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PostPosted: May 14, 2010, 6:47 pm 
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im tired of fuses in my car, is their any kinds of fuse block that acts like a home circuit breakers. as in instead of blowing out a fuse when it has too much current flowing to it, it just breaks a circuit breaker and u just flip it back on. if it blows again it just breaks the circuit breaker, u stop fix the problem and flip the circuit back

im going to re-wire a baja vw bug and im gutting the 30yr old wirring harness and re-wirring the whole thing from scratch. i planned on replacing the old euro style fuses that the bug fuse block uses and switch to the modern ato fuses but i don't wanna screw with those fuses either.

if theirs no circuit breaker fuse block, then were can u find a decently priced fuse block that has 2 flasher relays in the block. everytime a find a 8circuit or larger fuse block with the 2flasher relays it ends up costing like $100!

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PostPosted: May 14, 2010, 7:00 pm 
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Assphalt Kicker wrote:
im tired of fuses in my car, is their any kinds of fuse block that acts like a home circuit breakers. as in instead of blowing out a fuse when it has too much current flowing to it, it just breaks a circuit breaker and u just flip it back on. if it blows again it just breaks the circuit breaker, u stop fix the problem and flip the circuit back...

I don't think this is a good idea.

Are you saying your car pops fuses so often that it's become annoying? How often does it happen?

Lets say it's been converted to circuit-breakers. So you're driving along and one of them pops, but why did it pop... it did so because too much current ran through it. Either the circuit isn't designed right or there's a serious problem. Going to circuit breakers fixes neither situation.

So it pops and the button pressed to reset it... but how does this "fix" the problem? The only situation that breakers temporarily "fix" is an intermittant short to ground... I strongly suggest figuring out what the real problem is and fix the root of the issue, not putting a bandaid on it. My car popped a fuse exactly one time so I never felt an urge to go to breakers.

Sorry, but as an electrical engineer, I have to speak up when seeing such a fix being applied to such a situation.

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PostPosted: May 14, 2010, 8:01 pm 
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im sorry, i wasn't clear.

i actually hardly ever blow fuses. i just hate when i do.
i just want a circuit breaker style cause if i do blow a fuse i just have to flip it back down and i fixed the problem. i don't have to look and see which ato fuse i blew among the many that are so bunched up together and since their soo close to each other u have to get a pair of needle nose pliers just to get them out...

i would just prefer the circuit breaker style fuse block instead of any other kind of fuse block. i just don't know if they even have any available and i've been looking. i figured u guys were the ones to know

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PostPosted: May 14, 2010, 8:24 pm 
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Okay, fair enough, but it still doesn't fix the problem the way you want. You said:
Quote:
if i do blow a fuse i just have to flip it back down and i fixed the problem.
But it doesn't fix the problem.

For example, say the lights go out due to a short. All you want to do is get home to where it's easier to fix the problem, so you reset the breaker. All that does is pump the same current through the same short, so it pops right back off and the lights don't come back on. You're still stuck - you still have to remove the cause before resetting the breaker.

It's kind of like unscrewing the "low oil" light because it's annoying... It doesn't fix the underlying problem.

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Last edited by Anonymous on May 14, 2010, 8:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: May 14, 2010, 8:28 pm 
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i understand that
i have fuses in my car, but lets say this happened and i fixed the problem but i run out of fuses. what happens if blow some other fuse? im out of fuses and if i fix the problem, i don't have fuses to complete the circuit.
with the circuit breaker i can keep flipping it back on and if it flips back off, then i need to fix something else. this way i don't ever run out of fuses! i can keep flipping the circuit breaker till i get the problem solved

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Is that what happens to us? A life of conflict with no time for friends… so that when it's done, only our enemies leave roses.
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PostPosted: May 14, 2010, 8:29 pm 
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Okay.

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PostPosted: May 14, 2010, 9:56 pm 
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Yes, they do make such a critter. I don't know who they are but seems to me I saw someone messing with one on here.

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PostPosted: May 14, 2010, 10:01 pm 
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http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/el/ ... akers.html

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PostPosted: May 14, 2010, 10:07 pm 
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Let's see, 8-12 of those... $$$.

Regardless, I've had my say; if builders want to have them, at least they're now going into it having seen both sides of the topic. I'll stop with my infamous Bilinski's-raining-on-the-parade-again.

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PostPosted: May 14, 2010, 11:30 pm 
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Joined: November 25, 2009, 8:47 am
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Location: Tecumseh, Ontario Canada
Waytek http://www.waytekwire.comhas a nice selection of circuit breakers that fit directly in place of blade fuses, you'll find them used in commercial vehicles a fair bit as well.

I like the "lit when blown" one that are available (also at WayTek), still fuses but provide a quick visual indicator.
Attachment:
litwhenblown.jpg


The circuit breakers sound like they'd be handy for diagnostic work, just keep one of each of the common amperages tucked in the toolbox alongside your testlight and multimeter.


Cheers, Ted


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PostPosted: May 15, 2010, 8:35 am 
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Location: Wasilla, AK
There are several different styles available that can do what you are looking for. I don't have the catalog so I can't be certain of the numbers but one style resets itself once power is removed then reapplied, another resets every second or so if it is tripping and then there are the manual reset types. The first 2 types look alike for the most part and look like any of these http://partimages.genpt.com/partimages/218065.jpg, http://partimages.genpt.com/partimages/218003.jpg, http://partimages.genpt.com/partimages/218038.jpg. The manual type typically looks like the following http://partimages.genpt.com/partimages/796360.jpg http://partimages.genpt.com/partimages/218007.jpg http://partimages.genpt.com/partimages/218059.jpg. There are also accesories like holders and such for the more common automatic reset type breakers like this http://partimages.genpt.com/partimages/362073.jpg.


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PostPosted: May 15, 2010, 10:23 am 
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i figured they were going to be expesive
didn't see $100 per breaker though!

but their are a couple of $20 breakers that might be worth looking at
thanks guys that really helped

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Educatio Est Omnium Efficacissima Forma Rebellionis

Education Is The Most Effective Form Of Rebellion

Is that what happens to us? A life of conflict with no time for friends… so that when it's done, only our enemies leave roses.
For my own part, regret nothing. Have lived life, free from compromise ... and step into the shadow now without complaint


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PostPosted: May 15, 2010, 10:34 am 
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looks like atc/ato circuit breakers will work and their under $5 a breaker
and it also looks like they plug right into a fuse box
the type 1 and 2 are auto resets (reset when u take away power and then add it back again)
and type 3 are manual that have a little button on them

http://www.delcity.net/store/Manual-Res ... 198672.a_1
http://www.delcity.net/store/Blade!styl ... /p_151.a_1
http://www.delcity.net/store/Low-Profile-ATC®:ATO®-Manual-Reset-Circuit-Breakers/p_795453.a_1

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Educatio Est Omnium Efficacissima Forma Rebellionis

Education Is The Most Effective Form Of Rebellion

Is that what happens to us? A life of conflict with no time for friends… so that when it's done, only our enemies leave roses.
For my own part, regret nothing. Have lived life, free from compromise ... and step into the shadow now without complaint


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PostPosted: May 16, 2010, 5:10 pm 
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rent a uhaul truck, peek in the fuse box.


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PostPosted: January 5, 2011, 4:42 pm 
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Not so expensive. Check out http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/e ... on7277.php.
7277-1 = Isolated aux connection for monitoring systems or sys on lamps.
7277-2 = Just the breaker. With most auto systems a 12v dash light wired from the breaker to ground should act as the above just fine.

I've decided to use them for economics. (Yup you heard that right).

They not only act as a fuse but also as a switch, and they are obviously rated for their amperage so you don't need a switch + relay + extra wiring + fuse for the switch control of the relay all to power some 20A thing with a 20A fuse.

So $18 20A Klixon

vs

$1 20A fuse, $1 20A fuse holder, $3 switch, $4 relay, $1 2A relay coil fuse, and a pile of wiring.

$8 to vastly simplify the wiring? YES PLEASE. It also gives you switchable control of all subsystems that would normally be fused, which helps in repairing, diagnosing and testing of systems with other systems off. This is why many race cars use breaker panels.

But don't do it because just because it's a "resettable fuse".


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