In this video, I show you how power is routed through an automotive blade style fuse tap to hopefully answer the question why it is required to orient the fuse tap so the left leg of the fuse tap goes into the side of the fuse box fuse socket that provides power. ⏲ Video Sections ⏲ 00:00 - Intro 00:21 - Overview of video 00:32 - Blade Style Fuse Tap Types 01:18 - Definition of Fuse Tap Anatomy 01:42 - Internal Fuse Tap Power Routing 05:14 - Demo of Fuse Tap Installation Testing 07:11 - Final Thoughts Please check out the other videos in my Automotive Fuse Tap playlist to get the full explanation of how to install an automotive blade style fuse tap in your vehicle. ua-cam.com/play/PLHRK3gnAcQQWgTmw8WxjHeW-VumXn8pP2.html 👉 Please note, the fuse tap installation method demonstrated in this video is providing both fuses in the fuse tap with power directly from the fuse box fuse socket. This approach is routing the power "in parallel" to both fuse sockets in the fuse tap. I typically use this approach when installing fuse taps and that's why I call it the "correct approach" of installing a fuse tap. 👉 You can install the fuse tap into the fuse box fuse socket so the fuse box fuse socket power is provided to the right leg of the fuse tap. That approach is known as "in series" power routing. If you're concerned about potentially overloading the circuit that supplies power to the fuse box fuse socket, you may want to use this approach. The "in series" routing will cause all of the amperage load to be run through the bottom fuse tap fuse socket's fuse.
Thanks for drawing my attention to this video. The anatomy of the fuse tap has been very clearly brought out in your video. The idea of installing only the top fuse in the fuse tap and finding out its correct orientation in the fuse socket is really simple, foolproof and excellent 👌.
Thanks for your videos really appreciate them! My fuse box only has metal contacts on one side of the fuse slot that I can visibly see, so seems straight forward to see which is the load / power side
tip: if you haven't got a meter or test probe, you can test to see which side of the car or van's fuse holder socket is live/ +, if you connect the piggy back fuse holder (with a load - dashcam perhaps) to the fuse board WITHOUT the lower fuse inserted; just in the TOP slot. Your dashcam or other load, will not power on if the piggy back fuse holder is in the wrong way round. Once you know which way to insert it WITH the gadget powered.. you now know it is safe to insert it that way round and now WITH the original fuse into the lower slot. of course if you are using the holder in a free or spare space on the fuse board you only need the top fuse in place and the same technique above will tell you if you have the piggyback holder the right way around.. the gadget will either work or not depending upon the orientation.
Thanks for this. I'm having a hell of a time bending my body into strange shapes trying to test each end of the fuse socket with a multimeter - the fuse box is facing down and it's very difficult to maneuver. Between the video and your comment, this will now be my approach. Thanks!
3:55 the situation that you are describing here is exactly why you should be inserting the fuse "the other way round" - power coming in through the right leg, not the left one. By drawing 4 amps individually from both sources your combined load is 8 amps. But the wire that's coming INTO the fuse tap was designed for 5 amps plus a small safety margin. By pushing 8 amps of combined load through the input wire for a prolongued period of time you will most definitely fry it.
This topic is hotly debated on every accessory device website / forum. There is the "in parallel" routing of power (as shown in this video) and the "in series" routing of power (as you've specified as your preferred method with the right leg of the fuse tap getting the power feed). I totally agree, the routing of power using the "in series" approach is the absolute safest method of using a fuse tap, but there are many times the "in parallel" method works just fine with small amp loads. Dash cameras and radar detectors are low draw devices. Dash cameras draw under 1 amp and I believe most radar detectors are around 1 amp as well. The "in series" routing of power doesn't guarantee that fuse socket is the best fuse socket to use for the fuse tap. If the original device is already consuming the full amp load (based on the fuse amp rating) and your assumption is the wire feeding that fuse socket can only handle that amp load plus a small safety margin, then no fuse socket will ever be a safe way to obtain power. Also, if the original device draws more than the original fuse amp load and blows the lower fuse in the fuse tap, you've just disabled two devices instead of one. A minor point, but it could be an import one if the new/second device is a dash camera and you lose power at an inopportune time. As the number of amps required for the new device increases, the fuse tap method of obtaining power becomes less desirable. Devices that require higher amp loads (especially 5 amps and above) I recommend using a inline fused power feed from the vehicle's battery that feed power to the new device directly (device needs constant power) or the inline fused power feed from the battery feeds into a relay (for switched power) and you can then used a switched power fuse socket/fuse tap to obtain the control power for the relay (relay draws usually around 100 mA). The newer Micro3 fuse sockets used in some new vehicles along with Micro3 fuse taps appear not to have an "in series" method of routing power through the original fuse. The power is obtained from the fuse socket from the middle leg and it is fed through the fuse to the left and right legs. The additional fuse for the new device (upper fuse socket) appears to obtain its power from the center leg just like the lower fuse socket, thus no method of setting up an "in series" power path. I'll have to purchase a Micro3 fuse tap just to be 100 percent certain in my statements about its power routing.
Thanks for sharing that detailed explanation, as I too was wondering about drawing 10 amps (two parallel 5 amp loads) from a fuse socket whose incoming wires were only designed for a 5 amp load.
The wires going into the fuse sockets are designed for more than the fuse itself, that's why you have the fuses... Amps are called from the fused devices... When you start having problems are when a fuse gets blown and idiots install fuses with a higher amp rating, and with the problem being from a bad component in one of the devices, the current can spike higher than what the "wrong" fuse was designed for without blowing it (yet), that is when you can fry the circuit. Just cause the factory fuse is rated at 10 amps that doesn't mean that's all that socket can handle... Only a complete moron would try to "add a fuse" for a device that has a 20a fuse when the original is only 7.5a... To actually fry the cars circuitry, you would probably have to install something that draws a lot more than what a dash cam or aftermarket radio (without an amplifier) would require. And anyone who does, has no business doing the work anyway.
Update. I have now finished installing a Nextbase 522WG into my 2016 Citroën C4 Grand Picasso 2.0. Finding the fuse was slight problematic as Citroens keep the fuses energised for 30ish seconds after the ignition is turned off. Once I understood this, it was far easier. Installing the fuse Tap following the process within this video had me identify the fuse to use in quick order and also getting the fuse tap orientated correctly. Thank you RetroCarGuy530 for your Video and instructions
Many products will suggest obtaining power using a fuse tap, but they never cover how to properly install the fuse tap. That's why I created my first fuse tap video when I was reviewing a dash camera back in Dec 2019. This video dives a bit more into the the fuse tap itself. I'm glad you found it informative.
