cigarette lighter fuse size?
 

Having trouble with my bc70 radio and the corded power fuse. The fuse
3amps keeps blowing out. What size fuse is needed? THANKS !

check your receiver specs for current draw..... if you are blowing a 3 amp
fuse check your polarity and also check to see if the plug blows without
the radio hooked up(if fuse is in line with cord).


"meski" wrote in message
...
Having trouble with my bc70 radio and the corded power fuse. The fuse
3amps keeps blowing out. What size fuse is needed? THANKS !

meski wrote:
Having trouble with my bc70 radio and the corded power fuse. The fuse
3amps keeps blowing out. What size fuse is needed? THANKS !

BC70 probably draws less than 1 amp. My guess would be to look in the
cigarette light plug itself. I have seen several of these get twisted
around inside and the strands of copper wire get pulled out of the
pressure contacts and cross over to the other polarity. Some of the
type plugs, you can easily take apart, twist and perhaps even tin the
leads with solder, the put them back in and they are good as new.

If you don't want to do that, pay a couple of bucks and get a new one.

Andy
WD4KDN




--
Gun Control works!!! 3 million Holocaust victims can’t be wrong.

On Mon, 22 Dec 2003 21:02:48 -0500, meski wrote:

Having trouble with my bc70 radio and the corded power fuse. The fuse
3amps keeps blowing out. What size fuse is needed? THANKS !

how many amps does your receiver draw? that's the size fuse you need.
check your owner's manual. but...are you sure there isn't a short in
the power cord? is this the only accessory that you've connected to
the cigarette lighter?

73,
rich, n9dko

Having trouble with my bc70 radio and the corded power fuse. The fuse
3amps keeps blowing out. What size fuse is needed? THANKS !

Too many unknown variables here for anyone to give an answer. Perhaps
when you unplug your scanner, you let the cord hang loose and it shorts
out against some metal part between the seats or elsewhere in the car
shoring the fuse, in which case, always unplug from the lighter first.

Many times, when a fuse keeps blowing on me, I put the next higher value
fuse in and never have another problem, but I would not recommend this
for you, since none of use know exactly what you are doing and why it is
blowing.

Meskime wrote:
What size fuse is needed?

No more than the lighter socket itself is fused at! Toyota dealer tells me
Camrys have 15A fuse for lighter.
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Yeah thanks everyone on your input. Yeah Ive had this plug-cord for many
years and have had it apart a couple times in years past to fix
disconnected wires on both ends. I wrapped the fixed (solder) wiring
with electrical tape and ive put on heat shrink tubing as well. Checked
polarity and they aren't crossed and the wiring shows good on my vom meter.

As far as getting a new cord, years ago i bought one at the local wally
world, now you go to any stores all any of em have anymore are phone
cords. I suppose I could check the local bursma electronics store. But I
at this point don't think its the cord.

Also I do have a permit for the car and radio.

I guess I assumed these power cord fuses were the same altogether.

Phaelsa wrote:

Having trouble with my bc70 radio and the corded power fuse. The fuse
3amps keeps blowing out. What size fuse is needed? THANKS !


Too many unknown variables here for anyone to give an answer. Perhaps
when you unplug your scanner, you let the cord hang loose and it shorts
out against some metal part between the seats or elsewhere in the car
shoring the fuse, in which case, always unplug from the lighter first.

Many times, when a fuse keeps blowing on me, I put the next higher value
fuse in and never have another problem, but I would not recommend this
for you, since none of use know exactly what you are doing and why it is
blowing.

15A is *way* too much to be drawing with a cigarette lighter adaptor. The
socket can handle that much. The wire may be able to handle that much. BUT
the adaptor itself will soon self destruct under such heavy use.

The usual thing that happens is the *spring* that pushed out the "tip" to
make the electrical connection in the center of the jack can't handle all
that current. Remember, ALL the current flows thru that spring on the way
to the wire and your radio. It heats up the spring and failure soon
follows.

How much current/time for this to happen? I dunno .. 15a, sure .. 10a,
maybe ... 5a not likely.

Richard in Boston, MA, USA

GLC1173 wrote:
: Meskime wrote:
:What size fuse is needed?

: No more than the lighter socket itself is fused at! Toyota dealer
: tells me Camrys have 15A fuse for lighter.

In article , glc1173
@aol.com says...
What size fuse is needed?

No more than the lighter socket itself is fused at! Toyota dealer tells me
Camrys have 15A fuse for lighter.

That's great if all you're protecting is a cigarette lighter. Comm
equipment operates at MUCH lower current levels. Best to look at the
item being powered, see what the max current draw is, then get the fuse
closest to that rating.

(And in the case of equipment that transmits, be sure to use the current
value for transmit, not just receive. I remember one guy who couldn't
figure out why his fuse was blowing every time he keyed his CB -- turns
out he had only looked at the current draw for receive, so every time he
keyed down the current drain went way up and poof!)

--

-- //Steve//

Steve Silverwood, KB6OJS
Fountain Valley, CA
Email: