Fuse box wiring

Kal

I've got an interesting question. Can two 12v power sources be connected to the same fuse box? Like for instance the 12v from a reducer and 12v from a auxiliary battery and both run to their respective grounds?

BGW

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JohnnieB

As long as you don't tie the grounds together, they are separate circuits.

However, by running the amps from both circuits through the same fuse you are more or less eliminating your ability to fuse either circuit properly.

Also, if the two separate grounds were inadvertently connected together, you would get a pyrotechnical display (Sparks).

Basically, it is possible, but it is asking for trouble, so why do it?

jontz

What's the end game for this setup? Do you want your 12V accessories to run off of the regulator when the cart is on and off of the battery when the cart is off?

Kal

I was thinking about putting in an auxiliary battery if I can shoe horn it in but only planned for the main battery pack so I have one fuse box so I'm out of room to stick another one in. I have enough slots in the fuse box for the extra gear but from the sound of it its a bad idea to link them together. I wanted the auxiliary battery just for a possible radio and 12v power outlet to charge cell phones and the like but if I can't fit in another fuse box I may forgo the idea...

Sir Nuke

Kal, if you can put the Aux battery in there, you can certainly fit in a small fuse panel.....there are a ton of them out there that are about the size of an iPhone, and they will hold 6 to 8 different circuits.

This is similar to the one I have.....this is a 6 fuse block, I put an 8 in mine.....and you can see that this one is 3.5" x 3.75" in size.

http://www.wiringproducts.com/bussma...-position.html

Kal

What I did was weld small steel plates onto the "seat frame" for the current fuse panel, reducer, and ground block, and they are all located right where the auxiliary battery would sit. At the time I vetoed the idea of putting in the auxiliary battery and thought I had all the room in the world, now not so much. The only place I figure I can put the extra fuse box and grounding block is around the corner by the charging receptacle but I have to take another look and see if it will clear the batteries.

jontz

So if I'm following you correctly, you want to power some devices from your reducer and some from the battery. Does the reducer not supply enough power for everything? Or is it an issue of not wanting to draw power off of your traction pack? Just trying to figure out exactly what you want before I make a suggestion.

Kal

The reducer should supply power for everything, but the idea for the auxiliary battery is so all the non-essential accessories doesn't drain the main battery pack. I got the idea from here actually, a lot of people are starting to do it. The main pack would power the cart and lights, the rest would be off the auxiliary battery. I took a quick look tonight and it looks like I would have enough room for another deep cycle if it was small enough. What I might end up doing is use the current fuse box for the auxiliary battery and put in a in-line fuse off the reducer for the lights. I wanted to avoid doing that because I wanted a cleaner looking install but...

jontz

Gotcha. I don't know much about the fuse box you are working with, but are the fuses all on a common bus? If so you could cut the bus, essentially making two separate fuse boxes out of the one you have now. One half fed from the reducer, the other battery. Just a thought.

Kal

No, its a single box and can't be split. While I'm thinking about it and not spacing out, I wanted to thank everyone for their input, and speaking of input does anyone know how fast a stereo will drain the main battery pack?