functional
test coverage, but, it's tough to recover your reputation once its been
tarnished and customers have problems.

Ge0


"Reekor" > wrote in message
...
> Funny that you said the they dropped Sony head units in favor of Pioneer.
Just
> the other day I was working on a newer sony xplod amplifier that was going
> into offset protection. Thinking cool another victim of a blown speaker or
a
> shorted wire. Popped the cover off the amplifier and damn!! There were
chunks
> of blue/green corrosion on all of the brass power rails. The corrosion
built
> up so thick that it shorted the power rails that were mounted closely side
by
> side. I have seen this blue/green corrosion before on brass car battery
> connectors (cheap brass) and I know that it will come back. Hoping to slow
the
> growth little, I have coated the rails with heat sink compound. If that
> wasn't fun enough the shorted rails fried a pair of n-channel mosfets, I
> unsoldered the fried fets, and noticed that the soldering pads from where
I
> removed the fets were lifting off the main board. Never the less the
> amplifier is working again. I have never seen an amplifier that was soo
poorly
> built as this sony.
>
>
> In article >, "Ge0"
> > wrote:
> >The core design of PPI amps has not changed in years. What changes is
the
> >manufacturing method. Cheaper labor, buying stuff off shore for cutt
throat
> >prices, change in process, etc...
> >
> >I do side work for a local chain of shops that sold a high volume of PPI
> >products. PPI had a gret track record for years with these guys. THey
> >started to have problems with PPI about year 2000. Every other amp they
> >installed self destructed upon 1st power up. Not installation issues,
> >quality issues. This chain store decided to drop PPI in favor of Kicker
> >just because of quality issues. The same reason they dropped Sony head
> >units in favor of Pioneer.
> >
> >

[Ge0]

Surface mount is great for some applications but a pain in others (i.e.
amplifiers). Kicker used a lot of surface mount pop-corn parts (caps,
resistors, transistors) in their ZR series amps. However, I rarely see a
problem with these components when trouble shooting and repairing one of
these amps. They went through hole on most of the components prone to
failure.


--
Ge0
*******************************************
TeamAMP #4 - tech whiz type of guy
*******************************************
Low cost car stereo equipment repair/ modification
Contact me for advice or a quote.
Always interested in buying dead equipment too.
********************************************
Looking for answers on car stereo topics?
www.mobileaudio.com
www.teamrocs.com
http://go.to/bcae/
*******************************************
Geo uses:
Main Stage = a/d/s/ 336is.2
Rear fill = a/d/s/ 335is.2
Subs = Audiomobile Mass 2012 S24
Head unit = Alpine DVA-7996
Processor = Alpine PXA-H700
Sub Amp = a/d/s/ P4100.2
Main & rear fill amp = a/d/s/ P840.2
********************************************
www.microheat.com
********************************************


"Reekor" > wrote in message
...
> So far there isn't a PPI, Orion or ADS amplifier that I could not find
parts
> for. Worst case you may have to upgrade or even in some cases downgrade a
part
> to repair these amps. Alpine and Kenwood amplifiers 95% of the time you
can
> get direct replacement parts, no matter how old the amplifiers are. The
newer
> MTX Thunder amplifiers are a little costly to repair, because other then
the
> fets, reflectors and a few capacitors these amplifiers are made of suface
> mount components.
>
>
>
> In article >, "Tom"
> > wrote:
> >I was thinking of going old school and buying some nice art series amps.
can
> >these still be fixed if needed.
> >
> >Thanks
> >
> >

[Tom]

Yes, the VLX was quite the amp, I rember installing those four foot monsters
:)

I also think that the USA 2000 will hit very hard. I used to have a blazer
with a wall of four Petras 15"s and a US 100 HC running them (800w). I
couldn't stay in the truck
the pressure was so great.

"Ge0" > wrote in message
s.com...
> Either amp would be a spectacular catch. My personal choice would be
> USAamps over PPI simply due to my own taste. The founder of USAamps
started
> off like me, a guy who experimented and built custom stuff. Not to say
PPI
> is any lesser, just like USAamps history. Plus, the VLX-400 was a damn
> impressive piece of equipment :).
>
> Ge0
>
> "Tom" > wrote in message
> et...
> > What would you go with, PPI Art series or US AMPS.
> > I am driving 4 10W7's for subs . I know that US Amps have a lot of clean
> > power.
> >
> > opinions?
> >
> > "TO-3" > wrote in message
> > s.com...
> > > Ge0 wrote:
> > > > *THey
> > > > started to have problems with PPI about year 2000. Every other amp
> > > > they
> > > > installed self destructed upon 1st power up. Not installation
> > > > issues,
> > > > quality issues.
> > > >
> > > > *
> > >
> > > Yeah. They started using a thicker Keretherm, then was appropriate for
> > > those models. I used to fix a bunch of broken ones and ended up
putting
> > > spooge on them instead. It's messy, but it works............. Jon
> > > --
> > > TO-3
> >
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > CarAudioForum.com - Usenet Gateway w/over one million posts online!
> > > View this thread:
> > http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb2/showthread.php?threadid=159490
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

[Taffer Garrett]

To-3 is only partially correct about the keratherm issue. Although thermal
compound (spooge) and mica ( the rectangular brownish thin transluscent
insulating pieces ) is better than Keratherm, the issue was that of poor
clamping due to bad design of original PCX amplifier heatsink. They used a
screw **slot** instead of drilled holes used on all previous PPI amplifiers
to hold down the clamping mechanism (amplifier bottom cover) for all the
hang-off devices. A slot in general, can resist less than 1/6 of the
clamping forces of torque and shear compared to a drilled hole. The forces
generated due to the expansion and contraction of thermal cycling will
eventually cause the screw slot to fail. What TO-3 probably did when he
fixed these amplifiers was to replace the broken devices, rebend the
clamping fingers and use a different screw to apply the clamping force. The
Keratherm was not the cause of failure but only a contributing factor.