Hi, thanks for your interesting video, it is very informative. Let's say if I'm plugging the fuse tap into 15amp circuit, and my new assesory (USB Charger output running at 5V 4.2A). Can I use 2 x 15amp fuse together? or what would be your expertise advices? Thanks
There are several factors that go into what the proper amp rating should be for the fuse for the new accessory. First off, you need to figure out what the power demands are of the new accessory. You stated the new accessory is a USB charger which can provide up to 4.2A at 5 volts. Converting that to watts it will require 21 watts of power to supply power to the USB devices. The 12-volt side of that adapter will then be consuming 1.75 amps (converting watts to 12-volt based amps :: 21 watts / 12 volts = 1.75 amps). Let's just round that up to 2 amps on the 12-volt side of the USB power adapter. It also depends on the design of the internals of the USB power adapter. It could draw more amps if the design is sub optimal. You'll need to decide if the fuse box fuse socket and the manner in which it obtains its power can sustain the pre-existing 15 amp load and the power demands of the new accessory. There are so very many opinions / thoughts on this aspect of the process. Adding a fuse tap with the left leg of the fuse tap obtaining the power from the fuse box fuse socket is known as an "in parallel" installation of the fuse tap. That being, the power from the fuse box fuse socket is being provided to both circuits directly in the fuse tap (as shown in this video). If the manner in which the power is provided to the fuse box fuse socket is already supplying 15 amps for the original circuit, you may not have a whole lot of additional amperage left over for a new accessory. Usually adding a fuse tap for a low power demanding devices (dash camera, radar detectors, etc) will usually only need 2 or 3 amps to operate. Most 2-channel dash cameras operate at the 1 amp or 0.5 amp range. Obtaining power for lower power demanding devices is usually something that can be done using a fuse tap with something already needing 15 amps. The original fuse box fuse would go in the lower fuse tap fuse socket and the new accessory fuse would (being a 2 or 3 amp fuse) would go in the top fuse tap fuse socket. Your USB adapter appears to only need 2 amps so a 2 to 3 amp fuse would work for it as well. There is a different train of thought on using a fuse tap and that being making the right leg obtain the power from the fuse box fuse socket. That routes the power through the bottom fuse and then up to the top fuse for the new accessory. That's also known as the "in series" power routing approach. There are pluses and minuses to this approach as well. With all of the power running through the fuse in the lower fuse tap fuse socket it better protects the wiring that provides the power to the fuse box fuse circuit, but it also means you could be blowing the fuse in the lower fuse tap fuse socket if the load for both circuits exceed the amp rating of that fuse (15 amps in your example). I tend not to use this approach, but others will argue this is a safer approach than supplying the power to the left leg of the fuse tap. I hope that helps.
@@RetroCarGuy530 Thanks & apprecited for your explaination. I have clearer picture on this now. I guess I will just use a lower fuse amp for my car charger.
Awesome video! Why would both sides of my fuse holder be hot? Unless I’m using the multimeter wrong, I had the black probe on a screw, and the red on the fuse holder contacts and both sides showed activity?
The fuse box fuse socket should only have one side of the socket providing power. There could be something backfeeding power to the other side which is not normal. Backfeeding of power can occur when a fuse tap is added to a fuse socket that did not have a fuse to start with and the user installs two fuses in the fuse tap sockets. That can feed power back into the other side of the fuse box fuse socket that wasn't meant to get power. Unless you have another fuse tap (before the one you're trying to install now), that should not be the case. There are other possibilities for this situation, but only if someone has been messing around with the wiring of the car, again not likely. The device/accessory that is normally powered by that fuse socket might have a problem as well which could cause it to backfeed power on that circuit, but you would likely have noticed some sort of odd/problematic behavior for that device/accessory. It sounds like you're using the multimeter correctly. Make sure you've selected DC Volts as the mode of the multimeter and make sure the cables are connected with red going to the connector for volts (and likely Ohms, Hz, etc) and the black cable connects to the common (ground) location.
The amp rating of the fuse for the new accessory (aftermarket radio) depends on the power requirements of the radio. It's best to examine the radio's documentation and/or labeling for any statement of how many amps (max) it requires. Using a fuse with an amp rating well above the power requirements of the radio is not necessary and that isn't really protecting the device or the wiring which is the main purpose of the fuse. A 10 amp fuse in the fuse box fuse socket means the device powered by that fuse requires no more than 10 amps. You have to assume that the wiring providing power to that fuse socket with the 10 amp fuse will have some small amount of excess current carrying ability, but unless you know exactly how much it has available, you need to assume about 10 to 20 percent of the amp rating of that 10 amp fuse. That means 1 to 2 amps might be available on that circuit (being conservative). If the original fuse box fuse is a 10 amp and then you place a 5 amp fuse in the fuse tap, you're potentially asking the wiring to provide up to 15 amps. Can it safely do that, maybe if you know exactly how much the wiring can handle that's providing power to that fuse socket (which is often difficult or next to impossible to know without wiring diagrams and knowledge of how the internals of the fuse box are setup). That's why the 10 to 20 percent of the original fuse amp rating is a relatively "safe" way to not overload the wiring of that circuit. I'm sure you've read or watched videos that say that you can put a 10 amp fuse in the fuse tap if the fuse box fuse was 10 amps. That's really not a good idea, since you're now asking the wiring to provide up to 20 amps when it may only be able to handle 12 amps or so (again making a conservative assumption). When a device requires 5 or more amps, it's time to start thinking about using a 4-terminal relay to provide the power to the new accessory. The control side of the relay can obtain the switched/accessory power to control the relay using a fuse tap. The relay control circuit only requires about 100 mA (0.1 amps) so using a fuse tap to obtain that power is relatively safe. The relay's power side should be wired to receive power directly from the vehicle's battery with an in-line fuse and wiring that are sized appropriately for the amp load required by the new device. I discuss that approach in a video about obtaining power for a dash camera battery pack. ua-cam.com/video/Joa0fiKZY-o/v-deo.html
It depends if you can find a fuse that powers a circuit like a power port adapter that is not normally used, you might be able to use that type of fuse socket to obtain power for the battery pack. I'm not a fan of dash cam battery packs sourcing their charging power directly from a fuse box fuse socket. The reason being that the fuse sockets that provide the 9 to 15 amps the dash cam battery pack actually draws in real world use, may already have a load present on that circuit that will cause the combination of them to overload the power source wiring. In a recent review of a BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 dash cam battery pack, I outlined the details of sourcing the power for a dash cam battery pack using a relay to get the power from the car's battery and only use an accessory fuse socket and fuse tap to source the power to control the relay. ua-cam.com/video/Joa0fiKZY-o/v-deo.html
Weird question but I have a parts car that I need to move the power seat on, can I use a fuse tap to provide power to the fuse from an external power supply? For context everything from the firewall forward is gone so I have no underhood fusebox or battery leads anymore and I'm trying to find an alternative way to move the power seat with out damaging it.
I guess you could do that. You would be using the fuse tap in a reverse of normal power routing. The power from the external power supply would be provided to the wire from the fuse tap. You would only put a fuse into the top fuse socket of the fuse tap. This would provide power to the left leg of the fuse tap. If you have the fuse box inside of the car that the power seat gets its power from, you would insert the fuse tap so the left leg of the fuse tap provides power to the side of the fuse box fuse socket that provides power to the power seat motor/switches. Your external power supply ground would also need to be connected to a body ground location as well.
@@RetroCarGuy530 My plan was to use a car battery, that way it doesn't deviate too much from 12v, one wire from the hot side to the fuse tap into power seat fuse in the cabin fuse box, then the negative just grounded on a body ground, i only need power long enough to move the seat forward as it's current position has the seat blocking the bolts that hold it in but it sounds like it might actually work, I appreciate the insight!
Good evening sir do you know anything how the three prong micro three fuses work? I’m trying to put a cam in my truck and I texted you the other day but the micro 2 aren’t gonna work. The micro threes I know they get power from the center, can you turn this around either way to work? Thanks.
I purchased a micro3 fuse tap last year to check out how power is routed. As you stated, the power is supplied to the middle leg of the fuse socket and then the three legged fuse distributes the power to the two sides. The fuse tap upper fuse socket seems to route power a bit differently than I expected. The left side leg of the upper fuse socket is still connected to the left leg of the fuse tap (at least for the one I purchased). The right side leg of the upper fuse socket is not connected to anything other than the wire coming out of the fuse tap (which is what I would expect). For a micro3 fuse tap, you would remove micro3 fuse from the fuse box fuse socket and place that fuse in the lower fuse socket of the micro3 fuse tap. You would then use a micro2 fuse in the upper fuse tap fuse socket and place it into the center/right fuse leg sockets leaving the upper/left one open.
It "depends" on what you're trying to power. If the original fuse in the fuse box fuse socket is rated at 7.5 amps, for safety reasons you have to assume the maximum amount of amps the wiring providing the power to the fuse box fuse socket is only capable of handling 7.5 amps plus a small amount of amps (about 10 percent more). If the device getting power through that fuse box fuse socket fuse is using the full 7.5 amps, the amount of extra amp load available for any accessory getting power via a fuse tap in that same fuse box fuse socket is limited to likely less than 1 amp. If the original device takes 7.5 amps and you add another device that requires the full additional 7.5 amps, you've likely overtaxed the wiring providing the power to the fuse box fuse socket, which of course is not a good thing to do. There are two methods of using a fuse tap, the approach I show is the "in parallel" method where both the original fuse and the new accessory fuse have direct access to the power provided by the fuse box fuse socket. This is very safe for adding devices requiring small amp loads (dash cameras are under 1 amp and radar detectors). This is with the power from the fuse box fuse socket being supplied to the left leg of the fuse tap. The second method of using a fuse tap is the "in series" method of routing the power through the fuse tap. This is when the power from the fuse box fuse socket is provided to the right leg of the fuse tap. That means the power goes through the lower fuse over to the left side of the fuse tap which is where the left leg will then provide power back to the fuse socket and power is provided up to the top fuse socket in the fuse tap. The "in series" approach is the "safest" method of using a fuse tap because if the amp load of the original device/accessory plus the amp load of the new device/accessory being powered by the fuse tap exceeds the original fuse's amp rating, it blows the lower fuse in the fuse tap. That provides the best protection to the wiring providing the power to the fuse box fuse socket. You have to have an accurate idea of how many amps the device you're trying to add will require to power it. Just because a fuse tap comes with a 7.5 amp fuse (just for an example), doesn't mean the device being powered by the fuse tap requires that much or it might require more. The fuse in the upper socket of the fuse tap should be rated appropriately for the device the power is being provided to with the fuse tap. Again the example of a dash camera comes to mind. Every dash camera I've reviewed consumes 1 amp or less, so a fuse tap upper fuse of 1, 2.5, or 3 (depending on what you can find) would be appropriate. I tend to find 1 amp fuses don't actually blow at 1 amp, so a 2.5 or 3 amp fuse would likely be the best choice in that case. I tend to suggest using fuse taps in fuse box fuse sockets with higher amp ratings (10, 15, 20, 25), because the wiring providing power to those fuse box fuse sockets are thicker and have a better chance of handling an extra load. But you still need to know how much the original device actually requires to know how much of the total amp rating is still available for the new device accessory. When a new device/accessory will require 7.5 amps or more, I tend to suggest not using a fuse tap to directly power the device. This helps avoid adding a heavy amp load on wiring that you may or may not have direct knowledge of to make an informed decision on whether it can be safely used. Then how would I recommend powering a device requiring 7.5 amps or more (even smaller if you don't have a fuse socket that can safely provide the amount of amps required for the new device/accessory), by using either a power feed with an inline fuse directly connected to the battery (for constant power) or still using a power feed from the battery with an inline fuse, but run it through a four terminal relay to switch it on/off. The relay's control circuit which turns on/off the battery supplied power can get its power from a fuse socket which has switched/accessory power. The control circuit for the relay consumes a tiny amount of power (around 100 milliamps) so you could use most any switched/accessory power fuse socket in the fuse box (except ones providing power to critical modules in your vehicle - pcm, tcm, srs, abs, etc). I talk about the relay approach in a video I created reviewing a dash camera battery pack. ua-cam.com/video/Joa0fiKZY-o/v-deo.html
So with the new style 3 prong fuse ( atl fuse) with the power coming up the middle pin and out the side pins it shouldn’t matter which way the 3 prong tap is installed?
Based on my quick search for ATL fuse taps, I believe you are correct that it should not matter if the power is coming up the center pin of the fuse socket. My only caution would be that the power source for that fuse socket is already providing power to two different circuits. You should be careful to not overload the incoming power source with a high amp draw device. Since most dash cams and radar detectors are in the 0.5 amp to 2 amp range, it should not be a large concern about overloading the incoming power feed to that fuse socket.
Hi RetroCar guy, I know how you explain that if there was NO existing fuse in the fuse slot, than there is NO need for a fuse to be in front slot of the fuse tap. I am running a dash cam and attempting to hardwire it, which I’ve got 2 EMPTY fuse points in my steering compartment fuse box, both points have battery and accessory power although my Manuel states they are empty points with SPARE fuses sitting in them, would that mean I could disregard the existing fuses that the manual state as “SPARES”and my fuse tap only requiring the fuse at the back slot, providing single power to the dash cam? I hope this makes sense, if not I tried my best to pitch it to you 😂
If those fuse box fuse sockets are labeled as "SPARE" then they should not be supplying power to any circuit/device in your car. You should be able to remove the fuse in that socket and discard it (or store it elsewhere as a spare fuse) and only put a low amp fuse (2 to 5 amp) in the upper fuse socket of the fuse tap to provide power to the dash camera.
If all of the fuses you place in the upper fuse socket in the fuse tap are blowing, then either the device you're trying power is demanding more power than the fuses allow or there's some sort of short to ground in the wiring for that circuit.
Many automotive fuse boxes will have some sort of bus bar feature to deliver power to some portion of the fuse sockets in the fuse box, but not every one does and not every fuse socket is powered by a bus bar.
So if I’m tapping into a 10amp circuit and I need 15 amps for the new accessory I can use a fuse tap connector by putting the 10amp fuse on the bottom and the 15amp on the top without blowing anything?
I can give a qualified "yes" to your question. The original fuse of 10 amps goes into the lower fuse socket of the fuse tap and the new accessory 15 amp fuse goes into the top fuse socket of the fuse tap. The "qualified" part comes in with regard to the fuse box fuse socket and its power source and the wiring from the fuse tap to the new accessory. As I mention in my fuse tap videos (original video, the FAQ and this one), the source of power for the fuse box fuse socket must be one that gets its power either directly from the battery (constant / unswitched power) or an ignition switch based power source. Any fuse socket that gets its power *from* a computer module or from a relay in the fuse box itself might get its power via a wire rather than a metal power bar inside of the fuse box. You also don't want to mess with any fuse box fuse socket that supplies power to a critical system (ECM, air bags, traction control, etc). You can *safely* draw more power from a fuse box fuse socket that obtains its power via a power bar (metal bar used to route power though the fuse box to multiple fuse sockets). That's why I suggest getting power from a fuse box fuse socket that has constant/unswitched battery power or ignition (switched) power from the ignition switch power feed since those are most likely fed with power via a power bar instead of a wire. You also need to make sure the fuse tap wire (usually a 14 awg or 16 awg wire), the wire(s) supplying power to the new accessory and the ground wire(s) from the new accessory to where it connects to a ground in the vehicle are all sized correctly to carry the 15 amps for the total length of the wire used for the circuit. I talk about this in my FAQ video. ua-cam.com/video/DnZ5wb_A5vE/v-deo.html Many devices being added to a vehicle draw a low number of amps (5 amps or less - dash cameras, radar detectors, etc). Those type of devices are the best candidates for fuse taps. Devices that require 15 amps *start* getting into the range of devices that might draw too much power from a fuse tap. If there's any question about the amount of power drawn by the device at device startup time or during its regular use, you might want to consider powering the new accessory using a relay instead of directly from a fuse box fuse tap. You can use a fuse box fuse tap to obtain the power to control the relay (usually 3 amps or less for the control side of the relay) and then wire the relay to obtain its power from the battery (with an appropriately sized inline fuse to protect the relay and the new accessory). This puts far less stress on the fuse box power circuit and gives you ability to supply power to devices requiring 15 amps or more. I discuss this in the FAQ video.
Thank you so much for the detailed information. I'm planning to install fog lights for someone and was wondering this setup would be ok. It has a relay already. Got 4 leads 2 negative leads and 1 power 12volt and the second one is acc. I'm planning to hook It up with 1 battery source voltage, and the other on a fuse side of the circuit. The negative lead is chassis ground and the other is battery negative. For the chassis ground side, I want to add a fuse to it prevent any issues. Would that be ok to do so??? Lastly, if the fuse that I'm adding fuse doesn't originally come inside the fuse, don't add an additional fuse to it correct??
