My CA9 has protect recurrent problems.

Crest Diagrams Schematics Service Manuals

Dust in the unit - clean with Canned air like a computer.

or Delamination on the printed circuit board.
Don't forget to clean all contacts on the backside of the unit!

If cleaning doesn't work - head to the local Crest "AUTHORIZED" Service Center.

This is a very easy cheap fix, but since this thread is pretty old first make contact to help you out with this issue, common on CA series power amplifiers of Crest Audio.

The signal light is triggered by the presence of an audio signal on the input side and should be visible. With the clip light on without any input signal, suggests a problem in the front end. This is not an amp to be worked on without a schematic. Try getting the prints for this from Crest (Peavey owns them now).

Dan

Heat?

Generally speaking, an amp protects itself from heat, shorts and overloads by refusing to turn on or stay on.

Overloads can be from excessive periods of high output and shorts would be wiring issues or a speaker blowing up.

You should be able to feel if it's hot. WHY is it overheating? Make sure it has sufficient ventilation on all sides and that vent holes are not blocked by dust balls. Ensure the fan (if equipped) is running as designed (some only operate on demand). Clean dust and debris from it.

If the amp comes back on after cooling, you're lucky. They only have so many self-protection cycles in their lives so continuously resetting or cycling their power without addressing the cause can do more harm than good.

If it protects immediately on a cool power up you should disconnect the speaker connections and try it 'naked'. If it comes up then diagnose which lead(s) are shorted. If it does not come up the problem is internal and should be left to an experienced hands-on tech.

This may sound silly, but please check the setup of the amp. You can have the unit in "bridge" mode and have the speakers connected to both channels like it was in stereo mode and it will appear to work. This is not a good setup, but it can happen. In this case, only 1 of the controls will alter the volume.

Other than that, the volume control itself can be defective or the control circuit may be faulty. Without checking components inside, I can't say for sure.

Please note that these units have high voltages inside when powered on and can be dangerous. This is a pro unit and it not really a DIY repair unit. I would suggest that you seek professional assistance for this unit. I havce had a few of these for 15 years problem free with much use. Getting it repaired correctly will cost upto $200 (or more) but it worth it. This is a $1500 unit.

Please keep us posted on your progress.

Dan

disconnect you load (speakers) power amp up. If this fault persists there might be a problemm with the amp

You can't, the clip light is just that...the signal is being clipped/distorted and the clip light comes on to protect the amp/speakers from blowing. You need to check your signal and then cables and wiring to see where the problem lies, chances are your volume is too high and your over working your amp....(turning the volume too high when the amp doesn't put out enough power for your speakers and this distorts the signal causing it to clip)...Try turnig the amp down, should not be any higher then 1/2-3/4 of the way never max. And if that doesn't work check your signal from the radio as well. If it works fine with the volume down and doesn't clip then your amp is too small for your needs and your need to invest in a larger amp for more power...Look for RMS watt ratings at 12-14 volts not max watts at like 16-18volts (those are fictious #'s and those amps should be avoided)

Protect is a mode that it goes into that prevents future damage, i would recommend replacing the fuses.

I am not sure what you are trying to do, I did find two sites that have diagrams and spec sheets.

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pdf/spec/481640.pdf

http://www.crestaudio.com/assets/literature/manuals/CFA-CA9-AB_7719.pdf

These are Adode files.