Car Gurus. Please teach me about electricity
01-13-2011, 08:52 AM
#1
Op is too busy to care
Thread Starter
Car Gurus. Please teach me about electricity
Ok so if i have an led with a 12v inverter box and im thinking about connecting it into the fuse box with a add-a-fuse. Now my questions are thus:
when i use this add a fuse, i know that one of the 2 sockets in the replaced fuse will be the original fuse and the other is a new fuse added for whatever device i am using. DOES this new fuse need to be the same amps as the first one? Are there any potential problems if its not? Is there any maximum to the amount of amps a fuse can take? there are several fuses with amps ranging from 5-50 amps or so so there is there any limit to how many amps the add a fuse can take? The device i want to add terminates in a red / black wire. Red im guessing is positive, and the black is the ground wire? so it would go red wire into tap a fuse, tap a fuse into fuse, ten black wire to screw or something? And how do i know if the device i am using has a fuse or not?
This is the tap a fuse i am using:
http://www.amazon.com/Bussmann-BP-HH...4908243&sr=8-1
when i use this add a fuse, i know that one of the 2 sockets in the replaced fuse will be the original fuse and the other is a new fuse added for whatever device i am using. DOES this new fuse need to be the same amps as the first one? Are there any potential problems if its not? Is there any maximum to the amount of amps a fuse can take? there are several fuses with amps ranging from 5-50 amps or so so there is there any limit to how many amps the add a fuse can take? The device i want to add terminates in a red / black wire. Red im guessing is positive, and the black is the ground wire? so it would go red wire into tap a fuse, tap a fuse into fuse, ten black wire to screw or something? And how do i know if the device i am using has a fuse or not?
This is the tap a fuse i am using:
http://www.amazon.com/Bussmann-BP-HH...4908243&sr=8-1
01-13-2011, 10:14 AM
#2
Drifting
I think I'm kind of confused. You talk about replacing a fuse but have a link to a fusible link.
You fuse should match the requirements for that device. A larger fuse than you need will pretty much negate the reason you are using a fuse in the first place (they should burn out before your wiring/devices)
One of the limitations of how much amperage you can put through a circuit is the size of the wire. If you have a large fuse and a large amount of amperage on a small gauge wire the wire will fail and can start a fire.
Your guess on wire colors seems right to me, but this should be in the manual that came with the inverter.
You fuse should match the requirements for that device. A larger fuse than you need will pretty much negate the reason you are using a fuse in the first place (they should burn out before your wiring/devices)
One of the limitations of how much amperage you can put through a circuit is the size of the wire. If you have a large fuse and a large amount of amperage on a small gauge wire the wire will fail and can start a fire.
Your guess on wire colors seems right to me, but this should be in the manual that came with the inverter.
01-13-2011, 10:44 AM
#3
Senior Moderator
The fuse is designed to limit the amount of current capable of flowing through the circuit (amperage or amps). The fuse that is in place was chosen to allow the enough current through to work the device but not enough current to start a fire or damage the device. Your LED has extremely low current draw, so my suggestion is to keep the rating of the fuse that is in place now. The additional current should not be enough to make a difference. If it is, it will simply blow the fuse, and you can replace it with the next highest rating.
What you are aiming for is allowing the most current you need to run your devices properly and nothing more.
What you are aiming for is allowing the most current you need to run your devices properly and nothing more.
01-13-2011, 12:00 PM
#4
Op is too busy to care
Thread Starter
i know that LEDs typically have low power draw but this specific variation im using requires its own 12v inverter. Should i be concerned about the power draw? im looking to tap into the fuse that activates when the door lights come on (on the actual door interior, not the courtesy lights)
and @ stapler i think i meant to say that once the original fuse is removed and i place the fusible link in then there are 2 empty slots on it.
also is there any place i can see the max amps per guage of wire? this way if i can find out the guage of the wire i can reference it to be safe
and @ stapler i think i meant to say that once the original fuse is removed and i place the fusible link in then there are 2 empty slots on it.
also is there any place i can see the max amps per guage of wire? this way if i can find out the guage of the wire i can reference it to be safe
01-14-2011, 10:27 AM
#5
Senior Moderator
The inverter will not cause more current to be drawn. I installed two cold cathode lights with 12V inverter in my GF's Civic recently and the instructions stated they only draw .7 amps (700 milliamps). Your LEDs should be less than that, but any documentation that came with them will probably tell you their ratings.
One problem that you will run into with your plan is that the fuse that supplies your door lights does not turn on and off with the lights. It supplies the power all of the time, and there is a switch down the line on your door (or wherever) that connects and disconnects the power. Your only hope for achieving this is to tap into the wire that is connected to your light after the switch. This will make your fuse-tap worthless. If you want to go this route, find the wire supplying power to the light you want to imitate, and either splice it or get a clamp that cuts into the wire plastic to contact the copper (I have one on my V1 that is wired to my ACC fuse). The clamp is easiest because their is no need to cut wires.
If you are insistent on using your fuse tap you have 3 options:
1) Tap into a fuse that is on all of the time, and add a switch.
2) Tap into a fuse that is on with ignition position 1. I did this on the Civic so that the lights would be on all the time when the key is in and is turned. I used the radio fuse, so it mimics that regardless of if the radio is on or not.
3) Tap into the fuse that is on with ignition position 2 (ACC).
What I plan to do (some day) with the Civic lights is to add an OR-Gate combining the interior lights power and the radio power. That will allow the lights to come on with the interior lights and/or with the ignition turned. If you REALLY want to learn about electricity, go this route, but you will need a breadboard and an OR-Gate.
For the current carrying capacity of wire gauges, you can find that with Google (along with almost all of your other questions
)
Here is a link off of a Google search for "wire gauges" http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm. Don't worry about the frequency, your supply is DC so freq = 0.
One problem that you will run into with your plan is that the fuse that supplies your door lights does not turn on and off with the lights. It supplies the power all of the time, and there is a switch down the line on your door (or wherever) that connects and disconnects the power. Your only hope for achieving this is to tap into the wire that is connected to your light after the switch. This will make your fuse-tap worthless. If you want to go this route, find the wire supplying power to the light you want to imitate, and either splice it or get a clamp that cuts into the wire plastic to contact the copper (I have one on my V1 that is wired to my ACC fuse). The clamp is easiest because their is no need to cut wires.
If you are insistent on using your fuse tap you have 3 options:
1) Tap into a fuse that is on all of the time, and add a switch.
2) Tap into a fuse that is on with ignition position 1. I did this on the Civic so that the lights would be on all the time when the key is in and is turned. I used the radio fuse, so it mimics that regardless of if the radio is on or not.
3) Tap into the fuse that is on with ignition position 2 (ACC).
What I plan to do (some day) with the Civic lights is to add an OR-Gate combining the interior lights power and the radio power. That will allow the lights to come on with the interior lights and/or with the ignition turned. If you REALLY want to learn about electricity, go this route, but you will need a breadboard and an OR-Gate.
For the current carrying capacity of wire gauges, you can find that with Google (along with almost all of your other questions
)Here is a link off of a Google search for "wire gauges" http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm. Don't worry about the frequency, your supply is DC so freq = 0.
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