Axe-Fx III - upside down

Fun fact, 90% of the space inside the Axe 3 is empty. The only moving part is the CPU cooling fan, which really shouldn't care about which direction it's oriented. It'll run fine no matter which way it's oriented.
 
I don't think he was concerned about running it upside down, just that it had been upside down. He seemed concerened that something could have broken or come loose (not likely). I agree with your point though- these things are mostly bullet proof. Millions of reliable tower PC's run with the mother board mounted to the side of the tall case- 90 degree angle relative to the floor. Since there is a fan and some vents on the side of the AFX3, allowing a little breathing room on both sides would be ideal (regardless of the orientation). Even thought there is a decent volume of empty space in there, like an oven it can heat up. I don't really see it as ever being a big issue though. Running it upside down might make reading the display a bit challenging!
 
FXFanatic1! said:
I don't think he was concerned about running it upside down, just that it had been upside down. He seemed concerened that something could have broken or come loose (not likely). I agree with your point though- these things are mostly bullet proof. Millions of reliable tower PC's run with the mother board mounted to the side of the tall case- 90 degree angle relative to the floor. Since there is a fan and some vents on the side of the AFX3, allowing a little breathing room on both sides would be ideal (regardless of the orientation). Even thought there is a decent volume of empty space in there, like an oven it can heat up. I don't really see it as ever being a big issue though. Running it upside down might make reading the display a bit challenging!
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It’s always kept in my rack along with the power unit. And runs maybe 2-3 max at a stretch. Once a day maybe. (Pic attached)

Is that bad for the AXE? Should I be giving it more breathing room?
 

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sidsin said:
It’s always kept in my rack along with the power unit. And runs maybe 2-3 max at a stretch. Once a day maybe. (Pic attached)

Is that bad for the AXE? Should I be giving it more breathing room?
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Mine stays in the rack with the back lid on and no "free" rack space. It's been that way since I got it maybe 18 months ago or so.

Same with my Axe Fx II for years.

You should be fine.
 
Solid state doesn't usually get extremely hot relative to units that are also powering Tubes, GPU's, etc. In some cases, having a gap on top/bottom can make things hotter in a few ways e.g., static hot air rising up from other units below it could make the unit hotter. What keeps you warm in the winter? Layers, like a down jacket or long john "thermals." They all do essentially the same thing. They introduce and maintain small voids of warm static air that come from a heat source. The vents on the side panels should allow more than adequate cooling when working in concert with the internal fan. The more important take-away is that the important air flow is on the sides. There is a small gap, even in a rack with no free top or bottom space. If you look from the back you will see it. A refridgerator only needs a small gap of air- and it's motor will get much hotter than this unit. It' designed very carefully- the engineers thought of the scenario where it would be in a full rack.
 
As long as it's in a standard type rack I think it would be fine. If there were any such issues, and given their strong reputation for attention to detail, Fractal would communicate that to users clearly. Again, it is very specifically designed to be a rack unit.

If you were really curious (I always am), you can buy a thermal temperature tester for $15.99 online. I use mine all the time to check the temperature of things- it actually comes in quite handy. You could check the unit after normal use. If the fan is not damage and the vents are not totally blocked, 99.999% chance that you will find it to be operating WELL within the designed range. I recall reading somewhere that their DSP is military/industrial grade. That alone can increase the heat safety margin/tolerance quite a bit.
 
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