Peavey XRs Cutting out

[reeljerc]

8-Channel 1000-1500 watt rms. 4 years old, the first couple years used it 2-4 times per month, no issues.The last couple, maybe 6 or so times a year. The last three times on the gig at some point it powers down. I assume it's overheating, after a few minutes I can power it back on and it will finish the gig. No direct sunlight, fan is spinning, never have to push it past 50%. From what I've read, the back panel serves as the heat sink? One last thing, two of the rubber feet on the bottom of the unit had fallen off. I know the bottom gets hot. Could the missing feet be part of the issue? Is there some external way to keep it cool?

 

[s0c9]

The missing feet MIGHT be reducing airflow into the unit, causing it to overheat.
For our summer gigs, we’ve always put portable stage fans blowing on powered speakers (amps) or anything that generates heat and requires airflow to cool.

 

[Mike Caldwell]

If there are open cooling slots / vents on the bottom then the missing feet could be part of the issue.

Are you using the same speakers and same number of speakers? Maybe a speaker cable has an intermittent short.
Does the back of it feel hotter than normal when it shuts off?

Sometimes people under estimate how hard they really run their systems, 50% on the level controls does not mean the amp is operating at 50% power.

 

[reeljerc]

If there are open cooling slots / vents on the bottom then the missing feet could be part of the issue.

Are you using the same speakers and same number of speakers? Maybe a speaker cable has an intermittent short.
Does the back of it feel hotter than normal when it shuts off?

Sometimes people under estimate how hard they really run their systems, 50% on the level controls does not mean the amp is operating at 50% power.

Yeah, it's the same setup. I have an older Mackie powered mixer I could use as a backup (that thing is a workhorse). Maybe next time I'm the PA guy I'll set up both and if the Peavey cuts out I'll check where the hotspots are on the chassis. I did replace the feet, so we'll see.

 

[reeljerc]

The missing feet MIGHT be reducing airflow into the unit, causing it to overheat.
For our summer gigs, we’ve always put portable stage fans blowing on powered speakers (amps) or anything that generates heat and requires airflow to cool.

I was thinking about that too. I replaced the feet, but maybe I'll add some kind of cooling element next time I take it out. I have a backup PA head, I'll start bringing it.

 

[eniac]

What are the speakers, and have you (or anyone else) been running them hard enough that they might have begun presenting an odd (off-spec) impedance to the mixer’s power stage? If so, the mixer shutting down would be normal behavior. I'm not saying the mixer's not at fault, just that there's not enough evidence atm to support that conclusion.

The issue might also be related to AC power. Not just the facility itself, but also the way you're distributing AC power to the band. Has anything changed in that regard since the mixer was running fine?