Fuses

Perhaps one of the most common questions in regards to your mobile audio system is, “What size fuses should I have for my system?” For the most part, this question is based on the fuse used for your main power source. Your fuses are basically the most important part of your car’s audio system. They protect your system from short-circuiting.

The trick to protecting your system is finding the right size fuses. If you choose a busman fuse (it’s supposed to stop power surges) that is too big, you will not have protection that is good enough for your system. However, if you have bussmann fuses which are too small, you will end up with quite a few blown fuses in your main automotive fuse block, the centralized location where all of your electrical fuses are plugged in.

Therefore, you need a guideline for understating fuse boxes and knowing where to put your fuses in relation to location and size for your power source of your car’s audio system. Here are a few helpful hints:

1. It is all about location. Your main power fuse, whether it is a cannon fuse type or a buss fuse, protects your primary power wire. You want the distance between your fuse for power and the clamp of the battery to be short. The longer the distance, the more likely your buss fuses or whatever you use will fail.

2. Fuse classification is important. There are three kinds of fuses that typical car audio systems use: cylindrical, blade and wafer fuses. You will most likely find the cylindrical kind in your fuse block which houses the fuse itself. Of course, if the fuses are in a location where high current runs through, you will likely want the large blade type of fuse. The fuse box that typically houses these bad boys is called Maxi fuses.

3. Power will dictate the size of the fuses. Indeed, the more power that runs through a cable, the high the amp should be. In addition, to protect from overheating, a ceramic fuse is sometimes used. Ceramic deflects heat somewhat making a short or fire ignition less likely.

So as you can see, the fuses themselves are paramount to your car audio system’s success. Without them, you could expect short circuits at the very least and fires as a worst case scenario. By carefully choosing the right sized fuses, you will ensure the safety of your system and divert disaster.