Main > Main Forum
Question regarding fuse needed for my cab-powering solution. 120V? 250V?
quarterback:
A while back (a LONG while back) I bought this item to install into the back of my cocktail cab for a single (and removable, and with a switch) power cord solution. The plan was to cut a hole in the cab, screw this thing in, wire the inside to my powerstrip and be good to go:
I'm finally getting around to doing it (or thinking about doing it) and realized that I need to buy some fuses because this thing needs fuses to work.
My question is: What fuses do I need? I think I need 6amp 250v fuses, but I wanted to post the question before going out to look for them. I'm also curious how tough it might be for me to find 6A fuses locally, but maybe it's an easy task. I don't know, I've never tried. Lowes? Home Depot? Wal-Mart?
In any case, the side of the unit looks like this:
It notes that the "switch rating" is "10A 250VAC" So, at first, I thought I needed 10A fuses... HOWEVER, up at the top of the sticker (above the schematic) it says "6A/40C,120/250V ~, 50-60Hz" So I realized while the built-in switch can handle 10A, it only wants 6A running though each leg.
This thing requires TWO fuses. The ground goes directly through to the back, but both prongs of the plug/cable are set to run though 1 fuse each. SOOOOOooo... QUESTION#1 Does this mean I need to find TWO 6A 250V fuses? Or is it telling me that the total amperage should be 6amps? (if you click on the pic, you should be able to see the schematic)
My guess is that I need two 6A fuses, but I just want to be sure.
QUESTION#2 120V or 250V? I've always been a little confused when it comes to this. I've been told that when buying fuses, it doesn't matter if it says 120V or 250V, either are okay... I find that difficult to believe (or, at the very least, difficult to understand) But the shcematic says "6A 120V/250V" So, does it matter?
Compounding my 120V/250V confusion is the writing on the FRONT of the unit (see larger version of picture #1) because it says "Use only with a 250V fuse" As somebody who likes to follow instructions, I'm inclined to buy a 250V fuse but the sticker on the side implies I can use a 120V fuse. Can anybody confirm or deny whether or not it will matter.
I think that's it for now. Any helpful advice is appreciated.
Fozzy The Bear:
--- Quote from: quarterback on September 16, 2006, 04:50:42 pm ---It notes that the "switch rating" is "10A 250VAC" So, at first, I thought I needed 10A fuses... HOWEVER, up at the top of the sticker (above the schematic) it says "6A/40C,120/250V ~, 50-60Hz" So I realized while the built-in switch can handle 10A, it only wants 6A running though each leg.
--- End quote ---
You are confusing the maximum rating for the socket with the power rating you need to run your cabinet!! you're also confusing 240v and 110v supplies. The reason the unit handles both is that in the UK we use 240V at 50Hz and in in the USA you use 120V at 60Hz.
You actually only need a 3Amp fuse for a cab on a 240Volt supply...... All of the full size cabinets I maintain at work are fused 3Amps. This is the wrong rating for you in the USA though!! You need to properly calculate the maximum Ampage draw of all the equipment you are connecting to that socket then add 15% as a safety margin. You should also try and use a fast blow fuse. You will probably find that a 4Amp fuse is more than enough.
I'd also strongly recommend that all cabinets should be plugged into a (Residual Current Device) "RCD Socket". Also known as an "Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker" socket. They switch off in times measured in Milliseconds if there is a fault on the circuit and save lives!! In basic terms they switch off before the current has enough time to kill you!
Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)
quarterback:
--- Quote from: Fozzy The Bear on September 17, 2006, 02:42:44 am ---
--- Quote from: quarterback on September 16, 2006, 04:50:42 pm ---It notes that the "switch rating" is "10A 250VAC" So, at first, I thought I needed 10A fuses... HOWEVER, up at the top of the sticker (above the schematic) it says "6A/40C,120/250V ~, 50-60Hz" So I realized while the built-in switch can handle 10A, it only wants 6A running though each leg.
--- End quote ---
You are confusing the maximum rating for the socket with the power rating you need to run your cabinet!!
--- End quote ---
No, not really. I have no real interest in determining how many amps my cab pulls. I'm just trying to determine what the manufacturers of this plug want me to put in it. Frankly, I don't want the fuses at all. I'd be happy enough to fill the holes with aluminum foil, but it seems a little ghetto and, since I've bought this nice little plug, I figure I might as well plug in the fuses.
All this little unit is going to do is to bridge between my power strip and the wall. As it stands, the power strip is plugged into the wall. This is not going to do anything but make that connection neater. I could have just as easily pulled a receptical out of an old power supply and wired it that way. And that wouldn't require any fuses at all.
--- Quote ---you're also confusing 240v and 110v supplies. The reason the unit handles both is that in the UK we use 240V at 50Hz and in in the USA you use 120V at 60Hz.
--- End quote ---
I'm not really confusing that either. I'm completely aware of the fact that the US is 120v and the UK is not. There are plenty of fuses with "250V" stamped on them in the US. And, as I said, I've had people tell me that it doesn't matter which you use. My only confusion is that I don't understand why people would tell me that a 120V fuse is the same as a 250V fuse. That, as I stated, seems odd to me.
--- Quote ---You actually only need a 3Amp fuse for a cab on a 240Volt supply...... All of the full size cabinets I maintain at work are fused 3Amps.
--- End quote ---
My question#1 is about the specific markings on this plug.
Perhaps what you're saying (in response to my question#1) is "it doesn't matter what the schematics say. The only thing that matters is how much your cab is drawing" Okay, I accept that as a logical answer, but not to the question I'm asking. I'm really not concerned that my cab is going to pull so much power that the fuses will have to blow lest I burn my house down.
Or maybe what you're saying is "The info on the schematic isn't telling you what fuse to put in there, it's only telling you what the socket is rated for". But I find that hard to believe. The switch is rated at 10A but the socket is only rated at 6A? I guess it's possible, but I find that tough to believe. I've got 99-cent power strips with chincy plugs that are rated at 10A and this thing is metal and heavy. I guess that could be true, in which case, I'll just get some 6A fuses so I don't melt the socket.
And I still don't understand why it simply has a 6A rating. Why doesn't it have different ratings for 250V versus 120V? Is it true that I can just use a 250V fuse in my 120V appliances? People have told me that and now the markings on this unit seem to imply the same thing. That's where my confusion lies.
Thanks
NickG:
How to decipher the markings: read the pdf
You only need one side of this DPST for 120V if you were actually going to use it as a circuit breaking switch.
quarterback:
--- Quote from: NickG on September 17, 2006, 07:18:25 am ---How to decipher the markings: read the pdf
--- End quote ---
Hey, thanks Nick! :applaud:
I guess it should have crossed my mind to search for a spec sheet... but it didn't :dunno
Now maybe I can also figure out why the back has FIVE different terminals.