Taffer Garrett
"TO-3" > wrote in message
s.com...
> Ge0 wrote:
> > *THey
> > started to have problems with PPI about year 2000. Every other amp
> > they
> > installed self destructed upon 1st power up. Not installation
> > issues,
> > quality issues.
> >
> > *
>
> Yeah. They started using a thicker Keretherm, then was appropriate for
> those models. I used to fix a bunch of broken ones and ended up putting
> spooge on them instead. It's messy, but it works............. Jon
> --
> TO-3
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> CarAudioForum.com - Usenet Gateway w/over one million posts online!
> View this thread:
http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb2/showthread.php?threadid=159490
>

[Taffer Garrett]

Tom

The PPI ART series are/were excellent amplifiers. So are the PPI Powerclass
series with serial numbers with the date code of 1998 or lower. Look at the
serial number of the amplifier. The first two digits represent the year
that the amplifier was made.

They are easily repaired and most parts used in these amplifiers are either
still available or have a suitable replacement. One caveat on the PPI ART
series amplifiers. If you plan on water cooling these amplifiers, make sure
that the transformer has a heat spreader applied to the transformer. Some
of the earlier serial numbers shipped without this modification. The water
cooling does work well, but if the spreader is missing, you might cause the
transformer to "desolder" itself from the main PC board.

Taffer Garrett

"Tom" > wrote in message
. net...
> I was thinking of going old school and buying some nice art series amps.
can
> these still be fixed if needed.
>
> Thanks
>
>

[Taffer Garrett]

Reekor

This type of corrosion can also be caused by battery acid. Vented batteries
give off highly corrosive vapors when charging. These vapors can be drawn
into the amplifier and cause this corrosion. If your amplifier is near an
auxilliary battery (in your trunk maybe?), then any unprotected metal could
become corroded. Grease does indeed help/stop the corrosion, but if there
is a nearby vented battery, replace it with a sealed battery.

Taffer Garrett
"Reekor" > wrote in message
...
> Funny that you said the they dropped Sony head units in favor of Pioneer.
Just
> the other day I was working on a newer sony xplod amplifier that was going
> into offset protection. Thinking cool another victim of a blown speaker or
a
> shorted wire. Popped the cover off the amplifier and damn!! There were
chunks
> of blue/green corrosion on all of the brass power rails. The corrosion
built
> up so thick that it shorted the power rails that were mounted closely side
by
> side. I have seen this blue/green corrosion before on brass car battery
> connectors (cheap brass) and I know that it will come back. Hoping to slow
the
> growth little, I have coated the rails with heat sink compound. If that
> wasn't fun enough the shorted rails fried a pair of n-channel mosfets, I
> unsoldered the fried fets, and noticed that the soldering pads from where
I
> removed the fets were lifting off the main board. Never the less the
> amplifier is working again. I have never seen an amplifier that was soo
poorly
> built as this sony.
>
>
> In article >, "Ge0"
> > wrote:
> >The core design of PPI amps has not changed in years. What changes is
the
> >manufacturing method. Cheaper labor, buying stuff off shore for cutt
throat
> >prices, change in process, etc...
> >
> >I do side work for a local chain of shops that sold a high volume of PPI
> >products. PPI had a gret track record for years with these guys. THey
> >started to have problems with PPI about year 2000. Every other amp they
> >installed self destructed upon 1st power up. Not installation issues,
> >quality issues. This chain store decided to drop PPI in favor of Kicker
> >just because of quality issues. The same reason they dropped Sony head
> >units in favor of Pioneer.
> >
> >

[TO-3]

Well initially they decided to use the Keretherm that they used on the
Orion amps. They did not have any problems with it in their amps. This
was only just after PPI got aquired by ADST. Spooge is rather expensive,
but for the duration, until someone fixed the problem it was what we
needed to use. I don't recall bending the clamps but it has been a while
since I worked there. But the slot issue would do that. Jon

Taffer Garrett wrote:
> *To-3 is only partially correct about the keratherm issue. Although
> thermal
> compound (spooge) and mica ( the rectangular brownish thin
> transluscent
> insulating pieces ) is better than Keratherm, the issue was that of
> poor
> clamping due to bad design of original PCX amplifier heatsink. They
> used a
> screw **slot** instead of drilled holes used on all previous PPI
> amplifiers
> to hold down the clamping mechanism (amplifier bottom cover) for all
> the
> hang-off devices. A slot in general, can resist less than 1/6 of
> the
> clamping forces of torque and shear compared to a drilled hole. The
> forces
> generated due to the expansion and contraction of thermal cycling
> will
> eventually cause the screw slot to fail. What TO-3 probably did when
> he
> fixed these amplifiers was to replace the broken devices, rebend the
> clamping fingers and use a different screw to apply the clamping
> force. The
> Keratherm was not the cause of failure but only a contributing
> factor.
>
> Taffer Garrett
> "TO-3" > wrote in message
> s.com...
> > Ge0 wrote:
> > > *THey
> > > started to have problems with PPI about year 2000. Every other
> amp
> > > they
> > > installed self destructed upon 1st power up. Not installation
> > > issues,
> > > quality issues.
> > >
> > > *
> >
> > Yeah. They started using a thicker Keretherm, then was appropriate
> for
> > those models. I used to fix a bunch of broken ones and ended up
> putting
> > spooge on them instead. It's messy, but it works............. Jon
> > --
> > TO-3
> >
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > CarAudioForum.com - Usenet Gateway w/over one million posts online!
> > View this thread:
> http://tinyurl.com/ow4c
> >
>
>
> *
--
TO-3
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