Improving fuse contacts

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Oct 21, 2014 | 12:08 PM

#16

Alan

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Bjbpe

Wally's thoughts about twisting the fuse??? Plating the prongs with a light coat of solder?? Damned cars can drive one nuts.

I would not use solder to make the blades thicker except as an emergency stop gap measure expecting to have to replace the socket later.

I think twisting the blades (slightly) to get better contact is a much better (and certainly more practical) stop gap measure if you have such an immobilization issue again. I'd bet the fuses are part of the issue however - make sure you get good ones. The ones mechanics install for you may not be... so don't assume that.

Chemical cleaning & good fuses are still your best bet - pretty inexpensive path.

Alan

Oct 21, 2014 | 12:37 PM

#17

Rob Edwards

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Amazon has a value-pack of Littelfuse ATO/ATC fuses for ~$11, would take three of them to get enough of the 5A fuses for a late car, but that's still $0.60 per fuse for a complete set with lots of spares....

Alan, is there a theoretical difference to ATO (open) vs. ATC (closed) in an automotive application?

Amazon

Oct 21, 2014 | 12:41 PM

#18

Alan

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duplicate

Oct 21, 2014 | 07:39 PM

#19

Bjbpe

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Particularly to Alan:

I do use Deoxit. Is there a particular brand of fuse that you would recommend? Particularly one that might be available in one of the auto parts chains?

Thanks. I appreciate your input. Maybe if you switch to jet/rocket engine ambulation, I can help you some day.

Barney

Oct 21, 2014 | 07:59 PM

#20

Alan

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As noted I prefer Littelfuse which is a well known USA brand - not easily available retail but you can buy at waytekwire.com for example - Bussman is a good brand for ATO(F)/ATC fuses also (but not for the earlier torpedo types though). Bussman is the most widely available brand in retail packaging in car shops - however for the number you need buying online may actually be more economical.

At Waytek Littelfuse ATOF fuses are approx $0.075 each - pretty reasonable to get exactly what you need (get some spares) - and without getting oddballs you didn't need...

Alan

Oct 21, 2014 | 08:02 PM

#21

Alan

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob Edwards

Alan, is there a theoretical difference to ATO (open) vs. ATC (closed) in an automotive application?

Rob - The difference is whether the fuse element is open underneath - in practice this doesn't matter much. Theoretically the element could get corroded by being open - but in our configuration that is extremely unlikely. Either is quite fine to use.

Alan

Oct 22, 2014 | 03:54 PM

#22

karl ruiter

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Not really sure how to reply to a post that quoted my post...

Regarding gold plating:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan

To do this on the female fuse contact you'd have to take the individual 5-fuse blocks out and open them up - if you do this you can clean them quite easily (or even replace them). So it doesn't really make sense. Almost all fuse damage is caused by corrosion due to moisture OR very poor quality fuses. Personally I use only Littelfuse fuses but for ATO/ATC style Bussman is OK too. I would not use anything else. I have seen and tested many cheap Chinese fuses, most have dimensional issues with the blades as well as poor quality plating materials. Their ratings are usually horribly inaccurate too - pull them all out and throw them all away before they bite you. Note: if your fuses look like they might have gold plating - they don't - and you should throw them away.

I think you are mistaken. The plug and plate kit uses a brush to apply the plating. You attach an alligator clip to somewhere else on the part and then there is a power supply that goes between the brush and the clip. No disassembly required. I have used this system before and it is a bit tedious to use, but it works. I'd guess that in a couple of evenings you could clean and plate all the contacts and fuses.

Regarding soldering on the back:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan

This is a silly idea - if something is bad on the back - take it apart and clean it, if you can't clean it well enough replace it... Everything on the CE panel is replaceable.
Alan

I have actually tried this and it proved impossible for me. The spade terminals behind the panels are intended to never be removed and have locking tabs that make it very difficult to remove them without doing a lot of damage. There may be a special tool for this that I don't have, but you will certainly cause more problems than you fix just trying to pull them apart.

Oct 22, 2014 | 09:28 PM

#23

Alan

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Quote:

Originally Posted by karl ruiter

Regarding gold plating:

I think you are mistaken. The plug and plate kit uses a brush to apply the plating. You attach an alligator clip to somewhere else on the part and then there is a power supply that goes between the brush and the clip. No disassembly required. I have used this system before and it is a bit tedious to use, but it works. I'd guess that in a couple of evenings you could clean and plate all the contacts and fuses.

Maybe you are thinking of the fuse holders in your 79... go take a look at the GTS panel & tell me how you are going to get a brush in there...? In any case without good cleaning - you are plating on top of oxide...

Quote:

Originally Posted by karl ruiter

Regarding soldering on the back:

I have actually tried this and it proved impossible for me. The spade terminals behind the panels are intended to never be removed and have locking tabs that make it very difficult to remove them without doing a lot of damage. There may be a special tool for this that I don't have, but you will certainly cause more problems than you fix just trying to pull them apart.

For the reason you give - I do not recommend disassembly of the panel for any routine maintenance (and have said this many times) - however if you have a major downtime problem - there are tools and techniques to remove the spade connectors - they are indeed pretty secure & most likely you could clean in situ in most instances anyway.

Key is to pull only on the terminals (both sides) - not against the panel. True parallel action pliers make this much easier
If the terminals are so corroded they don't make contact - I think you'd agree they are certainly not good candidates to try to solder together...

I still do think its a very bad idea - there are better ways - that keep the panel modularity intact.

BTW You can also remove any relay & fuse connectors and replace any of these with available & correct terminals (but admittedly these are not easy or cheap to source in small quantities). I have disassembled many panels, and while it is difficult - it's certainly possible.

Alan