Re: quicky fusible link for fan motor protection

["Doyt W. Echelberger" <Doyt@nwonline.net>]

Thanks for the pointer, DeWitt.........Along that line, I was glancing
through a Crutchfield catalog at a friend's house, and saw 70A fuses and
fuse holders listed in the amplifier section. I think they use them on huge
trunk-mounted amps that power mega speakers that can be heard blocks away.
They were called Hi Power fuses. Maybe custom audio stores carry such
products. Maybe they show up on internet audio shop websites.

Another source might be an industrial construction materials outlet that
sells components for electrical systems in factories.  The voltages are
different, but essentially what we want is a link that blows when subjected
to a thousand watt power load.  (80A x 13v = 1,040W). I don't see why a
fuse for a 120v circuit that would blow under a 8 or 9 amp load wouldn't do
the same thing (8.67A x 120v = 1,040W).


I visited such a store last week and saw counters full of fuses and fuse
holders and circuit breakers of all sorts, mainly for 120 and 240 volt
systems. The place was A-1 Rental, which turned out to be a contractor
supply house that also rented equipment to contractors. Phone is
1-800-648-0168.

Another question is "why wouldn't a 1000W circuit breaker do the same job?" 

What do you think?  I'd like to see someone with an electrical engineering
background give it some thought and maybe do some testing. 

Doyt    87 5kcstq, without fusible link yet.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>At 01:52 PM 9/16/1999 -0600, you wrote:
>>Regarding the well known seized fan motor and attendant electrical
>>meltdown problem on the 5000/200 cars: the standard solution to
>>the fusible link retrofit on the type 44 cars has been to install the
>>Audi bracket and terminal box for the 80A link a la the '91 200.
>>
>>That's still the best way to go as far as I can tell. However, I have
>>recently noticed that there are some credible fusible link products
>>displayed on the shelves of my local generic car parts stores these
>>days. Buss makes a couple of such products. One called the FLM-80
>>is a link housed in a small plastic box with protruding metal terminals
>>designed so that they could be fastened directly to the ground
>>(negative) terminal on the back of the fan motor with very little
>>ingenuity. There was another 70A fusible link nicely housed with
>>a different style of terminal which might also work. I didn't look at
>>the Buss catalog to see if the second type was available in 80A too.
>>The difference amounts to radial vs. axial style terminals.
>>These would not be physically robust, mounting-wise compared
>>to the Audi terminal box but they are available immediately in the
>>stores, are cheap and could at least serve until a permanent solution
>>was installed.
>>
>>DeWitt Harrison
>>Boulder, CO
>>88 5kcstq
>>87 635 CSi
>>
>>