I'm a bit confused by your description of the four terminal/lead relay you're going to be using for the fog lights. A four terminal relay is usually broken down as follows: Terminals 85 and 86 are the control circuit terminals for the relay. Terminal 85 typically receives the switched/accessory power to trigger the relay. Terminal 86 is connected to ground. When terminal 85 is supplied 12-volts, it energizes the coil in the relay and causes the relay to close (connect) the circuit pathway for the other two terminals 30 and 87. Terminals 30 and 87 and are conditionally connected depending on the state of the control circuit terminals 85/86 (as mentioned above). Most often, terminal 30 is supplied with constant 12-volt power and when the relay control circuit (85/86) is energized, power is then sent to terminal 87 which is connected to the new accessary. The alternative approach is to have terminals 30/87 be a ground circuit instead of a power circuit. When terminals 30/87 are a ground based circuit that is the ONLY time a relay would have two of the terminals connected to ground. It depends on how you want or need to control the accessory. The most common configuration is to have terminals 30/87 supply power to the new accessory instead of supplying a ground. Usually, a fuse is placed in the 12-volt power supply side of the circuit. In my four terminal relay example, the wire supplying the constant battery power to terminal 30 would have an inline fuse to protect the circuit. The control circuit terminal 85 which gets power from either a switch or a fuse tap should have a fuse in the circuit as well. If you're supplying switched/accessory power to terminal 85 via a fuse tap, then the fuse is present in the fuse tap. >>> Lastly, if the fuse that I'm adding fuse doesn't originally come inside the fuse, don't add an additional fuse to it correct?? I'm not quite sure what you're asking with this question. My best response would be if the fuse box fuse socket did not have a fuse in it to begin with, then the fuse tap being installed into that fuse box fuse socket should only have one fuse in it (in the top fuse socket of the fuse tap for the new accessory). If the fuse box fuse socket did have a fuse in it, the original fuse box fuse is installed into the lower fuse tap fuse socket and the fuse for the new accessory is installed into the top fuse tap fuse socket. Fuse taps usually do not come with any fuses. You need to obtain the appropriately sized (amp rating) fuse to use in the fuse tap for the new accessory (top fuse socket in the fuse tap). I hope that helps.
@@RetroCarGuy530 sorry for the confusion. What i wanted to ask is that. My fog lights already comes with a relay and harness kit. Based on videos I’ve watched on yours. I observed that when adding a fuse tap wire. Do it on something that is small and not complicated. Also, If it doesn’t come with the fuse don’t add it to the bottom. Orient the fuse in a way that one side is getting power. To prevent the circuit from blowing and causing other damages
Blade style fuse taps are best for things only requiring 10 amps or less since most fuse taps only have a 14 awg or 16 awg wire coming out of it which restrict their amp carrying capabilities. Most dash cameras, radar detectors and relay control circuits only require a small amount of power (5 amps or below). As you mentioned, if the fuse box fuse socket did not have a fuse before adding the fuse tap, the lower fuse tap fuse socket should be empty. It is required (or at least a best practice) to make sure the left leg of the fuse tap is the one that is plugged into the side of the fuse box fuse socket that provides the power. That way the power will be provided to both fuse tap fuse sockets directly / correctly.
You need to examine the fuse box you're considering installing the fuse tap into to see what type fuses are used to determine which fuse tap type to use. In my other video on fuse taps, I show the four common types of blade style fuses and fuse taps. Here's a link to that portion of the other video: ua-cam.com/video/NW0QaQaU41Y/v-deo.html
So it’s ok to test the direction when it’s improperly placed in the fuse box on purpose while in the vehicle? I’m new and not trying to blow anything up lol
It should be ok to perform the fuse tap orientation testing without hurting anything. You're going to need a test light or multimeter to see if the fuse tap wire has power when testing the fuse tap in the fuse box fuse socket. Once you determine which side of the fuse box fuse socket provides the power, the left leg of the fuse tap goes into that side of the fuse box fuse socket. If that fuse box fuse socket had a fuse in it to begin with, that fuse is put into the fuse tap's lower fuse socket and the new fuse for the new accessory goes into the top fuse socket of the fuse tap.
So I've located an unused switched power fuse slot and an unused constant power fuse slot in my car. (Neither slot has a fuse in it). Would this be the preferred means of tapping power to the dash cam I'm installing, or is there some "gotcha" I need to consider? (I could easily tap into fuse slots that have fuses in them, but am wondering if using unused slots is preferred?)
I tend to prefer using unused fuse box fuse sockets. The power demands of a dash camera is usually 2 amps or less (most of time under 1 amp), so there should be no worries about overloading anything in the fuse box or the wires that supply power to those fuse sockets. If there is an empty fuse box fuse socket with power, it usually is a fuse socket for an optional feature for that vehicle or that same fuse box is used in a different vehicle and that other vehicle has a feature that uses that fuse socket. In most cases (noting the computer module exception noted below), they are fairly safe to use for low power demand devices like a dash camera. One caution would be to try and make sure those fuse sockets don't obtain their power from a computer module (ECM, PCM, TCM, ABS, BCM, SRS [Airbag]: if you can determine from the fuse box cover documentation). Tapping into a circuit that supplies power to a computer module or obtains power from a computer module can complicate the operation of the computer module. As mentioned in the video, since the fuse box fuse sockets did not have a fuse in them to begin with, the fuse taps should not have a fuse in the lower fuse socket of the fuse taps. There should only be a fuse in the upper fuse socket of the fuse taps. Make sure you use an appropriately sized (amp) fuse for the fuse tap fuse (2 or 3 amp would be my suggestion).
@@RetroCarGuy530 Many thanks for the quick reply! I just checked the fuse panel and owner's manual, and both list the two unused fuse sockets as "Empty". I'll try using these fuse sockets in a couple of days when I install the dash cam. Appreciate the sage advice!
Hello there. I have a empty fuse slot in my car which is ACC for cigar lighter in the boot which my car doesnt have it. But i only have 1 pin/wire in that empty slot, can I still use it with a fuse tap for a backup camera ? Will be very helpful to know. :)
I'm assuming the backup camera only draws about 2 amps or less, so that should be ok for that unused fuse box fuse socket. If there's only one pin in the empty fuse box fuse socket, then the left leg of the fuse tap is inserted into that side of the fuse socket. You should only need a fuse in the upper fuse socket of the fuse tap since there's no original fuse in the fuse box fuse socket.
@@RetroCarGuy530 "You should only need a fuse in the upper fuse socket of the fuse tap since there's no original fuse in the fuse box fuse socket." may i know why i only need fuse in the upper fuse socket? if i put a extra fuse at at bottom, what will happen? example botton i put 10A, upper i put 7.5A.
In this video, I show you how power is routed through an automotive blade style fuse tap to hopefully answer the question why it is required to orient the fuse tap so the left leg of the fuse tap goes into the side of the fuse box fuse socket that provides power.
⏲ Video Sections ⏲
00:00 - Intro
00:21 - Overview of video
00:32 - Blade Style Fuse Tap Types
01:18 - Definition of Fuse Tap Anatomy
01:42 - Internal Fuse Tap Power Routing
05:14 - Demo of Fuse Tap Installation Testing
07:11 - Final Thoughts
Please check out the other videos in my Automotive Fuse Tap playlist to get the full explanation of how to install an automotive blade style fuse tap in your vehicle.
ua-cam.com/play/PLHRK3gnAcQQWgTmw8WxjHeW-VumXn8pP2.html
👉 Please note, the fuse tap installation method demonstrated in this video is providing both fuses in the fuse tap with power directly from the fuse box fuse socket. This approach is routing the power "in parallel" to both fuse sockets in the fuse tap. I typically use this approach when installing fuse taps and that's why I call it the "correct approach" of installing a fuse tap.
