Do Cuircuit Breakers Degrade?

[MOSFET]

Hey guys! With the recent addition of two amps to my system (now I am using
four), I have been beefing up my electrical system. One of those things has
been to add large gauge cable between things like my alternator-to-battery,
chassis-to-battery, and engine block-to-chassis connection (anywhere I
detect a larger than usual voltage differential on my multimeter when I'm
cranking my system).

One place I noticed a rather high voltage difference was between the
positive input and positive output of my Phoenix Gold 200 amp circuit
breaker. True, we are not talking a huge difference, perhaps as high as 5
hundredths of a volt, but just the same, it got me wondering if after 6
years of heavy use my circuit breaker might be wearing out in some way and
POSSIBLY affecting voltage and current.

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Thanks!!!

MOSFET

[Soundy]

It may be build-up or corrosion on the contacts, but keep in mind that
circuit breakers are resistive by design. See
http://home.howstuffworks.com/circuit-breaker3.htm

[MOSFET]

Thanks for the info, guys!!

MOSFET

[MOSFET]

but keep in mind that
> circuit breakers are resistive by design. See
> http://home.howstuffworks.com/circuit-breaker3.htm
>
Are fuses less resistive? Thanks.

MOSFET

[Matt Ion]

MOSFET wrote:
> but keep in mind that
>
>>circuit breakers are resistive by design. See
>>http://home.howstuffworks.com/circuit-breaker3.htm
>>
>
> Are fuses less resistive? Thanks.

Enough to cause a .05V drop? Probably. They work on a similar
principle. Really, your power cable to the amp drops more voltage than
a fuse or circuit breaker. It's not worth worrying about.


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[MOSFET]

>> Are fuses less resistive? Thanks.
>
> Enough to cause a .05V drop? Probably. They work on a similar principle.
> Really, your power cable to the amp drops more voltage than a fuse or
> circuit breaker. It's not worth worrying about.

Thanks Matt. Actually I was asking the question just out of curiosity more
than concern. I really want to learn more about this stuff.

MOSFET

[Matt Ion]

MOSFET wrote:
>>>Are fuses less resistive? Thanks.
>>
>>Enough to cause a .05V drop? Probably. They work on a similar principle.
>>Really, your power cable to the amp drops more voltage than a fuse or
>>circuit breaker. It's not worth worrying about.
>
>
> Thanks Matt. Actually I was asking the question just out of curiosity more
> than concern. I really want to learn more about this stuff.

Fair'nuff. You'd probably be better served to look into an electronics
course at your local community college or something... not that I mind
the chance to show off my Great Knowledge of Things<tm>, but for your
own enlightenment, a good grounding (yok yok) in electrical and
electronic basics will make it easier to figure it out for yourself :)


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[Captain Howdy]

Here is a good page on breakers vs fuses.

http://www.campbells.org/Airplanes/AirplaneCircuitBreakersVsFuses.html



In article >, "MOSFET"
> wrote:
>>> Are fuses less resistive? Thanks.
>>
>> Enough to cause a .05V drop? Probably. They work on a similar principle.
>> Really, your power cable to the amp drops more voltage than a fuse or
>> circuit breaker. It's not worth worrying about.
>
>Thanks Matt. Actually I was asking the question just out of curiosity more
>than concern. I really want to learn more about this stuff.
>
>MOSFET
>
>

[MOSFET]

> Here is a good page on breakers vs fuses.
>
> http://www.campbells.org/Airplanes/AirplaneCircuitBreakersVsFuses.html
>
That's interesting, however I'm not sure if it's directly relevant to my
application. I have no idea if my Phoenix Gold CB is a Klixon, though it
certainly may be as it appears virtually identical to almost EVERY autosound
CB's (Phoenix Gold obviously buys these and slaps their label on it). Also,
they tested low amperage fuses and CB's (1, 5, 10, and 15 amp) while my PG
CB is a 200 amp model.

However, that generally jives with what I have heard over the years, that
fuses offer really no benefit (other than low cost, I guess) over CB's.

MOSFET

[Captain Howdy]

I'm just getting ready to upgrade to CB's now, just bought 7 audiopipe CB's
for $62 shipped, can't go wrong at that price. I did look at a bunch of
different brand name breakers and found then all to be the same, audiopipe,
stinger, Rockford Fosgate, Boss




>>
>That's interesting, however I'm not sure if it's directly relevant to my
>application. I have no idea if my Phoenix Gold CB is a Klixon, though it
>certainly may be as it appears virtually identical to almost EVERY autosound
>CB's (Phoenix Gold obviously buys these and slaps their label on it). Also,
>they tested low amperage fuses and CB's (1, 5, 10, and 15 amp) while my PG
>CB is a 200 amp model.
>
>However, that generally jives with what I have heard over the years, that
>fuses offer really no benefit (other than low cost, I guess) over CB's.
>
>MOSFET
>
>
>

[MOSFET]

> I'm just getting ready to upgrade to CB's now, just bought 7 audiopipe
> CB's
> for $62 shipped, can't go wrong at that price.

