Aux Fuse Box Wiring ?'s (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Dec 4, 2004
Threads
94
Messages
2,418
Location
Tucson AZ
My interior needs more POWA! I don't have a 2nd battery at present, but that is a near future addition, but in the mean time, I need to add a second fuse box. I have spent the last two hours searching, which has helped, but I do have some questions.

Having a bus that is always hot is a no brainer, w/ appr. in line fuse/breaker, wire size, etc. I would also like to add some ACC positions as well. I will use a second line from the batter w/ a relay for this.

1. I am looking for recommendations for what to wire this relay to for making an ACC hot fuse bank buss.

I haven't calculated the size of my est. load, but I want this system to be expandable.

2. I don't know alot about relays except what the do. What range of relay sizes (current pass through) should I be considering? How are they measured?

If there is some reputable web resource (other than mud) anyone can point me at I would appreciate it.

Thanks,
Ross
 
1. dono. Maybe the cig lighter?
2. relays are rated by their current handling ability measured in amps, you are mainly interested in continuous ratings as apposed to inrush, I planned my second fuse box with 100A max in mind mainly because that is what the fuse box was rated for, I have had the box mounted for quite a wile, all that is lacking is mounting the max fuse under the hood and running the power and ground to the fuse bot (box has a ground buss bar) if I were to put it on a relay I would probably reconsider and go for a lower value like 30A, but really depends on what you want to power, are we talking a CB and a flashlight charger here or an stereo with multiple amps, a fridge, 12v blender, a 1k watt inverter etc?

You will probably want both always on and acc switched power sources

Do some thinking on what you want to power add some for expansion,

you may run into limits based on parts you want to use, you may get into a amperage just by finding a happy meduim.

The lead going to the fuse box will need to be fused as close to the battery as possible, this fuse should be the weakest link all others components until you get to another fuse should be able to handle the current up to the max of the main fuse.
 
Painless Performance offers auxiliary fuse blocks that have individually fused circuits, a relay for ACC switched circuits, and a fuse for the battery lead. They use 30 or 40 amp relays depending on the application and 20 amp fuses for each circuit. This should suffice for typical interior accessories (cb, small inverter, stereo, etc.)

http://www.painlessperformance.com/aboutus.asp

I used the cigarette lighter to trigger my ACC relay.
 
Thanks for all the info.
:idea: , cig. lighter is a good idea. I was hoping to use something in the engine compartment, to keep the number of wires passing through the firewall to a minimum. I will be mounting the fuse block in the passenger compartment, again to keep the number of wires passing through the firewall to a minimum. I will keep that option in mind though, it would only be a small wire.

*EDIT* I guess I could wire the relay in the cab. One power line coming in, split it for constant power going straight to box, the split going to the ACC controled relay, then to the box. Or two separate lines from the battery, one constant power, the other via the ACC relay.

Right now, I need to power the following (but not each all the time),
CB
GPS
laptop
150W inverter (may upgrade, but there hasn't been a need yet)
iPod
phone recharger
portable DVD player for kids
future 2m radio

Some will be better with a ACC wiring, other hot all the time. I would like to wire in a dedicated carputer for navigation and take advantage of a smaller touch screen in the future. The laptop just takes up too much room, but I do like the large screen size.


CB, 2m and inverter will be hard wired to the fuse block, the other will utilize plugs. I am thinking two plugs on the center console facing the 2nd row seats. Two plugs in the front, one off the gear shift console, another under the dashboard. Hopefully I will have enough power left over to run at least line to the rear if the need arises.

Since I need more power now, I will just wire the constant power part of the system today, wire a couple of the 12V outlets to this fuseblock and be careful to turn stuff off until I do the ACC wiring.

Ross
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom