Quote:
Originally Posted by Eyes Up
Motivation and Plan
Why did I purchase 10 Amp rated fuses? Because I decided to plug into the fuse box at slot (5), which is currently unused in my vehicle and is rated, per the fuse map card, at 10 Amp.
I was confounded by this step.
This is the step that I mentioned above that I am imploring others with domain knowledge to comment and educate me. Other posts have indicated they elected slot (8), which is a 20 Amp circuit. My rationale for not electing slot (8) was two-fold:
- First, circuit (8) was already in use (evidenced by the presence of a 20 A rated fuse; by contrast, slot (5) was open, having no fuse present prior to my intervention); and,
- Second, my research suggested the Valentine V1 radar detector used only 1 Amp of current (I did not find current-draw specifications for my radar detector, but these two devices are likely not dissimilar in current demand requirements)... so I wanted a fuse that would activate (i.e., break) at amperage that was low enough that it would prevent my radar detector (i.e., $500) from being fried, were the circuit to surge. As long as the current availability was sufficient (i.e., around 1 A), it seemed a lower breaking point for the circuit (e.g., 10 A fuse versus as 20 A fuse) was the safer option. Comments???
Additionally, I wanted the circuit to be off when the engine was off. But I lacked data at this point for slot (5), since it was not listed on the front of the fuse map card. So, my selection of slot (5), to some degree, now became a leap of faith at this point, trial and error....
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Just my experience as a car audio installer in the past, you always want to use the smallest fuse possible to power your device. Example, if the device only draws 1 amp, I would use a 3 or 5 amp fuse at the max. If a situation happened where the fuse would need blow, you would want the fuse to blow as fast as possible.
The circuits in the fuse box are rated buy what uses it and what the wires going to that point can support. Normally a standard power outlet will use a 10-20 amp fuse as that allows you to plug in devices that may draw some decent current. But keep in mind that most electronics already have small glass type fuses in the power adapter that is a very low rated fuse.
Just my two cents.
Oh, and nice and very detailed write-up!!