ZeroDelta Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 Hi, My better half has just bought me a Tunnel Tray from Mud Stuff UK - I am a very lucky man I am just about to install it, but being a bit of a novice with electrics I need some advice. I think the simplest thing to do is to run it directly off the battery with a fuse on the live, rather than mess around with the main fuse box. With this in mind what rating of fuse should I use? I am thinking 20 amp, but want to be sure. Secondly, the tray has 3x 12V sockets, if I get a length of wire that is man enough, do you think it will be OK to run 1 wire from the battery and the use a chocolate box to split into the 3 12V sockets? I know these may sound like simple questions, but as I said I am new to all this and don't want to fry my 110! Thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TS888 Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 The issue with sizing wire and fuses is amp load. To get amp load, use this formula: Watts/volts = amps. You are dealing with a 12v system, so the volts is always 12. Theoretically a 20 amp fuse will protect up to 240 watts, which is about the draw of your dip and main beams all together. Realistically, most equipment you would power from a 12v socket (phone, gps) will only need an amp or two max, and you want the fuse to be able to burn and protect your wiring before the smoke gets out. If you are going to run a DC/AC inverter, then you'll want at least one socket wired to support the amp draw of that item. I.e., a 100 watt inverter will pull 8.33 amps, requiring a 10 amp fuse; a 200 watt inverter would draw 16.67 amps and require a 20 amp fuse. Running a supply wire from the battery to a distribution block is ok, but you should fuse the wire from the DB to each socket rather than the supply wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroDelta Posted December 11, 2010 Author Share Posted December 11, 2010 The issue with sizing wire and fuses is amp load. To get amp load, use this formula: Watts/volts = amps. You are dealing with a 12v system, so the volts is always 12. Theoretically a 20 amp fuse will protect up to 240 watts, which is about the draw of your dip and main beams all together. Realistically, most equipment you would power from a 12v socket (phone, gps) will only need an amp or two max, and you want the fuse to be able to burn and protect your wiring before the smoke gets out. If you are going to run a DC/AC inverter, then you'll want at least one socket wired to support the amp draw of that item. I.e., a 100 watt inverter will pull 8.33 amps, requiring a 10 amp fuse; a 200 watt inverter would draw 16.67 amps and require a 20 amp fuse. Running a supply wire from the battery to a distribution block is ok, but you should fuse the wire from the DB to each socket rather than the supply wire. That is spot on. Thank you for the clear answer. ZD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Baldwin Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 Please note that the rating of the 12v sockets used in the MUD Tunnel Tray is 16amp. You can find the amp rating moulded into the back of the sockets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyred90 Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 Please note that the rating of the 12v sockets used in the MUD Tunnel Tray is 16amp. You can find the amp rating moulded into the back of the sockets. Just make sure you fuse your supply! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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