inline fuses

rigi36 · 22 June 2014, 16:12

My new radio and plotter have come with inline cylindrical fuses.

I already have a blade fuse control panel.

Should I use both fuses?

ShinyShoe · 22 June 2014, 16:25

does ur control panel switch each individually or do you switch say vhf plus radar on single switch. if single shared switch seperate inlines have a role to play.

doggypaddle · 22 June 2014, 16:28

I would keep both to be sure, the rupture characteristics of the supplied fuses may well be different to a standard blade fuse, they may blow faster to protect semiconductor circuits. Automotive blade fuses are really only to protect the wiring.

lakelandterrier · 22 June 2014, 20:43

Last time I set something up with in-line fuses it went up with a huge bang

To be fair it was the finale of a fireworks show

jyasaki · 23 June 2014, 01:54

No; the blade fuse will be fine.

Fuses are not to protect electronics, they're to prevent wiring from catching fire.

jky

rigi36 · 23 June 2014, 06:14

Sorry what I mean is does it matter if I have 2 fuses for each device?

I.e. VHF has an inline fuse in its power cord but it is also connected to my fused control panel.

I'm not keen on cutting the fuses out of the power leads as I believe this voids the warranty.

John Kennett · 23 June 2014, 06:36

It doesn't matter, but it will mean there are more things to check if your radio doesn't work.

ShinyShoe · 23 June 2014, 07:53

And you'd need to carry a spare cylinder fuse as well as a spare spade...

SteveHall · 23 June 2014, 08:44

I agree with the others, any device i have added that has its own in-line fuse has been removed.

I want one central place to check for blown fuses if something inst working.

rigi36 · 23 June 2014, 13:01

But does cutting them off not void the warranty?

SteveHall · 23 June 2014, 13:25

I wouldn't of thought so, as for a claim i would only send the unit back and not the harness. As long as its fused to what they recommend then they cant complain.

captnjack · 23 June 2014, 15:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveHall

I wouldn't of thought so, as for a claim i would only send the unit back and not the harness. As long as its fused to what they recommend then they cant complain.

Yeah except common sense is not so common and many manufacturers use any excuse not to honor a warranty.

I would just leave the inline fuses intact and wire in the leads to wherever you choose. They won't hurt anything. And if you blow that inline fuse just replacing it is highly unlikely to fix the issue since it means there's an internal short in the radio.

SteveHall · 23 June 2014, 15:26

When I had a fault on a Lowrance unit, and sent it back, they sent a replacement and didn't question the harness.

doggypaddle · 23 June 2014, 18:04

If you only want one fuse then check with the manufacturer that the blade fuse is suitable. Fuses to protect the wiring should be at source, and fuses to protect the equipment could be either near the equipment or near the power source. As manufacturers don,t know how long the wiring loom will be they supply the loom with a fuse near the equipment to primarily protect the equipment. this fuse will not fully protect the wiring harness if there is a fault before it. it is up to the installer to provide a fuse near the source to protect the harness.
My point is unless you know the blade fuse rupture characteristics are the same as the supplied fuse which may be a very fast fuse then doing away with it in the event of equipment failure may turn a cheap repair costing a few pence into a very expensive one.
A standard fuse may require twice its rated current to open in one second, a fast-blow fuse may require twice its rated current to blow in 0.1 seconds, and a slow-blow fuse may require twice its rated current for tens of seconds to blow.

rigi36 · 23 June 2014, 19:57

Thanks. Good advice.

9D280 · 24 June 2014, 10:03

I'm sure I resd somewhere that VHF shouldn't have a separate power switch as it's another thing that could fail (and therfore your radio doesn't work just when you need to shout "mayday").

All the electrickery on my boat goes through the fuse panel - except the radio that is powered from the input side of the panel with the supplied inline fuse so the only switch between it & the battery is the main isolator.

And yes, I have to carry a dfferent shaped fuse, but I also have to carry 3 ratings of blade fuses so it's not really an issue.

mitchc · 24 June 2014, 11:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by 9D280

I'm sure I resd somewhere that VHF shouldn't have a separate power switch as it's another thing that could fail (and therfore your radio doesn't work just when you need to shout "mayday").

All the electrickery on my boat goes through the fuse panel - except the radio that is powered from the input side of the panel with the supplied inline fuse so the only switch between it & the battery is the main isolator.

.

That's how mine is, wired direct to the fuse board with no separate switch.... If the batteries are on the VHF can be switched on too.