Dean123 Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 Hi, Last weekend while adding a power supply for my XM radio I blew a fuse. Its a 15amp fuse. It was a good wake up call because I had no spares. The fuse is the factory fuse, blue, and says "15amp/32volt." My neighbor had a box of spare car fuses including a blue "15amp/12volt." The prongs are identical in width, and the fuse fits just fine. The only difference is the new fuse is a little fatter in the plastic part and has the metal part that "blows" in the middle just above the prongs as opposed to the very top. I assume that the new fuse, which is the kind commonly sold at autoparts stores is fine, but I just wanted to check to be certain. Also, for those of you like me who never carried a spare, probably a good idea to carry some spares. Dean Link to comment
Sidmariner Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 Quite OK. Your original fuse was good for a range of common DC voltages from 6,9, 12,24 and 32. Note in my earlier post in response to a question about electrical tape I mentioned I had changed all the fuses on my bikes to ATC (Auto) types, because I know I can find those fuses in just about every gas station and 7-11 on the continent. The only time to be cautious is when a slow-blow fuse is indicated. Sometimes a piece of equipment may impart a momentary heavy load before settling down to low-load operation (some radio equipment, heating circuits, small motors). The slow blow will handle the over-load for a second or so before blowing, giving your accessory time to normalize. Fast-blow fuses are virtually instantaneous and really important in places like computer circuits, which would suffer heavy damage from prolonged overload. The only time I've popped a fuse in two years is when I tried to raise my windscreen while using heated gloves and a vest. The bike had a 2 amp fuse where a 10 amp should have been. Link to comment
T__ Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 Hi, Last weekend while adding a power supply for my XM radio I blew a fuse. Its a 15amp fuse. It was a good wake up call because I had no spares. The fuse is the factory fuse, blue, and says "15amp/32volt." My neighbor had a box of spare car fuses including a blue "15amp/12volt." The prongs are identical in width, and the fuse fits just fine. The only difference is the new fuse is a little fatter in the plastic part and has the metal part that "blows" in the middle just above the prongs as opposed to the very top. I assume that the new fuse, which is the kind commonly sold at autoparts stores is fine, but I just wanted to check to be certain. Also, for those of you like me who never carried a spare, probably a good idea to carry some spares. Dean Dean, the 15 amp part is obviously the amperage rating of the fuse (amp load at which it fails) .. The voltage part (if even given) is the safe voltage handling ability of the fuse.. Most automotive fuses have a 32 (dc) volt rating as vehicle electrical systems can operate at up to 15 volts.. That 15 amp 12 volt fuse should work OK but why not just buy an automotive fuse from the local auto parts store & get the 32 volt capacity, you want some spares anyhow.. Twisty Link to comment
Dean123 Posted June 11, 2007 Author Share Posted June 11, 2007 Thanks. I thought everything was okay. Just didn't want to do anything without checking the collective knowledge of you folks. BTW, the auto parts store only sold 12v fuses. Dean Link to comment
ShovelStrokeEd Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 The voltage rating on the fuse is that at which it will safely break a circuit while carrying its maximum current and NOT arc over. A 12 volt fuse, if that is really the voltage rating and not just the counter person's understanding, is actually below specification for the bike's electrical system. I would be surprised ot see an auto store handling only 12 volt fuses though. 32 volt is the norm for the industry. Link to comment
DavidEBSmith Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 If you look at the Buss Fuses catalog ( link to PDF), it says the ATC fuses (the blade type) are rated at 32 volts. I don't see that they have slow-blow or fast-blow fuses in the blade types, but they do make circuit breakers that replace ATC fuses. The wisdom of doing this, I have no opinion on. Link to comment
T__ Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 If you look at the Buss Fuses catalog ( link to PDF), it says the ATC fuses (the blade type) are rated at 32 volts. I don't see that they have slow-blow or fast-blow fuses in the blade types, but they do make circuit breakers that replace ATC fuses. The wisdom of doing this, I have no opinion on. David, in the auto industry circuit breakers are used in a lot of high current applications where customer induced overload is a possibility (like power window motor circuits).. In circuits like that there is the probability that excess duty cycles will blow a conventional fuse from heat & heat induced motor load.. While a simple fuse would protect the circuit it could also blow quite easily on momentary peak loads.. Those (automotive duty) circuit breakers have a short cycle life though & will only take a few successive overloads before failing.. Twisty Link to comment
E30TECH Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 without reading every post above....the original fuse was a German fuse. Those style fuses come on the BMW cages as well. I get extras when I go to the junkyard Link to comment
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