New fuses: Anybody used them yet?

puttin · 05-22-2011, 09:13 AM

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

When I saw this product I was thanking the genius that invented it. A blown fuse usually comes at the most inopportune time, always at night and never with a flash light handy. Whether you use them in

your vehicles fuse box or your RV 12 V distribution panel these will come in very handy. Intelligent fuses are innovative automotive style fuses that feature an LED indicator light that glows when the fuse is blown, saving time to troubleshoot an open circuit. The major benefit to an intelligent fuse is that it is easy to find a blown fuse in a fuse block mounted behind a dimly lit dashboard or under the hood of your car with it’s patented LED indicator. Intelligent fuses come in mini, standard and maxi blade configurations and are color coded for easy identification of the different amperages

ga traveler · 05-22-2011, 09:29 AM

These fuses work very well but are pricey. All fuses are color coded yellow 20 amps, brown 5, etc. Because of the price, I tell customers to use only the ones that tend to blow often. Tailights, which can short when hooking up toad, etc.

Grumpytrkr · 05-22-2011, 07:41 PM

I use them like GA said. I have them in the fuse for the 12 volt power to the trailer, the CHMSL fuse, the the tail light fuse for the trailer. And, I did have a CHMSL fuse blow, and it make it very easy to spot.

TXiceman · 05-22-2011, 07:45 PM

This is not a new approach. It has been used industrially for I know close to 40 years.

With a volt meter, you can easily find a blown fuse without pulling the fuses. Just set the meter on a DC scale that will cover 12 volts and if you look, each fuse has a small metal pad that is hot. If you measure across a good fuse, the reading is zero. A blown fuse will show the 12 to 13 volts or so.

Ken

njs42 · 05-22-2011, 08:42 PM

My 03 rig came with them---much to my pleasant suprise.

wa8yxm · 05-23-2011, 04:16 PM

Those are nice.. In my coach Damon was kind enough to install a fuse block made by Progressive Dynamics.. They wire a LED across every fuse.. Works just like your expensive fuse only..... The expensive part (LED) remains in the panel.. Works great I might add.

M&EM · 05-23-2011, 08:50 PM

Harbor freight sells them. About $10 for 30 in an assortment pack. both reg and minis.

Mr_D · 06-01-2011, 01:02 AM

I was on another forum and someone there said they had been around since 2005 or so, Guess they're not that new!

4x4van · 06-10-2011, 02:46 PM

I have a small tester that works the same way. It has probes spaced for the flat fuses, as well as the old glass fuses. Touching the probes on the back of the flat fuse (or the ends of the glass fuse) essentially connects the two ends of an LED inside the tester. Good fuse, nothing happens, bad fuse, LED lights up.

One thing to remember, though; it (the tester, the specialty fuses, etc) only works when there is power to that circuit.

Cruzer · 06-18-2011, 08:01 AM

I have some of them but in critical cases I go one step further. I replaced them with ATM style plug-in circuit breakers. That way if a brief glitch trips the circuit it resets itself and I'm back on line again.