👉 You can install the fuse tap into the fuse box fuse socket so the fuse box fuse socket power is provided to the right leg of the fuse tap. That approach is known as "in series" power routing. If you're concerned about potentially overloading the circuit that supplies power to the fuse box fuse socket, you may want to use this approach. The "in series" routing will cause all of the amperage load to be run through the bottom fuse tap fuse socket's fuse.
Great explanation on how to test and install the wire tap properly. Thank you for sharing this video!
Thanks for drawing my attention to this video. The anatomy of the fuse tap has been very clearly brought out in your video. The idea of installing only the top fuse in the fuse tap and finding out its correct orientation in the fuse socket is really simple, foolproof and excellent 👌.
Best explanation out of 10 other vids I've watched on fuse taps. Now, I feel safe to proceed. Thanks!
Great job. I saw other videos before yours and you explained clearly and in detail. Thank you.
You are welcome!
Best explanation of the correct orintation I have seen...
Your videos and your answers to comments are extraordinarily well done. Thank you very much.
Awesome breakdown video, very informative and straight to the point. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for your videos really appreciate them! My fuse box only has metal contacts on one side of the fuse slot that I can visibly see, so seems straight forward to see which is the load / power side
Thank you. I needed a tutorial for dummys like me. All other videos treated me like an electronics technician.
I had my fuse taps upside down. Thanks so much!!
tip: if you haven't got a meter or test probe, you can test to see which side of the car or van's fuse holder socket is live/ +, if you connect the piggy back fuse holder (with a load - dashcam perhaps) to the fuse board WITHOUT the lower fuse inserted; just in the TOP slot. Your dashcam or other load, will not power on if the piggy back fuse holder is in the wrong way round. Once you know which way to insert it WITH the gadget powered.. you now know it is safe to insert it that way round and now WITH the original fuse into the lower slot.
of course if you are using the holder in a free or spare space on the fuse board you only need the top fuse in place and the same technique above will tell you if you have the piggyback holder the right way around.. the gadget will either work or not depending upon the orientation.
Thanks for this. I'm having a hell of a time bending my body into strange shapes trying to test each end of the fuse socket with a multimeter - the fuse box is facing down and it's very difficult to maneuver. Between the video and your comment, this will now be my approach. Thanks!
Wonderful video and you did an excellent job of the power route. I learned something today!
3:55 the situation that you are describing here is exactly why you should be inserting the fuse "the other way round" - power coming in through the right leg, not the left one. By drawing 4 amps individually from both sources your combined load is 8 amps. But the wire that's coming INTO the fuse tap was designed for 5 amps plus a small safety margin. By pushing 8 amps of combined load through the input wire for a prolongued period of time you will most definitely fry it.
This topic is hotly debated on every accessory device website / forum. There is the "in parallel" routing of power (as shown in this video) and the "in series" routing of power (as you've specified as your preferred method with the right leg of the fuse tap getting the power feed).
I totally agree, the routing of power using the "in series" approach is the absolute safest method of using a fuse tap, but there are many times the "in parallel" method works just fine with small amp loads. Dash cameras and radar detectors are low draw devices. Dash cameras draw under 1 amp and I believe most radar detectors are around 1 amp as well.
The "in series" routing of power doesn't guarantee that fuse socket is the best fuse socket to use for the fuse tap. If the original device is already consuming the full amp load (based on the fuse amp rating) and your assumption is the wire feeding that fuse socket can only handle that amp load plus a small safety margin, then no fuse socket will ever be a safe way to obtain power. Also, if the original device draws more than the original fuse amp load and blows the lower fuse in the fuse tap, you've just disabled two devices instead of one. A minor point, but it could be an import one if the new/second device is a dash camera and you lose power at an inopportune time.
As the number of amps required for the new device increases, the fuse tap method of obtaining power becomes less desirable. Devices that require higher amp loads (especially 5 amps and above) I recommend using a inline fused power feed from the vehicle's battery that feed power to the new device directly (device needs constant power) or the inline fused power feed from the battery feeds into a relay (for switched power) and you can then used a switched power fuse socket/fuse tap to obtain the control power for the relay (relay draws usually around 100 mA).
The newer Micro3 fuse sockets used in some new vehicles along with Micro3 fuse taps appear not to have an "in series" method of routing power through the original fuse. The power is obtained from the fuse socket from the middle leg and it is fed through the fuse to the left and right legs. The additional fuse for the new device (upper fuse socket) appears to obtain its power from the center leg just like the lower fuse socket, thus no method of setting up an "in series" power path. I'll have to purchase a Micro3 fuse tap just to be 100 percent certain in my statements about its power routing.
Thanks for sharing that detailed explanation, as I too was wondering about drawing 10 amps (two parallel 5 amp loads) from a fuse socket whose incoming wires were only designed for a 5 amp load.
The wires going into the fuse sockets are designed for more than the fuse itself, that's why you have the fuses... Amps are called from the fused devices... When you start having problems are when a fuse gets blown and idiots install fuses with a higher amp rating, and with the problem being from a bad component in one of the devices, the current can spike higher than what the "wrong" fuse was designed for without blowing it (yet), that is when you can fry the circuit. Just cause the factory fuse is rated at 10 amps that doesn't mean that's all that socket can handle... Only a complete moron would try to "add a fuse" for a device that has a 20a fuse when the original is only 7.5a... To actually fry the cars circuitry, you would probably have to install something that draws a lot more than what a dash cam or aftermarket radio (without an amplifier) would require. And anyone who does, has no business doing the work anyway.
Awesome job sir! Great explanation
Just great; thank you so much!
Perfectly explained. Thankyou, Helped me Massively….
Update. I have now finished installing a Nextbase 522WG into my 2016 Citroën C4 Grand Picasso 2.0. Finding the fuse was slight problematic as Citroens keep the fuses energised for 30ish seconds after the ignition is turned off. Once I understood this, it was far easier. Installing the fuse Tap following the process within this video had me identify the fuse to use in quick order and also getting the fuse tap orientated correctly. Thank you RetroCarGuy530 for your Video and instructions
excellent 👍
Very interesting and something i never gave a second though to........
Many products will suggest obtaining power using a fuse tap, but they never cover how to properly install the fuse tap. That's why I created my first fuse tap video when I was reviewing a dash camera back in Dec 2019. This video dives a bit more into the the fuse tap itself. I'm glad you found it informative.
Thanks, i had done it correctly by luck, but it was good to double-check
Outstanding Video!
Wow, thanks!
Great info, thanks!
Great work
: OUTSTANDING also :
🐢 👍 🐢 😀
Hi, thanks for your interesting video, it is very informative. Let's say if I'm plugging the fuse tap into 15amp circuit, and my new assesory (USB Charger output running at 5V 4.2A). Can I use 2 x 15amp fuse together? or what would be your expertise advices? Thanks
There are several factors that go into what the proper amp rating should be for the fuse for the new accessory.
First off, you need to figure out what the power demands are of the new accessory. You stated the new accessory is a USB charger which can provide up to 4.2A at 5 volts. Converting that to watts it will require 21 watts of power to supply power to the USB devices. The 12-volt side of that adapter will then be consuming 1.75 amps (converting watts to 12-volt based amps :: 21 watts / 12 volts = 1.75 amps). Let's just round that up to 2 amps on the 12-volt side of the USB power adapter. It also depends on the design of the internals of the USB power adapter. It could draw more amps if the design is sub optimal.
You'll need to decide if the fuse box fuse socket and the manner in which it obtains its power can sustain the pre-existing 15 amp load and the power demands of the new accessory. There are so very many opinions / thoughts on this aspect of the process.
Adding a fuse tap with the left leg of the fuse tap obtaining the power from the fuse box fuse socket is known as an "in parallel" installation of the fuse tap. That being, the power from the fuse box fuse socket is being provided to both circuits directly in the fuse tap (as shown in this video). If the manner in which the power is provided to the fuse box fuse socket is already supplying 15 amps for the original circuit, you may not have a whole lot of additional amperage left over for a new accessory.
