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where do you fuse your mobile equipment ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter BOOTY MONSTER
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BOOTY MONSTER

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i use a power distribution block with fuse holders on the + side of my components in my mobile and a straight non-fused block for - . i saw a show the other nite and they were saying voltage runs from negative to positive when supplying power and when being charged the voltage goes in the positive side and out the negative .

should both sides be fused ? if not is the + side the correct side to fuse ? ive seen people mention they had both sides fused in their installs but they never said why and i thought it was just a lil over kill (nothing wrong with overkill ;) ) . ive always been told/read that fusing the + side was all that was needed .

sooooooo . do i need to get another fuse block for the negative side ?

P.S. ive also got a 200 amp fuse 6 inches from the + battery terminal on the 4 guage comming in the SUV .
 

I was always told that if you need a fuse, you should not be hooking up the equipment, for what it is worth. Never had a issue yet, JPT.
BOOTY MONSTER said:
i use a power distribution block with fuse holders on the + side of my components in my mobile and a straight non-fused block for - . i saw a show the other nite and they were saying voltage runs from negative to positive when supplying power and when being charged the voltage goes in the positive side and out the negative .

should both sides be fused ? if not is the + side the correct side to fuse ? ive seen people mention they had both sides fused in their installs but they never said why and i thought it was just a lil over kill (nothing wrong with overkill ;) ) . ive always been told/read that fusing the + side was all that was needed .

sooooooo . do i need to get another fuse block for the negative side ?

P.S. ive also got a 200 amp fuse 6 inches from the + battery terminal on the 4 guage comming in the SUV .
Click to expand...
 
You should fuse it as close to the battery as possible. It really is a good idea to fuse anything that you're hooking up. Even most cell phone chargers have fuses in them. You really only need the POS side fused, but if you are going to run both POS and NEG to the battery, fuse them both...especially anything that is using big wire that won't burn up quick in case of a short.
 
Anything between the fuse and the power source (battery) is unprotected, so it makes sense to put that fuse as close to the power source as is practical. That 'practical' thingy can get a bit confusing, depending on just how 'picky' you are, sort of. If the wiring between battery and the fuse is done correctly (protected adequately), and if it's large enough to handle the current, there shouldn't be any problems placing the fuse at the back end of the radio.
Fusing the 'negative' side?
That's most common with things that draw a fair amount of current, not so common with things that don't draw a lot of current. Seems like a cheap insurance thingy to me, not all that bad of an idea. Of course, that means carrying more than one replacement fuse (handy to remember that before they pop rather than after, right?). And it can make a difference in exactly what kind/size that fuse is, some are much less common than others. (I popped a fuse on a TL-922 once. Just got it so no fuses on hand. Went to the parts house aiming to get a box or two. "They cost WHAT?"... Bought 4, no, not boxes, just 4 fuses. Went back later for a box, had to wait for payday. You don't wanna know!).

Booty', that 'distribution block' ought to have it's own fuse(s) by the way. Of a size to handle the max current draw the block is rated for. Since it's going to be a fairly large amount of current, why not fuse both sides of it? Extra fuses are nice. So is not popping them to start with :).
- 'Doc
 
saw a post on another site . was saying that in the event the ground strap on a older vehicle (mines a 91) should fail and you try to start the vehicle that it may try to use the coax as a ground and kill the coax and connected components . just the slight possibility of that makes the 10 bucks to add another fuse on the negative battery terminal seem like money well spent .

Parts Express:Wafer Fuse Holder
 
I can certainly be wrong, but I sort of doubt if a failed ground strap for the starter/motor/battery connection destroying the coax is a really likely thing to happen. Easiest 'cure' for that is to examine that ground strap, replace if needed, since any coax ground will be the least of your worries (what about all that other stuff that could be a ground too?).
Just from a quick look, it didn't appear that there was a wafer fuse small enough on that site. The smallest, that 150 amp thingy, seems like it would be a bit much considering the average power distribution thingy. Then again, you know more about what you have connected to it than I do.
- 'Doc
 
the big wafer fuse at the battery is only to protect the vehicle from catching fire if a short should happen on the main hot/positive power wire . the amp and radio have their own fuses for their protection . thats not the fuse holder i use but its similar to it and i bet theres very little if any real world difference . those are the type of fuses i use though .

maybe its over kill......but it cant hurt anything and $10 for a lil xtra peace of mind is a bargan to me .
isnt most ham mobile radios fused on both sides ?
 
Your fuse should not exceed the recommended current draw of the supply cable no matter what it is connected to and it should be as near the battery as physically possible.
 
better safe then sorry later. :( I fuse my 8 gage at the battery , My amp is fused and my radio is fused. Could you imagine having some class c hunk of shit in your ride without fuses in line and totally burning your electrical system bye bye ? Ouch !! You have to ask yourself this .......is it or was it worth it ? Electrical damage to a vehical can be very expensive to repair. :( Best advice here ......use them there fuses !! :thumbup:
 
74IN said:
Would you apply that to your house?
Click to expand...

If the vibrations and movement of your house applied to that of your vehicle then I would aggree with your question.

Fuses are ok nothing replaces a well thought out routing of powe cables to increase one's peice of mind.
 
Thats the way to do it,one fuse as close to the battery as possible, and then each piece of equipment with their own fuse at the back of the equipment. Never had a need to fuse the negative side.
 

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