distribution blocks
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=49501
Printed Date: April 27, 2024 at 10:40 AM
Topic: distribution blocks
Posted By: spilot
Subject: distribution blocks
Date Posted: February 06, 2005 at 6:31 PM
could someone give me a 101 on them (fuse ones/none fuse ones?)
Replies:
Posted By: Ketel22
Date Posted: February 06, 2005 at 6:56 PM
what do u want to use them for? if u have an application share it. if not come up with a hypothetical situation so that u understand it better.
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Quad L Handyman services
Posted By: spilot
Date Posted: February 06, 2005 at 7:21 PM
ahh, sorry. i'm actually checking out a few amp install kits, and there are some decent bargains on ebay, but some of the kits do not include the distribution block. i'm planning on running a 4 gauge into a dis. block and 2 8 gauges out. will use one for a sub later. and i noticed some of those distribution blocks have fuses, and some don't.
Posted By: bullman96
Date Posted: February 06, 2005 at 8:25 PM
as long as the 8 guage is short enough to carry the current of the fuse next to the battery is rated for you do not need a fused distribution block. go to this page on this site to determine it. https://www.the12volt.com/info/recwirsz.asp------------- Pioneer PEH-9660mp
Mb Quart PCE-216 biamped
JL 12W6v2
Sony XM-4026 amp for tweeters
Kenwood KAC-7251 amp for mids
JL-4100 amp for sub
Posted By: spilot
Date Posted: February 06, 2005 at 8:43 PM
yea, i'm not planning on going over 600, more like around 400, or even 250's...looking at some mtx's.
Posted By: bullman96
Date Posted: February 06, 2005 at 8:51 PM
you should be fine without a fused one then
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Pioneer PEH-9660mp
Mb Quart PCE-216 biamped
JL 12W6v2
Sony XM-4026 amp for tweeters
Kenwood KAC-7251 amp for mids
JL-4100 amp for sub
Posted By: spilot
Date Posted: February 06, 2005 at 9:50 PM
thank you.
Posted By: djdaveoc
Date Posted: February 09, 2005 at 3:33 AM
My dist blocks came with places to install fuses, so I will do it just for extra safety I guess. I got the blocks as part of one of those Ebay deals. I figured since it was a good deal then I should go with overkill on the wiring instead of using wire that could not properly transfer the power. And if I upgrade my gear in the future, I'll already have wiring that can handle it. I paid about $150 for 3 dist. blocks, tons of remote wire, and tons of 2 gauge power and ground wire. Now I just need to pick up an inline fuse and battery clamp for under the hood and some 4 or 8 gauge wire to run from the dist. block to the amps. -------------  Plan, Research, Do
Posted By: stevdart
Date Posted: February 09, 2005 at 9:46 AM
Yes, safety is the reason for fusing wires. A distro block ends the run of one larger wire and begins the runs of multiple smaller wires. The smaller wires going out of the distro are also susceptible to inflicted damage, just as the main power wire is. "ANY time that the wire size is reduced, you must add a fuse in the line (at the point of distribution) to protect the smaller wire." https://www.bcae1.com/fuses.htm Don't take shortcuts or try to go cheap here. Even if the fuse in the main power wire was of small enough amp size to protect any of the output 8 ga. wires, there should still be consideration for possible system changes in the future. You, or someone else, might add an amplifier....realize that the main power wire could take a larger fuse...put a 125 amp fuse in it..........and now the 8 ga. wires are unprotected. Do it right at the start and future disasters need not occur.
Posted By: haemphyst
Date Posted: February 09, 2005 at 10:32 AM
The ones with fuses are power distribution, and the ones without fuses are GROUND ditstribution. Do not try to interchange them. You should never fuse a ground wire. If the fuse in the ground wire should happen to blow, the amplifier instantly looks for a new ground path, and if the chassis of the amp is not connected electrically to the chassis of the car, usually the ground becomes the shield of the RCA, which will likely cause INSTATANEOUS damage to the deck - not the RCAs.
This being said, buy the 4 gauge kit (even though you may never need that current capability) use a fused distro block for the power, and use a NOT fused distro for the ground. Just make certain all of you cables are equal and opposite... i.e. if you have a number 4 from the battery to the block, use a number 4 from the ground block to the chassis. Likewise if you are running a number 8 to the amp from the fused block, run a number 8 to the ground block.
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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."
Posted By: spilot
Date Posted: February 09, 2005 at 12:13 PM
cool, thanks to all. got this kit that has a fused distro block, and everything else i seem to need.
https://cgi.ebay.com/dll?ViewItem&item=5749881289
all for $33 (with shipping)
Posted By: spilot
Date Posted: February 09, 2005 at 12:15 PM
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