Thread: Fuse setup questions!

Um, there's no real nice way to say it, so i'm just gonna say it and hope you don't take it personally:

That's a mess.

But, I'd under rate the fuse instead of over rate it.

But half an amp is not really that much of a concern if you're powering off a clean stable supply. I'd be skepitcal of a fuse that has been measured to .5a anywyas.

The do believe they make mini fuses in .5 amp incriments, but I'm not sure about glass fuses. I believe I've seen .5 amp glass fuses a long time ago. BUt that's from memory and I am getting on in years...........

The fuse you need to use is determined by the WIRING you are using, not the device.

The power requirements of the device and the length of the run determine the wire you need to use.

If the wire run can handle another .5 A then just use the next size larger fuse.

Originally Posted by txspazz

The fuse you need to use is determined by the WIRING you are using, not the device.

The power requirements of the device and the length of the run determine the wire you need to use.

If the wire run can handle another .5 A then just use the next size larger fuse.

You raise a good point.

The .6a, 1.5a, etc, rating on the equipment is what it will draw. Fuses are rated to the wiring, but the wiring is sized to the intended draw of the component. So it's inter-related in a greater sense.

Fuses should also be as close to the power source as practical/possible, that way if there's a dead short further down the wire, the fuse blows and prevents fires, continued arcing, etc. If you put the fuse at the component instead of the power source, a chaffed wire will not blow the fuse and you end up with a 400-600a (depending on the battery) 12v short to ground which will most definately start a fire...........

As above, fuse to the cable not the device and fuse the supply to your distro board. One other bit of advise is get a cover over that lot. There are so many exposed electrical connections on there its a fire hazard. You might plan on being careful and know its all there but passengers wont. A simple thing like a coin coming out a pocket could at best blow fuses and cut everything out at worst, well I will leave that to your imagination.

thanks for the replies, lol. greatwhite, i still have to use split loom to make it look neat. plus its under the seat! everything is installed and working fine, although my VGA splitter wouldnt work, i had to buy a 100 watt inverter.... its very slim and now the vga splitter works. the inverter also came with a usb port which i used to power the usb hubs. when i powered them off the 5v rail on the opus the mobo wouldnt go past the POST screen.

Originally Posted by HiJackZX1

Here is a picture of my wiring panel....

you have made that "wiring panel" far more complicated than it should be. and the whole thing looks like a big fire hazard to me...

1. the first issue I see is: you have a large power cable (8awg?) as your main power, which is fine; but I don't see an equally sized ground cable, in fact all I see is a tiny little black wire leaving that "panel". aside from the fire danger that running a tiny wire poses, it may also cause some or all of those devices to malfunction.

1a. your ground wire needs to be as big as your power wire (or as big as all power wires together). your ground cable should be as short as possible and should be secured to a clean (unpainted, uncoated) metal surface of the car body/chassis. you can connect it the floor right next to the panel, or scrape the coating off the seat bolt/nut and ground to that. you can use a distribution block for the ground wire if you want, but its not necessary.

2. for that setup there is no need for power distribution blocks. your fuse panel should have a single [main] power cable feeding it, this way the fuse panel takes care of power distribution and all wires are individually protected (assuming your main power cable is fused at the battery).

2a. since the fuse panel you chose uses individual terminals for each fuse, the easiest way to run a single power feed to it is to strip enough insulation off the main power cable to span across all fuses. then solder each terminal on the right side of the panel to the power cable. this will give you 8 individually fused power outputs from a single main source. you can leave 1 fuse terminal unconnected to the main power cable to use for the relay coil power input.

good luck

you have made that "wiring panel" far more complicated than it should be. and the whole thing looks like a big fire hazard to me...

1. the first issue I see is: you have a large power cable (8awg?) as your main power, which is fine; but I don't see an equally sized ground cable, in fact all I see is a tiny little black wire leaving that "panel". aside from the fire danger that running a tiny wire poses, it may also cause some or all of those devices to malfunction.

The ground cable is actually 4 AWG.... and about 3 inchs in length, hiden under the carpet running to the distrobution box on the left hand corner, opposite of the 12V+ 8 AWG.

1a. your ground wire needs to be as big as your power wire (or as big as all power wires together). your ground cable should be as short as possible and should be secured to a clean (unpainted, uncoated) metal surface of the car body/chassis. you can connect it the floor right next to the panel, or scrape the coating off the seat bolt/nut and ground to that. you can use a distribution block for the ground wire if you want, but its not necessary.

Its bigger then the powerwire. 3 inchs in length. It is connected to a huge bolt connected to a heavily sanded area of the frame.

2. for that setup there is no need for power distribution blocks. your fuse panel should have a single [main] power cable feeding it, this way the fuse panel takes care of power distribution and all wires are individually protected (assuming your main power cable is fused at the battery).

2a. since the fuse panel you chose uses individual terminals for each fuse, the easiest way to run a single power feed to it is to strip enough insulation off the main power cable to span across all fuses. then solder each terminal on the right side of the panel to the power cable. this will give you 8 individually fused power outputs from a single main source. you can leave 1 fuse terminal unconnected to the main power cable to use for the relay coil power input.

good luck

Im not having issues powering the devices, just dont want to blow out any devices. Infact it is running very well, not like my first install that had a bad ground, caused everything to run slow. Thanks for the advice though, I really dont have the room or time to redo it specifically to your method (the running a 8awg accross the terminals). This picture is actually old, I have tons more cabling now. I'll be surprised if the seat is able to go back on.

Originally Posted by v8 scimitar

As above, fuse to the cable not the device and fuse the supply to your distro board. One other bit of advise is get a cover over that lot. There are so many exposed electrical connections on there its a fire hazard. You might plan on being careful and know its all there but passengers wont. A simple thing like a coin coming out a pocket could at best blow fuses and cut everything out at worst, well I will leave that to your imagination.

LOL, im designing a clear case that will cover it..... I have already thought of it..... One day my old dog decided to just jump all over it, thankfully there was no power running through it since i was still installing stuff.