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Battery Reloq. Fuses/Breakers (long)



--- Brian Haygood <scirious@hotmail.com> wrote:
> ...he knows of a Supra that burned because the power line in the
>rocker panel got pinched and sparked a fire.  Sounds reasonable
enough.

Sounds like a careless installation.

> So he shows me what he has..... Problem is the breakers/fuses are
>40amps.  Now I don't remember the exact number, but it seems like I
>paid for around 6-700 cold cranking amps when I bought a battery.  

I think wiring that 40A breaker or fuse into a starter circuit will be
an enjoyable way to watch money burn.  Literally.

My wife's car - a BMW - has a rear-mounted battery from the factory, 
the +12V goes directly from battery to starter (I checked the BMW's
Bentley, and later models use a fusible link in that line, which is an
altogether better solution, IMO).


> Should I even bother with this?  

I'm not going to.  Just use grommets, shielding, common sense, whatever
to protect that wire!

> I'm considering mounting all of the relays and whatever fuses to them
>in the driver's front fender cavity in front of the tire, if I get
>something weatherproof enough.

Hmmm...I'm going to use the plate where the battery used to be.

> For you EE types, is there any reason I can't use a household breaker
> meant for 120vAC?  I mean, can I rig up a "10 amp" breaker and expect
> it to trip at 100 amps on a 12volt system?  

This is an interesting question (and a true Cheapass candidate).  The
first thing that pops to mind is that Amps are Amps are Amps,
regardless of voltage.  BUT remember 120VAC is measured in RMS, DC
amps, well, there is no RMS.  It'd be a neat thing to fool with.

>Could I test this by hooking up a household dimmer switch (maybe
>series'ed with a lightbulb or two), and hooking it up to my battery,
>then turning down the resistance until it blows, then measure that R? 


You could also test by measuring the voltage drop across the load.  Dig
up an old heater resistor...please post your findings!


=====
Cheapass Ron
"Victor" '87 16V Scirocco
"Teufelhasen" '93 Cabby <-For sale

If it ain't foggy, TURN OFF YOUR FOG LIGHTS.

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