shop-talk supported in part by Fat Chance Garage
http://fatchancegarage.com
> 1. I know they come in different colors for the different sizes.
I may be wrong, but I believe color is not a reliable indicator of size.
For example, at
http://www.statewire.com/pdfs/fuse_products/B21.pdf
you can see that green might be either 14 or 18 AWG, while red might be
either 14 or 16 AWG.
> But I can't find anything to say how the size equates to the
> current limiting.
> Ie. a Black - 12 gauge. What is its current rating?
They aren't normally rated by current. The rule of thumb is to use a
fusible link size that is 4 AWG numbers below the size of the wire you are
protecting.
> 2. Can you replace a fusable link with a fuse?
Sure.
> 3. Why are they soldered in line?
The ones I have seen are crimped, not soldered. I don't think ordinary
solder will stick to the wire used in at least some fusible links.
> Can you crimp and solder a
> connector on
> to the ends of the link, so that if it blows, you don't have to cut
> the wire apart?
I believe so, in fact some of them come with a ring terminal already on one
end. But as I see it, fusible links are a "last ditch" protection ... If
you expect it to blow, you should probably use a fuse instead.
Randall
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