Adding Fuse question

jediknight2

Full time elf
Joined
Aug 30, 2012
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196
Location
North Carolina
I am adding fuses to all of my injection lines/power lines going to my pixels. I do have a question though...my technicolor pixels pull 5 amps per strand of 100. Thats a total of 25 amps being used when all white. NOW, because I am injecting and power is lost as it travels to the injection point and then along the line..I don't think simply adding the amps together works to figure what size fuse to use....I am using 18 gauge wire so 10A is max...I was thinking a 7.5A fuse...but I really am not sure...
 

sck1ng

Apprentice elf
Joined
Oct 23, 2013
Messages
77
I thought I saw someone mention that you fuse to protect the wire but I am not an electrician so I am not sure.
 

jediknight2

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Aug 30, 2012
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North Carolina
here is a quick photo..sorry for the spaghetti. Each injection is a straight run back to the same power supply. The drops you see where another line comes off is using 4 core 18 gauge wire so I get two injections out of one cable. On the 4 core drops, at no point are the lines doubled. All are single 18 gauge runs back to V- or V+
 

David_AVD

Grandpa Elf
Community project designer
Generous elf
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Jun 12, 2010
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Using individual fuses in the case above is not going to work. If you fused them all back at the power supply, as soon as one fuse blows, the power would be pulled through another (connected) strip.

Fusing individual wires is only possible if there is no interconnection of the protected lines (at the strips).
 

jediknight2

Full time elf
Joined
Aug 30, 2012
Messages
196
Location
North Carolina
David, I see what your saying, however, if there was some bad issue on the line..wouldn't all the fuses go before a fire?
 
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