Usually adding a fuse tap for a low power demanding devices (dash camera, radar detectors, etc) will usually only need 2 or 3 amps to operate. Most 2-channel dash cameras operate at the 1 amp or 0.5 amp range. Obtaining power for lower power demanding devices is usually something that can be done using a fuse tap with something already needing 15 amps. The original fuse box fuse would go in the lower fuse tap fuse socket and the new accessory fuse would (being a 2 or 3 amp fuse) would go in the top fuse tap fuse socket. Your USB adapter appears to only need 2 amps so a 2 to 3 amp fuse would work for it as well.
There is a different train of thought on using a fuse tap and that being making the right leg obtain the power from the fuse box fuse socket. That routes the power through the bottom fuse and then up to the top fuse for the new accessory. That's also known as the "in series" power routing approach. There are pluses and minuses to this approach as well. With all of the power running through the fuse in the lower fuse tap fuse socket it better protects the wiring that provides the power to the fuse box fuse circuit, but it also means you could be blowing the fuse in the lower fuse tap fuse socket if the load for both circuits exceed the amp rating of that fuse (15 amps in your example). I tend not to use this approach, but others will argue this is a safer approach than supplying the power to the left leg of the fuse tap.
I hope that helps.
@@RetroCarGuy530 Thanks & apprecited for your explaination. I have clearer picture on this now. I guess I will just use a lower fuse amp for my car charger.
Awesome video! Why would both sides of my fuse holder be hot? Unless I’m using the multimeter wrong, I had the black probe on a screw, and the red on the fuse holder contacts and both sides showed activity?
The fuse box fuse socket should only have one side of the socket providing power. There could be something backfeeding power to the other side which is not normal. Backfeeding of power can occur when a fuse tap is added to a fuse socket that did not have a fuse to start with and the user installs two fuses in the fuse tap sockets. That can feed power back into the other side of the fuse box fuse socket that wasn't meant to get power. Unless you have another fuse tap (before the one you're trying to install now), that should not be the case. There are other possibilities for this situation, but only if someone has been messing around with the wiring of the car, again not likely. The device/accessory that is normally powered by that fuse socket might have a problem as well which could cause it to backfeed power on that circuit, but you would likely have noticed some sort of odd/problematic behavior for that device/accessory.
It sounds like you're using the multimeter correctly. Make sure you've selected DC Volts as the mode of the multimeter and make sure the cables are connected with red going to the connector for volts (and likely Ohms, Hz, etc) and the black cable connects to the common (ground) location.
If I have a factory fuse of 10Amp, what size other fuse should I install to the fuse tap if I’m installing an aftermarket radio? Should it be a 5amp?
The amp rating of the fuse for the new accessory (aftermarket radio) depends on the power requirements of the radio. It's best to examine the radio's documentation and/or labeling for any statement of how many amps (max) it requires. Using a fuse with an amp rating well above the power requirements of the radio is not necessary and that isn't really protecting the device or the wiring which is the main purpose of the fuse.
A 10 amp fuse in the fuse box fuse socket means the device powered by that fuse requires no more than 10 amps. You have to assume that the wiring providing power to that fuse socket with the 10 amp fuse will have some small amount of excess current carrying ability, but unless you know exactly how much it has available, you need to assume about 10 to 20 percent of the amp rating of that 10 amp fuse. That means 1 to 2 amps might be available on that circuit (being conservative). If the original fuse box fuse is a 10 amp and then you place a 5 amp fuse in the fuse tap, you're potentially asking the wiring to provide up to 15 amps. Can it safely do that, maybe if you know exactly how much the wiring can handle that's providing power to that fuse socket (which is often difficult or next to impossible to know without wiring diagrams and knowledge of how the internals of the fuse box are setup). That's why the 10 to 20 percent of the original fuse amp rating is a relatively "safe" way to not overload the wiring of that circuit.
I'm sure you've read or watched videos that say that you can put a 10 amp fuse in the fuse tap if the fuse box fuse was 10 amps. That's really not a good idea, since you're now asking the wiring to provide up to 20 amps when it may only be able to handle 12 amps or so (again making a conservative assumption).
When a device requires 5 or more amps, it's time to start thinking about using a 4-terminal relay to provide the power to the new accessory. The control side of the relay can obtain the switched/accessory power to control the relay using a fuse tap. The relay control circuit only requires about 100 mA (0.1 amps) so using a fuse tap to obtain that power is relatively safe. The relay's power side should be wired to receive power directly from the vehicle's battery with an in-line fuse and wiring that are sized appropriately for the amp load required by the new device. I discuss that approach in a video about obtaining power for a dash camera battery pack. ua-cam.com/video/Joa0fiKZY-o/v-deo.html
I tried to install a dash cam blackvue with the battery pack being hardwire to he fusebox ,, which acc map can use safely?
It depends if you can find a fuse that powers a circuit like a power port adapter that is not normally used, you might be able to use that type of fuse socket to obtain power for the battery pack. I'm not a fan of dash cam battery packs sourcing their charging power directly from a fuse box fuse socket. The reason being that the fuse sockets that provide the 9 to 15 amps the dash cam battery pack actually draws in real world use, may already have a load present on that circuit that will cause the combination of them to overload the power source wiring.
In a recent review of a BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 dash cam battery pack, I outlined the details of sourcing the power for a dash cam battery pack using a relay to get the power from the car's battery and only use an accessory fuse socket and fuse tap to source the power to control the relay. ua-cam.com/video/Joa0fiKZY-o/v-deo.html
Always follow each video and learn from the comment section how individuals adapt what you teach, to their situations.
Weird question but I have a parts car that I need to move the power seat on, can I use a fuse tap to provide power to the fuse from an external power supply? For context everything from the firewall forward is gone so I have no underhood fusebox or battery leads anymore and I'm trying to find an alternative way to move the power seat with out damaging it.
I guess you could do that. You would be using the fuse tap in a reverse of normal power routing. The power from the external power supply would be provided to the wire from the fuse tap. You would only put a fuse into the top fuse socket of the fuse tap. This would provide power to the left leg of the fuse tap. If you have the fuse box inside of the car that the power seat gets its power from, you would insert the fuse tap so the left leg of the fuse tap provides power to the side of the fuse box fuse socket that provides power to the power seat motor/switches. Your external power supply ground would also need to be connected to a body ground location as well.
@@RetroCarGuy530 My plan was to use a car battery, that way it doesn't deviate too much from 12v, one wire from the hot side to the fuse tap into power seat fuse in the cabin fuse box, then the negative just grounded on a body ground, i only need power long enough to move the seat forward as it's current position has the seat blocking the bolts that hold it in but it sounds like it might actually work, I appreciate the insight!
Good evening sir do you know anything how the three prong micro three fuses work? I’m trying to put a cam in my truck and I texted you the other day but the micro 2 aren’t gonna work. The micro threes I know they get power from the center, can you turn this around either way to work? Thanks.
I purchased a micro3 fuse tap last year to check out how power is routed. As you stated, the power is supplied to the middle leg of the fuse socket and then the three legged fuse distributes the power to the two sides. The fuse tap upper fuse socket seems to route power a bit differently than I expected. The left side leg of the upper fuse socket is still connected to the left leg of the fuse tap (at least for the one I purchased). The right side leg of the upper fuse socket is not connected to anything other than the wire coming out of the fuse tap (which is what I would expect).
For a micro3 fuse tap, you would remove micro3 fuse from the fuse box fuse socket and place that fuse in the lower fuse socket of the micro3 fuse tap. You would then use a micro2 fuse in the upper fuse tap fuse socket and place it into the center/right fuse leg sockets leaving the upper/left one open.
Can I put two 7.5 fuses in the fuse tap I heard it's gotta the lower than the main fuse???
