Thermal Considerations
The HDA has two powerful built-in amplifi ers
capable of producing a com bined 600 watts of rms
power. As an am pli fi er works, it pro duces heat. The
higher the signal level, the louder and hotter it gets. It
is im por tant to dis si pate the heat as quick ly as possible.
This re sults in in creased re li abil i ty and lon gev i ty for the
am pli fi er.
The amplifi er module is mounted on a large heatsink,
which is cooled by con vec tion where cool air is drawn
through its fi ns, car ry ing the heat away. In or der for this
con vec tion cooling to work ef fi cient ly, it is important
to pro vide ad e quate air space be hind the loud speak er.
Additionally, a thermally-controlled fan resides inside of
the HDA which helps to reduce the chance of it
overheating. When positioning the HDA, we rec om mend
leav ing at least six inch es of air space be hind it.
In the unlikely event of the amplifi er overheating, a
built-in thermal switch will activate, muting the
signal, lighting the thermal LED, and ramping the fan
up to top speed. When the amplifi er has cooled down to
a safe operating temperature, the thermal switch resets
itself, and the HDA resumes normal operation.
If the thermal switch activates, try turning down the
level con trol a notch or two on the mix ing console to
avoid over heat ing the am pli fi er. Be aware that direct
sunlight and/or hot stage lights may be the culprit of an
amplifi er overheating.
AC Power
Be sure the HDA is plugged into an out let that is able
to sup ply the cor rect volt age spec i fi ed for your mod el. It
will continue to operate at lower voltages, but will not
reach full power.
Be sure the elec tri cal ser vice can sup ply enough
current for all the com po nents con nect ed to it.
We recommend that a stiff (robust) sup ply of AC
power be used be cause the am pli fi ers place high
current de mands on the AC line. The more power that is
avail able on the line, the louder the speakers will play
and the more peak out put power will be avail able for
clean er, punch i er bass. A sus pect ed prob lem of “poor
bass per for mance” is of ten caused by a weak AC sup ply
to the amplifi ers.
Refer back to page 15 for additional details
regarding the AC power section of the Mackie
HDA loudspeaker.
Care and Maintenance
Mackie loudspeakers will pro vide many years of
reliable ser vice if these guide lines are followed:
•
Avoid exposing the loudspeakers to mois ture. If
they are set up out doors, be sure they are under
cover if rain is expected.
•
Avoid exposure to extreme cold (be low
freezing tem per a tures). If the loud speak ers
must be operated in a cold en vi ron ment, warm
up the voice coils slowly by sending a low-level
sig nal through them for about 15 minutes prior
to high-power op er a tion.
•
Use a dry cloth to clean the cabinets. Only do
this when the power is turned off. Avoid getting
mois ture into any of the open ings of the
cab i net, par tic u lar ly where the drivers are
located.
Keep in mind that temperature and humidity
contribute to air loss for high frequencies. They do not,
however, affect the low frequencies.
Gig O’Clock
The next few pages are the appendices. They describe
in detail how to utilize the EAW Resolution software,
offer troubleshooting suggestions and showcase HDA
connections. Here you will also fi nd technical
information, such as the HDA’s specifi cations, block
diagram, graphs and dimensions.
Other than these few things, you are fi nished! You
are now well-versed in the ways of the Mackie HDA
loudspeaker. Time to grab a frosty one and kick back.
21
Owner’s Manual
Owner’
s Manual