posted
If you have some amplifiers that your electricla system can't handle, would it be okay to get a circuit breaker so that the amplifiers don't completely drain your cars electrical system? Ill probably have to give you an example: A 200 amp circuit breaker for 2 amps that have 100amp fuses in them. the amps usuallt draw 6o to 80 amps but sometimes peak at 130, whenever the amps would peak, the circuit would open up. Amplifiers dont draw the same ammount of current constantly so the circuit breaker wouldn't open up all the time would it?
posted
Eventually, yes, it would open all the time. Circuit breakers wear out. And now, I'll let everyone else who does and doesn't support breakers, flame me. We had a thorough discussion on breakers a while back, and some folks got a little out of hand about them....
------------------ STILL waiting to hear a GOOD pair of HLCD's!!
If it dont fit, force it... if it breaks, it needed to be replaced anyway...
posted
.....a little unclear with your example. If you wish to REPLACE two 100 amp circuits with a 200 amp breaker this is a mistake because either amplifier would see max 200 amps.
In real world operation once a system is set the fuse is nothing more than a safety device incase of collision or butter fingered technicians working on the system.
Always remove the main fuse when working on the 12 volt side of the components. Those little gold fuses are expensive.
------------------ Trans Am Sam ............ Powered by Rockford Fosgate. Fueled by Kenwood.
posted
If your electrical system couldn't keep up with a demand of 200A , then it wouldn't be capable of enough current to throw a 200amp breaker then would it? Also, if your amp peaks at 130A at a transient, then it would have a fuse like a 150A or so. Your main fuse (or breaker) at the battery is there to protect your vehicle from fire etc. if the main power lead to the amp is shorted be it coming through the firewall, having a screw put through it or whatever. Just make sure the fuse or breaker you use is slightly bigger than the sum of the main fuses from all your amps. They are there to protect the amps, not the one under the hood.
------------------ inno73@hotmail.com
Posts: 490 | From: Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada | Registered: May 1999
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posted
Dude, even a small car battery can supply more than 200 amps of current. Think about it, how many amps do you think it takes to crank your car over when its like 30 below zero??? Most factory batteries are in the 500CCA range, and even higher for trucks.
------------------ STILL waiting to hear a GOOD pair of HLCD's!!
If it dont fit, force it... if it breaks, it needed to be replaced anyway...
posted
Yes, sherm, they can fail open. The other side is, they can fail closed, which is basically a 4 gauge cable with no fusing at all. I like fuses. I've not even seen one fail closed!
------------------ STILL waiting to hear a GOOD pair of HLCD's!!
If it dont fit, force it... if it breaks, it needed to be replaced anyway...
posted
A friend of mine who has been in the car audio buis few 10+ years won't even work on a system with breakers. He doesn't want to be blamed for an electrical system being fried. He has seen them melt open, which ment there was no fusing at all.
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[This message has been edited by MTXNewbee (edited 10-11-99).]
Posts: 5 | From: somewhere,someplace, usa | Registered: Oct 1999
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posted
An "open" breaker would yield no electrical connection. A breaker opens under a fault or overcurrent condition, much the same way a fuse melts "open". A "closed" breaker would be a completed circuit. As far as the electrical system is concerned, the purpose of the breaker is to open under a fault or overcurrent condition. Therefore, the worst case in regards to the electrical system, would be to exceed the breaker's interrupting capacity and therefore the breaker melts closed due to an extreme overcurrent condition. An important note for everyone to keep in mind is that a breaker is a mechanical device. It should be checked periodically for proper operation. A breaker tripping repeatedly will weaken with time and become a nuissance. I have much more info. on breakers for anyone interested. I am employed full time as an electrical enigineering consultant, and one of the studies I routinely perform is protective device coordinations (breakers, fuses, relays). Therefore, I get my fair share of exposure to circuit breakers!
------------------ John M. Hellemn, E.I.T. BSECE, ONU -----------------------
A friend of mine who has been in the car audio buis few 10+ years won't even work on a system with breakers. He doesn't want to be blamed for an electrical system being fried. He has seen them melt open, which ment there was no fusing at all. ------------------
[This message has been edited by MTXNewbee (edited 10-11-99).]
I was responding to this, saying if it melts open, there is no circuit then, and no fried equipment....
I've actually never heard of a breaker frying closed, but I guess it is possible whereas with a fuse it is not possible, as if the material melts, at no point can it get thicker without other spots getting thinner... Makes sense.
ShadowStar
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Computers are a lot like air conditioners.. Open Windows and they become useless..
The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't suck is the day they make vacuums.
Posts: 2578 | From: Somewhere In the Northeast | Registered: May 1999
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posted
"Closed" circuit means a completed loop from the negative battery cable to the positive battery cable. "Open" circuit means the loop is not completed.
------------------ STILL waiting to hear a GOOD pair of HLCD's!!
If it dont fit, force it... if it breaks, it needed to be replaced anyway...
posted
Closed open same thing??? What the hell are you talking about? A closed circuit is a completed loop. An open circuit is a loop which is NOT complete. In Car Audio, Open circuits mean NO SOUND! They are not even close to the same thing. It's like comparing a car with an engine to a car without an engine. One will go, the other is a paperweight.
------------------ STILL waiting to hear a GOOD pair of HLCD's!!
If it dont fit, force it... if it breaks, it needed to be replaced anyway...
posted
JHelemn is absolutly right. If I was to use circuit breakers in a vehicle for amplifiers, I would make sure that they are Aircraft Grade breakers. I have a customer in the aircraft industry that has used them effectively, however he does change them periodically. You can purchase similar breakers, but from what he tells me the tolerance is lower grade, and that's whay aircraft grade is so expensive.
------------------ E.C. Wuz here
[This message has been edited by Eli47 (edited 10-27-99).]
Posts: 1057 | From: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 'eh | Registered: May 1999
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