You're missing the point.
This is a Standard Install into a 2000 Dodge durango with a Standard 1 1/2 Din install kit! While I was working on other things in the truck (parked) I would have the Empeg playing for listening pleasure. After about 3 to 4 hours it would lock up, crash or reboot with some unpleasant pops. I would pull the unit out to check and it was hotter than ANY OTHER CAR STEREO I HAVE EVER SEEN! I worked for Shakespearians Car stereo in Daytona Beach for 4 years as a car stereo repairman and never saw any other car stereo ever get this hot. Maybe a crap-o Targa or Sparkomatic 200watt wonder.

But for the empeg this is NOT BAD!!! I expect high temp from a 220Mhz Unix PC in a 2.2 x 7.3 x 6" package!! And obviously your design team had these discussions when you designed the top cover as the FAN mounting is there! Please explain why it’s there. Did you run it for a couple of days and decide, “Well it’s ok… scrap the fan. What was the QA (Quality assurance) process?? Dell computer has notebooks with 220Mhz processors that are in a physically in a bigger package without a VFD furnace for a display and they HAVE A FAN!! Plus they sit in your lap not a 150deg F car! (Why not Color LCD? … Much Cooler ;) ) Ok Ok Ok.. so you say it does not need one.
Can you tell me what temp does the internals get to with no ventilation? When designing something like this you must design for the worst case. I know this from experience and I have designed several RAID cabinets for the nStor.com company. In those cabinets we used cheetah drives spinning at 10,000 rpm and we had to have contingency plans in the cabinet for cooling at worst case CFM per Sq in. over the drives. All I want you to do is see my point. Let's say your right and my unit has some temperature tolerance problem here and the Empeg MKII does not need a fan..... Why not put one in anyhow? how much do they cost in bulk? $2.00? 3? For $1200 bucks it should have one just to be sure. Have you run thermals? Where are the numbers? I should not be chastised for trying to extend the life of my empeg. I would expect more of a comment like: That’s not a bad idea in some cases.

Just knowing that a closed car in the hot sun will get hotter than 55 deg. C (or 131 Deg F Empegs maximum operating temperature) Would justify the fan. I was planning on opening the cover at some point anyhow to add an additional hard drive (you’re prices are more than twice street value at 30gig) which I know will make this heat question worse. Do you have MTBF numbers??? at what temps??? post them please. I'll bet my life that a cooler Empeg lasts many more hours than a hot one.

I hope you see this conversation as an intellectual one and not a pissing contest.
Anyhow, I made my point and I’m pretending this bad thread never happened.
I’m getting off my soapbox and was only originally responding to a fellow customer who had thermal issues.
In closing, I do want to say (as I have in other threads) the Empeg player is AWESOME!
Thank your for having the beans to design develop and bring this monster to market.
I really do love it. :)


12Gb MKII 080000516 Blue

Edited by flashman on 05/11/00 06:46 AM.