Checked my instructions and by golly you're right and I was FOS. There was even a 3amp fuse as well as others in the bag. Thanks for setting me straight.

 

I stand by my post. 3 amp ain't enough for this type of application. I don't care what their book says.
I'd go slightly higer, 5 amp at the least,..... or buy a pocket full of 3 amp fuses to carry with me. They are fun to change with cold numb fingers.

Think about it, how much damage can you do before blowing a 5 amp fuse? Hint: none

 

You're kidding right? 12vdc shocking someone? A tingle maybe if you licked it with your tongue.


+1 - as I said, a 5amp "slow blow" fuse would be the minimum.

 

I stand by my original statement. The book say 3A is what should be in there (for gloves only) and the book is right. Not just because they said it in the book, but because that is what I have and have no problems at all.

 

Actually, if the controller draws power you would be right to say a 5 amp would be the way to go. Don't remember anything in the instructions about the controller but my dual controller says it puts or feeds a max of 168w.

 

And worth repeating what was mentioned earlier by someone, can't hurt to go over your splices while you are putting that 5 amp'r in there. A poor connection will have more resistance. More resistance will draw more current.

Speaking of the resistance,.... this "2.2 amp rating" placed on the gloves is likely not including the controller, which should add a tad due to the extra resistance. (just an assumption there).

 

Well, close, but no cigar. More resistance will cause less current to flow, but can generate excessive heat at the point of the poor connection. (I=E/R)

This single effect is the cause of many house fires.

 

Oh no, not another debatable item. LOL

I thought it was more current needs to be drawn thru it to achieve the same voltage. Don't have my books here at home. Might need some Google time.
I am pretty confident that the voltage will drop and the amperage increases with a poor connection. I will look around and hope to find out more.

What do you think the added heat will do to the current draw? I know for a fact that more fuses blow when weak connections are involved, so what's your theory on why?

 

Yeah, it can be confusing. Voltage is a static potential; it doesn't go anywhere. Think of voltage as the pressure at a faucet. If you constrict the hose (resistance), you'll get less flow (current). The loss goes up in the form of heat.

 

Have you ever seen an electronic device that does not consume (draw) power?



Anyone that has dealt with resistive heating circuits (that's what this is) knows that a cold wire (heating coil) will draw a higher than normal amp load until it reaches it's normal operating temperature. This is known as the "start" or "surge" current draw. The 2.2 amp rating on the Gerbing/HD gloves is a "normal/nominal" operating spec. and does not include any overhead for the amp (inrush) surge that occurs at "turn on". A 5A Slo Blo is a minimum requirement for this application.

OK, I'm done here unless there is another EE here that wants to disagree.