It "depends" on what you're trying to power. If the original fuse in the fuse box fuse socket is rated at 7.5 amps, for safety reasons you have to assume the maximum amount of amps the wiring providing the power to the fuse box fuse socket is only capable of handling 7.5 amps plus a small amount of amps (about 10 percent more). If the device getting power through that fuse box fuse socket fuse is using the full 7.5 amps, the amount of extra amp load available for any accessory getting power via a fuse tap in that same fuse box fuse socket is limited to likely less than 1 amp. If the original device takes 7.5 amps and you add another device that requires the full additional 7.5 amps, you've likely overtaxed the wiring providing the power to the fuse box fuse socket, which of course is not a good thing to do.
There are two methods of using a fuse tap, the approach I show is the "in parallel" method where both the original fuse and the new accessory fuse have direct access to the power provided by the fuse box fuse socket. This is very safe for adding devices requiring small amp loads (dash cameras are under 1 amp and radar detectors). This is with the power from the fuse box fuse socket being supplied to the left leg of the fuse tap.
The second method of using a fuse tap is the "in series" method of routing the power through the fuse tap. This is when the power from the fuse box fuse socket is provided to the right leg of the fuse tap. That means the power goes through the lower fuse over to the left side of the fuse tap which is where the left leg will then provide power back to the fuse socket and power is provided up to the top fuse socket in the fuse tap. The "in series" approach is the "safest" method of using a fuse tap because if the amp load of the original device/accessory plus the amp load of the new device/accessory being powered by the fuse tap exceeds the original fuse's amp rating, it blows the lower fuse in the fuse tap. That provides the best protection to the wiring providing the power to the fuse box fuse socket.
You have to have an accurate idea of how many amps the device you're trying to add will require to power it. Just because a fuse tap comes with a 7.5 amp fuse (just for an example), doesn't mean the device being powered by the fuse tap requires that much or it might require more. The fuse in the upper socket of the fuse tap should be rated appropriately for the device the power is being provided to with the fuse tap. Again the example of a dash camera comes to mind. Every dash camera I've reviewed consumes 1 amp or less, so a fuse tap upper fuse of 1, 2.5, or 3 (depending on what you can find) would be appropriate. I tend to find 1 amp fuses don't actually blow at 1 amp, so a 2.5 or 3 amp fuse would likely be the best choice in that case.
I tend to suggest using fuse taps in fuse box fuse sockets with higher amp ratings (10, 15, 20, 25), because the wiring providing power to those fuse box fuse sockets are thicker and have a better chance of handling an extra load. But you still need to know how much the original device actually requires to know how much of the total amp rating is still available for the new device accessory.
When a new device/accessory will require 7.5 amps or more, I tend to suggest not using a fuse tap to directly power the device. This helps avoid adding a heavy amp load on wiring that you may or may not have direct knowledge of to make an informed decision on whether it can be safely used. Then how would I recommend powering a device requiring 7.5 amps or more (even smaller if you don't have a fuse socket that can safely provide the amount of amps required for the new device/accessory), by using either a power feed with an inline fuse directly connected to the battery (for constant power) or still using a power feed from the battery with an inline fuse, but run it through a four terminal relay to switch it on/off. The relay's control circuit which turns on/off the battery supplied power can get its power from a fuse socket which has switched/accessory power. The control circuit for the relay consumes a tiny amount of power (around 100 milliamps) so you could use most any switched/accessory power fuse socket in the fuse box (except ones providing power to critical modules in your vehicle - pcm, tcm, srs, abs, etc).
I talk about the relay approach in a video I created reviewing a dash camera battery pack. ua-cam.com/video/Joa0fiKZY-o/v-deo.html
So with the new style 3 prong fuse ( atl fuse) with the power coming up the middle pin and out the side pins it shouldn’t matter which way the 3 prong tap is installed?
Based on my quick search for ATL fuse taps, I believe you are correct that it should not matter if the power is coming up the center pin of the fuse socket. My only caution would be that the power source for that fuse socket is already providing power to two different circuits. You should be careful to not overload the incoming power source with a high amp draw device. Since most dash cams and radar detectors are in the 0.5 amp to 2 amp range, it should not be a large concern about overloading the incoming power feed to that fuse socket.
Hi RetroCar guy,
I know how you explain that if there was NO existing fuse in the fuse slot, than there is NO need for a fuse to be in front slot of the fuse tap.
I am running a dash cam and attempting to hardwire it, which I’ve got 2 EMPTY fuse points in my steering compartment fuse box, both points have battery and accessory power although my Manuel states they are empty points with SPARE fuses sitting in them, would that mean I could disregard the existing fuses that the manual state as “SPARES”and my fuse tap only requiring the fuse at the back slot, providing single power to the dash cam?
I hope this makes sense, if not I tried my best to pitch it to you 😂
If those fuse box fuse sockets are labeled as "SPARE" then they should not be supplying power to any circuit/device in your car. You should be able to remove the fuse in that socket and discard it (or store it elsewhere as a spare fuse) and only put a low amp fuse (2 to 5 amp) in the upper fuse socket of the fuse tap to provide power to the dash camera.
Why does my top fuse keep blowing. Cane with a 5 and changed it all the way to a 20 and the hall blew?
If all of the fuses you place in the upper fuse socket in the fuse tap are blowing, then either the device you're trying power is demanding more power than the fuses allow or there's some sort of short to ground in the wiring for that circuit.
Good video. But use a pointer when pointing. You pawed the box and lost us.
Aren't fuse boxes created with bus bars so series/parallel becomes irrelevant?
Many automotive fuse boxes will have some sort of bus bar feature to deliver power to some portion of the fuse sockets in the fuse box, but not every one does and not every fuse socket is powered by a bus bar.
So if I’m tapping into a 10amp circuit and I need 15 amps for the new accessory I can use a fuse tap connector by putting the 10amp fuse on the bottom and the 15amp on the top without blowing anything?
I can give a qualified "yes" to your question. The original fuse of 10 amps goes into the lower fuse socket of the fuse tap and the new accessory 15 amp fuse goes into the top fuse socket of the fuse tap. The "qualified" part comes in with regard to the fuse box fuse socket and its power source and the wiring from the fuse tap to the new accessory.
As I mention in my fuse tap videos (original video, the FAQ and this one), the source of power for the fuse box fuse socket must be one that gets its power either directly from the battery (constant / unswitched power) or an ignition switch based power source. Any fuse socket that gets its power *from* a computer module or from a relay in the fuse box itself might get its power via a wire rather than a metal power bar inside of the fuse box. You also don't want to mess with any fuse box fuse socket that supplies power to a critical system (ECM, air bags, traction control, etc). You can *safely* draw more power from a fuse box fuse socket that obtains its power via a power bar (metal bar used to route power though the fuse box to multiple fuse sockets). That's why I suggest getting power from a fuse box fuse socket that has constant/unswitched battery power or ignition (switched) power from the ignition switch power feed since those are most likely fed with power via a power bar instead of a wire.
You also need to make sure the fuse tap wire (usually a 14 awg or 16 awg wire), the wire(s) supplying power to the new accessory and the ground wire(s) from the new accessory to where it connects to a ground in the vehicle are all sized correctly to carry the 15 amps for the total length of the wire used for the circuit. I talk about this in my FAQ video. ua-cam.com/video/DnZ5wb_A5vE/v-deo.html
Many devices being added to a vehicle draw a low number of amps (5 amps or less - dash cameras, radar detectors, etc). Those type of devices are the best candidates for fuse taps. Devices that require 15 amps *start* getting into the range of devices that might draw too much power from a fuse tap. If there's any question about the amount of power drawn by the device at device startup time or during its regular use, you might want to consider powering the new accessory using a relay instead of directly from a fuse box fuse tap. You can use a fuse box fuse tap to obtain the power to control the relay (usually 3 amps or less for the control side of the relay) and then wire the relay to obtain its power from the battery (with an appropriately sized inline fuse to protect the relay and the new accessory). This puts far less stress on the fuse box power circuit and gives you ability to supply power to devices requiring 15 amps or more. I discuss this in the FAQ video.
we make fuse and fuseholder and wireharness for car
Thank you so much for the detailed information. I'm planning to install fog lights for someone and was wondering this setup would be ok. It has a relay already. Got 4 leads 2 negative leads and 1 power 12volt and the second one is acc. I'm planning to hook It up with 1 battery source voltage, and the other on a fuse side of the circuit. The negative lead is chassis ground and the other is battery negative. For the chassis ground side, I want to add a fuse to it prevent any issues. Would that be ok to do so??? Lastly, if the fuse that I'm adding fuse doesn't originally come inside the fuse, don't add an additional fuse to it correct??
