[K0NR] Mobile DC Power: One Fuse or Two?
 

Post : Mobile DC Power: One Fuse or Two?
URL : https://www.k0nr.com/wordpress/2020/...e-fuse-or-two/
Posted : 7 March 2020 at 8:01 pm
Author : Bob K0NR

Way back in the 20th Century, I learned that fuses (or circuit breakers) are
installed into electrical circuits to prevent against catastrophic failure.
Fuses open in response to some kind of electrical fault that causes excessive
current to flow. The job of the fuse is to minimize the damage and keep
things from catching on fire. When I started installing amateur transceivers
into vehicles, I learned that you should connect wires directly to the car
battery (or darn close) and you should fuse both the positive and negative
power leads. These seemed a bit odd but there are some technical arguments
for this approach and the transceiver manufacturers recommend it in their
manuals. (See figure below.)


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