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Properly fusing amp when utilizing dual inputs?


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White Lightning had 3 amplifiers. Each one had a 60 amp fuse within 18 inches of each amp. At my batteries (2 under the hood and 3 in the bed) was nothing more than a 60 amp fuse. Never any problems and scored major points on installation. 

With that being said, I’m not understanding why one would fuse higher than the amplifier’s ratings ...over fusing alone can void warranty 

Kenwood / HELIX / Linear Power (For The Love Of Music) / Brutal Sounds / OverKill Electric Co 

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"The Green Dickle" 1994 GMT400 Chevy "Phantom Dually"   

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Over fusing alone can take longer for the fuse to pop in case of a short. 

So if your running 1/0 and your amps rating is 200 amps, why fuse the wire to 300+ amps?

If you want to get real anal about fusing like I do it, I put my clamp meter on each of the positive runs of wire and measure the current over a burp which will be the only time the amplifier will pull its max current. I then fuse each run of wire to the closest I can.
So in my truck I got all 9 of my 1/0 power wires fused at 150 amps. Never a blown fuse, and if an issue arises the fuses will blow almost instantly instead of waiting for a 300+ amp fuse to blow.

So many misconceptions about fuses, I dont understand where people come up with some of this stuff..

Using a smaller fuse will not impact resistance much if at all unless your pushing the fuse to its limit.

Using a larger fuse will not make you gain more power, get louder, etc. That is unless your currently under fused to begin with and are constantly blowing fuses.

Just because a fuse is rated for say 300 amps doesn't mean it will blow once it sees 300 amps. The truth is it will probably take 400+ amps of current for 5, 10, maybe even 15 seconds before it blows (every fuse will be different, even if they are the same size/style).

Fuses do not protect your amp, if your amp is going to blow, it will blow regardless of a fuse 9 times out of 10. A fuses job is just to protect the wire, hence why you should install the fuse(s) as close to the batteries as possible. 
Side note for people using circuit breakers if you ever trip them, or trip them occasionally be aware that they get a tad weaker each time they fault and will begin to trip easier due to the arching that eats away the contact when you turn them off/on. This is also the same for AC breakers in your home, and relay switches as well that will either get stuck on or stuck off because the contacts can weld themselves together. So if your turning a breaker back on you should always make sure everything that said breaker powers is turned off to prolong its life.

Another thing many people with rear additional battery setups never realize either is that the amp will draw its power from the closest source with least resistance. This is often times the rear battery bank. That rear battery bank is a HUGE buffer to your electrical system and lightens the load on your primary power wires that run from the front to the back tremendously.

So when the bass note hits your amplifier will pull from rear battery first, than through the wire to your front battery, than through the big 3 wiring to your alternator. This is why people with clamp meters nor auto part stores with a cart that they wheel out to your vehicle to test the alternator cant. Well they can but neither you or them cant load the alternator down enough to demand the alternator to produce its full current. That is unless you disconnect almost all of your batteries and then put the amps under a max load, or have your own load bank to do just that. 
 

 

 

 

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300A fuse blows almost instantly in a short.  Are we arguing over milliseconds?  If youre not fusing to protect your amp, then whats the point?  To pop it milliseconds earlier?  Trivial.  150A fuse or 300A fuse... Either way you wont burn your wire, so why type a paragraph just to agree that you dont fuse wire to protect the amp?

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17 hours ago, audiofanaticz said:

Fuses do not protect your amp, if your amp is going to blow, it will blow regardless of a fuse 9 times out of 10. A fuses job is just to protect the wire, hence why you should install the fuse(s) as close to the batteries as possible.

To be honest "being an electronics technician" I know for a fact that fuse protection does protect your amplifier. Everything else you posted was dead on balls accurate as far as I'm concerned.

Amplifiers made today (including Linear Power) have their own "built in" fuse protection circuits. So no fuse is needed within 18 inches from the amplifier like in the past. Thinking that's where some of the translation gets lost ... LOL

Kenwood / HELIX / Linear Power (For The Love Of Music) / Brutal Sounds / OverKill Electric Co 

Questions About Sound Quality ?? Try Here ... Sound Quality, What does it REALLY mean ?? 

SMD SOTM Winner "White Lightning" 1997 GMT400 Chevy Silverado   

"The Green Dickle" 1994 GMT400 Chevy "Phantom Dually"   

Randal's 2007 Chevy Avalanche (we haven't named this one yet)

Dylan's "Brutal" 17 Chevy Cruze RS Hatch                         

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17 hours ago, WalledSonic said:

300A fuse blows almost instantly in a short.  Are we arguing over milliseconds?  If youre not fusing to protect your amp, then whats the point?  To pop it milliseconds earlier?  Trivial.  150A fuse or 300A fuse... Either way you wont burn your wire, so why type a paragraph just to agree that you dont fuse wire to protect the amp?

any fuse should "blow" in the event of a dead short. If not, there defective. I think the main concern with fusing is to prevent "over current"

Kenwood / HELIX / Linear Power (For The Love Of Music) / Brutal Sounds / OverKill Electric Co 

Questions About Sound Quality ?? Try Here ... Sound Quality, What does it REALLY mean ?? 

SMD SOTM Winner "White Lightning" 1997 GMT400 Chevy Silverado   

"The Green Dickle" 1994 GMT400 Chevy "Phantom Dually"   

Randal's 2007 Chevy Avalanche (we haven't named this one yet)

Dylan's "Brutal" 17 Chevy Cruze RS Hatch                         

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13 hours ago, White Lightning said:

any fuse should "blow" in the event of a dead short. If not, there defective. I think the main concern with fusing is to prevent "over current"

Most Korean amps have over current protection.  Its all good.  To each their own.  I have no problems with my build, you have none with yours, AF has none with his.  I guess none of us are really 'doing it wrong' if protection circuits work and nothing catches fire.

Chevy Sonic Wall (4) 15's on 10k Build Log

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