Why so many CB's? Do you have a CB at each amplifier? If so, I had never
considered this, I have always used fuses at the amps, but obviously CB's
would be better for all the reasons that page pointed out.

MOSFET

[Captain Howdy]

The 3 amplifiers that I am using have no internal fuses so each will get one
CB. Another CB will go under the hood and 2 more will be used before and
after the 2nd battery in the trunk. The 7th CB is for my winter car, since the
digital caps in both cars seen to drain the batteries dead if sitting for more
then a month. The CB's seem like a better way to go for me mostly because they
make it very easy to disconnect the power from my caps (and the rest of my
system) at the push of a botton, instead of having to pull fuses and having to
store them and there is nothing like that big lighting bolt and snap of
thunder that you get when reconnection them. In all honesty I have never
really had a problem with fuses other then once when the connection came loose
at the battery fuse and melted the fuse holder and power wire. If your
amplifiers have built-in fuses, I don't see the need for adding CB's to them.

>
>Why so many CB's? Do you have a CB at each amplifier? If so, I had never
>considered this, I have always used fuses at the amps, but obviously CB's
>would be better for all the reasons that page pointed out.
>
>MOSFET
>
>

[jlaine]

MOSFET Wrote:
> Hey guys! With the recent addition of two amps to my system (now I am
> using
> four), I have been beefing up my electrical system. One of those
> things has
> been to add large gauge cable between things like my
> alternator-to-battery,
> chassis-to-battery, and engine block-to-chassis connection (anywhere I
> detect a larger than usual voltage differential on my multimeter when
> I'm
> cranking my system).
>
> One place I noticed a rather high voltage difference was between the
> positive input and positive output of my Phoenix Gold 200 amp circuit
> breaker. True, we are not talking a huge difference, perhaps as high
> as 5
> hundredths of a volt, but just the same, it got me wondering if after
> 6
> years of heavy use my circuit breaker might be wearing out in some way
> and
> POSSIBLY affecting voltage and current.
>
> Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Thanks!!!
>
> MOSFET

I've had them actually fail (and fail in a closed state, which is why
I'll never use them in a car again) - and I'm sure over the 6 year span
your contacts possibly started to corrode marginally and caused some
voltage drop.


--
jlaine

[GregS]

In article >, "MOSFET" > wrote:
>Hey guys! With the recent addition of two amps to my system (now I am using
>four), I have been beefing up my electrical system. One of those things has
>been to add large gauge cable between things like my alternator-to-battery,
>chassis-to-battery, and engine block-to-chassis connection (anywhere I
>detect a larger than usual voltage differential on my multimeter when I'm
>cranking my system).
>
>One place I noticed a rather high voltage difference was between the
>positive input and positive output of my Phoenix Gold 200 amp circuit
>breaker. True, we are not talking a huge difference, perhaps as high as 5
>hundredths of a volt, but just the same, it got me wondering if after 6
>years of heavy use my circuit breaker might be wearing out in some way and
>POSSIBLY affecting voltage and current.
>
>Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Thanks!!!

That doesn't sound like anything. I would expect to see
a couple hunfred millivolts.
Circuit breakers must have resistance to work, so do fuses, but
circuit breakers generally have more loss, and its a contact, so its
unrealiable also.

greg

[Matt Ion]

MOSFET wrote:

> However, that generally jives with what I have heard over the years, that
> fuses offer really no benefit (other than low cost, I guess) over CB's.

Low initial cost... if you keep blowing them, a CB becomes more cost
effective pretty quickly :)


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[MOSFET]

.. The 7th CB is for my winter car, since the
> digital caps in both cars seen to drain the batteries dead if sitting for
> more
> then a month.

You know, I think I'm going to get some CB's for my Summer-Solstice car and
my Ides-of-March car as well.

Seriously, I may look into replacing my fuses with CB's as I frequently run
tests and would like the ability to easily shut down an amp or two (now that
I'm running four!).
And yes, that was a GREAT deal you got!!!

MOSFET

[MOSFET]

> I've had them actually fail (and fail in a closed state, which is why
> I'll never use them in a car again) - and I'm sure over the 6 year span
> your contacts possibly started to corrode marginally and caused some
> voltage drop.

Really? That's interesting. Can you give me more details? What was the
brand of CB you had (and what was it's amperage rating)? How long had you
used it?

Thanks,

MOSFET

[GregS]

In article >, "MOSFET" > wrote:
>> I've had them actually fail (and fail in a closed state, which is why
>> I'll never use them in a car again) - and I'm sure over the 6 year span
>> your contacts possibly started to corrode marginally and caused some
>> voltage drop.
>
>Really? That's interesting. Can you give me more details? What was the
>brand of CB you had (and what was it's amperage rating)? How long had you
>used it?

It's quite possible for the breaker to weld shut. In car audio, the
DC is just making things worse. Switches and breakers work
much better controlling AC.

greg