Crown Macro Tech 1200 "Fanformer"
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ธ.ค. 2024
- This amp sounds amazing, but it has a problem. The fan is worn out.
To boot the fan assembly is a combination transformer AND cooling fan. The transformer provides low voltage (15VAC) to the amp, and the fan pulls air from the front rail filters, through the chassis inner body, and out the side cooling fins across the transistors. Word! It is operating in a mode that suggests thermal crisis (the red lights) vs. green lights which means it is cooling efficiently. Word on the street is that is can function without the cooling fan turning and stay cool enough to not overheat and shut down. (That is how it came, full of dust and the fan not spinning) Since I have cracked the case (an hour of labor with the impact driver to loosen the rusted screws) got the top and bottom off, (that's what HE said) and the fan issue is obvious. I got it spinning, but the bearing or whatever is shot. My solution was to position a mini vise on the workbench in front of the amp holding a small paint brush to push the fan blade assembly back up just enough to seat it in the stator assembly. Worn out thrust bearing? I have a weird intermittent, where one channel gets soft. (That's what she said) But with a little attention it cums back on again. Doesn't seem to be the amp. (Sigh of relief) There are lots of points in the signal chain. TRS cord for the Retroflyer preamp into TWO stereo cords. XLR output into XLR on a PCB board for the amp input. Speaker banana plugs for these connections, and 1/4" for the four speakers. Lots going on. (Said Marvin Gaye) But he wasn't gay. His wife died of cancer. What will I do with this amp? No shell, fan is crazy loose, but when it works sounds amazing. This is the sound you need to HEAR yourself play and hence trigger studio quality performances. It is all about the hearing. CROWN is the man. Not sure they make anything today that is the same. Heavy, man. So I invested in a bit of repair. Not finished. Help please? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
Watch the volume level!!!!!! That thing is 600 watts per Chanel in stereo mode. If you bridge it or parallel it its 1200 watts. It will blow speakers in a heartbeat. I would recommend keep it in stereo mode. I can't believe Crown is not offering the fan anymore. These amps last forever. (Funny, if you bridge that amp and connect four guitar amp speakers you will get smoke in about three seconds and dead speakers in under three minutes. Does not matter if connected in parallel or series. It's made to power a stadium.). One of the most nasty amps I have worked with. I also had 4 Macro teck 2400's (Stupid power). Those were dangerous.
Just FYI, you’ve caught my attention with this video.
I have a couple of Crown MicroTech (mIcro, not mAcro) 2400s that have drawn my attention. One shut off on me and is dead, the other was giving me low levels with tons of distortion.
I’m really really hoping an air compressor clean out will increase airflow and cooling and we’ll get them back. If that doesn’t work, I’m not sure where to go next, but I know that I really want to save these bad boys, because they are great amps.
I’m open to any opinions you all might have!
Just began thinking about trying to repair this amp.... I'll let you know if I come up with anythng.
yeah, i used to play in band in late 80s, had a micro or macro tech 1200 running 18" subs. thing was a BEAST!! used a 220 v dryer plug!! lmfao!!
I need someone to rebuild the "fan."
@@Par3pio2 they have rebuiders out there. like my behringer ep4000 amp. some people say the fan is to loud for home intertainment. i can see why, it can be noisy on high speed. places like parts plus and others make all kinds of replacement parts.
Crown Macro Teck 1200
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(600 watts per Chanel (WOW)
I was responsible for thirty of these amps.
Fans fail all the time. The harder you use the amp the faster the fan runs. Man, when all 30 are running at 500 - 575 watts each, it gets very hot in that room fast. POWER MONSTER (In the day I just ordered the fan moters from Crown).
You are the first person to connect with this predicament. I didn't realize that were THAT old. Funny. Fanformer is obsolete and no longer available, but I have it spinning again. Motor needs new bushings, but I am afraid to take it apart. I don't really see quick disconnects on the fan wires...
@@Par3pio2 The fan motor does not have a disconcert. It is soldered to the mother board. I used to just cut the wires and spice in the replacement fan. What happens is that grease dries up. Then the front Bering will fail. Taking the motor apart is very easy. Some light oil in the grease cups will get it running again at least for a while but that one is worn out as you stated. AT idle, the fan should be silent. As the amp heats up, the fan speeds up. This is a stadium amp, not some you get at Best buys.
@@dave631bnetzero Man, thank you for this reply. I have been searching for anyone that understands this predicament. Can't the front bearing be rebuilt or replaced? Here is a question. Can you open the motor from the fan blade side without taking it out of its mount in the amp? There are two screws, and If I took them out wouldn't the rotor, spacers, and bearing slide out? This fan/former also provides voltage to the front of the amp... which is the point of contention. It is necessary for the functioning of the amp. Say if the fan was seized like it was when I got it, it buzzed loudly because of this. But the amp still work because of all the heat sinks. Many say it will work without the fan spinning. So it speeds up as power is increased? Interesting. Thank you for your valuable input.!
@@Par3pio2 Taking the motor off the chase is just two bolts if I remember right. (Last time I touched one of these was 1993) I would not cut the wires. They are long enough to just pull that motor assemble out to make it easy to work on. The two bolts on the fan blade side will allow you to get the stater out. (The stater is what spins the fan). The lower bearing might still be OK, the front bearing is trashed. (It has a lot of wobble) If I remember right, there are only three parts. Front bearing bracket, the stater with the fan blade, and back bearing bracket. You might be able to just change the bearing brackets. Or even just the bearing in the original bracket. BSR turntables use a motor that looks a lot like that. I do not know if the shaft size is the same. Please feel free to ask more. I really want to see you save that monster. These amps have so much power headroom is never an issue. They sound remarkable. That is what Bose got me 34 of these for testing speakers.
@@dave631bnetzero Thank you, my man. Finally someone interested and who understands. Yes, I never knew how impeccable they sounded until my friend Jay passed on and I received his D150 from the 70's. Holy cow, Batman. The low end and transparency and overall warmth and accuracy. I never had heard my keyboards sound this good, but never could I afford any of the quality gear. It was Roland amps.... which suffice, but not high fidelity. What you are saying makes perfect sense to me. Yes, the bearings are shot. That is why it wobbles and then seizes. With a little paint brush pushed up to the fan blade in a vise, it will seat and spin freely. Guess I could mount it in the closet this way! (for studio monitoring) I would like to see it restored to its former glory as well. Didn't know they were such relics. If you had to buy something today that was similar, what would you suggest? Thanks so much for your feedback.
Ans his battery died. Good video though man.