I'm a bit confused by your description of the four terminal/lead relay you're going to be using for the fog lights. A four terminal relay is usually broken down as follows:
Terminals 85 and 86 are the control circuit terminals for the relay. Terminal 85 typically receives the switched/accessory power to trigger the relay. Terminal 86 is connected to ground. When terminal 85 is supplied 12-volts, it energizes the coil in the relay and causes the relay to close (connect) the circuit pathway for the other two terminals 30 and 87.
Terminals 30 and 87 and are conditionally connected depending on the state of the control circuit terminals 85/86 (as mentioned above). Most often, terminal 30 is supplied with constant 12-volt power and when the relay control circuit (85/86) is energized, power is then sent to terminal 87 which is connected to the new accessary. The alternative approach is to have terminals 30/87 be a ground circuit instead of a power circuit. When terminals 30/87 are a ground based circuit that is the ONLY time a relay would have two of the terminals connected to ground. It depends on how you want or need to control the accessory. The most common configuration is to have terminals 30/87 supply power to the new accessory instead of supplying a ground.
Usually, a fuse is placed in the 12-volt power supply side of the circuit. In my four terminal relay example, the wire supplying the constant battery power to terminal 30 would have an inline fuse to protect the circuit. The control circuit terminal 85 which gets power from either a switch or a fuse tap should have a fuse in the circuit as well. If you're supplying switched/accessory power to terminal 85 via a fuse tap, then the fuse is present in the fuse tap.
>>> Lastly, if the fuse that I'm adding fuse doesn't originally come inside the fuse, don't add an additional fuse to it correct??
I'm not quite sure what you're asking with this question. My best response would be if the fuse box fuse socket did not have a fuse in it to begin with, then the fuse tap being installed into that fuse box fuse socket should only have one fuse in it (in the top fuse socket of the fuse tap for the new accessory). If the fuse box fuse socket did have a fuse in it, the original fuse box fuse is installed into the lower fuse tap fuse socket and the fuse for the new accessory is installed into the top fuse tap fuse socket. Fuse taps usually do not come with any fuses. You need to obtain the appropriately sized (amp rating) fuse to use in the fuse tap for the new accessory (top fuse socket in the fuse tap).
I hope that helps.
@@RetroCarGuy530 sorry for the confusion. What i wanted to ask is that. My fog lights already comes with a relay and harness kit. Based on videos I’ve watched on yours.
I observed that when adding a fuse tap wire.
Do it on something that is small and not complicated. Also, If it doesn’t come with the fuse don’t add it to the bottom. Orient the fuse in a way that one side is getting power. To prevent the circuit from blowing and causing other damages
Blade style fuse taps are best for things only requiring 10 amps or less since most fuse taps only have a 14 awg or 16 awg wire coming out of it which restrict their amp carrying capabilities. Most dash cameras, radar detectors and relay control circuits only require a small amount of power (5 amps or below).
As you mentioned, if the fuse box fuse socket did not have a fuse before adding the fuse tap, the lower fuse tap fuse socket should be empty.
It is required (or at least a best practice) to make sure the left leg of the fuse tap is the one that is plugged into the side of the fuse box fuse socket that provides the power. That way the power will be provided to both fuse tap fuse sockets directly / correctly.
How do I know what type of fuse like ata or mini?
You need to examine the fuse box you're considering installing the fuse tap into to see what type fuses are used to determine which fuse tap type to use. In my other video on fuse taps, I show the four common types of blade style fuses and fuse taps. Here's a link to that portion of the other video: ua-cam.com/video/NW0QaQaU41Y/v-deo.html
So it’s ok to test the direction when it’s improperly placed in the fuse box on purpose while in the vehicle? I’m new and not trying to blow anything up lol
It should be ok to perform the fuse tap orientation testing without hurting anything. You're going to need a test light or multimeter to see if the fuse tap wire has power when testing the fuse tap in the fuse box fuse socket. Once you determine which side of the fuse box fuse socket provides the power, the left leg of the fuse tap goes into that side of the fuse box fuse socket. If that fuse box fuse socket had a fuse in it to begin with, that fuse is put into the fuse tap's lower fuse socket and the new fuse for the new accessory goes into the top fuse socket of the fuse tap.
@@RetroCarGuy530 I have a test light. Thank you for your help. You’re the only one I’ve seen to provide this much information on this subject
So I've located an unused switched power fuse slot and an unused constant power fuse slot in my car. (Neither slot has a fuse in it). Would this be the preferred means of tapping power to the dash cam I'm installing, or is there some "gotcha" I need to consider? (I could easily tap into fuse slots that have fuses in them, but am wondering if using unused slots is preferred?)
I tend to prefer using unused fuse box fuse sockets. The power demands of a dash camera is usually 2 amps or less (most of time under 1 amp), so there should be no worries about overloading anything in the fuse box or the wires that supply power to those fuse sockets.
If there is an empty fuse box fuse socket with power, it usually is a fuse socket for an optional feature for that vehicle or that same fuse box is used in a different vehicle and that other vehicle has a feature that uses that fuse socket. In most cases (noting the computer module exception noted below), they are fairly safe to use for low power demand devices like a dash camera.
One caution would be to try and make sure those fuse sockets don't obtain their power from a computer module (ECM, PCM, TCM, ABS, BCM, SRS [Airbag]: if you can determine from the fuse box cover documentation). Tapping into a circuit that supplies power to a computer module or obtains power from a computer module can complicate the operation of the computer module.
As mentioned in the video, since the fuse box fuse sockets did not have a fuse in them to begin with, the fuse taps should not have a fuse in the lower fuse socket of the fuse taps. There should only be a fuse in the upper fuse socket of the fuse taps.
Make sure you use an appropriately sized (amp) fuse for the fuse tap fuse (2 or 3 amp would be my suggestion).
@@RetroCarGuy530 Many thanks for the quick reply! I just checked the fuse panel and owner's manual, and both list the two unused fuse sockets as "Empty". I'll try using these fuse sockets in a couple of days when I install the dash cam.
Appreciate the sage advice!
Hello there.
I have a empty fuse slot in my car which is ACC for cigar lighter in the boot which my car doesnt have it. But i only have 1 pin/wire in that empty slot, can I still use it with a fuse tap for a backup camera ? Will be very helpful to know. :)
I'm assuming the backup camera only draws about 2 amps or less, so that should be ok for that unused fuse box fuse socket. If there's only one pin in the empty fuse box fuse socket, then the left leg of the fuse tap is inserted into that side of the fuse socket. You should only need a fuse in the upper fuse socket of the fuse tap since there's no original fuse in the fuse box fuse socket.
@RetroCarGuy530 Thanks you very much! You are my savior !
Really appreciate your video and responding! :)
@@RetroCarGuy530 Just to make sure the left leg of the tap is the one with no wire ? And the one with the wire is the right one, right ?
Correct.
@@RetroCarGuy530 "You should only need a fuse in the upper fuse socket of the fuse tap since there's no original fuse in the fuse box fuse socket." may i know why i only need fuse in the upper fuse socket? if i put a extra fuse at at bottom, what will happen? example botton i put 10A, upper i put 7.5A.