# circuit breakers...



## noddaz (Aug 6, 1999)

Ok, I have a small fuse block as circuit protection on my small home track.
I am having problems with the JL X-Traction ski shoes shorting out and blowing fuses... Ok, so the fuses are doing what they are supposed to do.
Question is can I wire in circuit breakers like these instead of fuses?


http://www.skycraftsurplus.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1260


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## rybred33 (Jan 10, 2007)

noddaz said:


> Ok, I have a small fuse block as circuit protection on my small home track.
> I am having problems with the JL X-Traction ski shoes shorting out and blowing fuses... Ok, so the fuses are doing what they are supposed to do.
> Question is can I wire in circuit breakers like these instead of fuses?
> 
> ...


 if you have a problem with dead shorting, the breakers will also trip as designed, need to stop the shorting first, hope this helps a little, i've been a commercial electrician for last ten years, not quite sure about slot tracks but usually a short will trip breakers and blow fuses


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## Crimnick (May 28, 2006)

I've been a commercial electrician for 30 years....  

Here's the only issue you might have a problem with:

"Trip Time at 200% = 3.0 to 33 Seconds "

In other words...if the load amounts to 10 amps for any reason, such as a motor going bad...or even a short that has enough resistance to simulate a load...the breaker wont trip instantaniously....

But that can also be a good thing if you run cars with higher loads....as you dont want the breaker to trip for a momentary spike in amps on hole shots out of corners...

Higher voltage AC and DC fuses are "duel element" or "time delay" to allow an inductive load time to re-balance (like a motor starting amperage is much higher than the FLA or full load rating of the same motor)...a 30 amp 3ph motor can spike to 85 amps for a second or two upon a start from dead stop...

I would suggest you put a fuse up stream (before the breaker in the circuit) to protect against overloads.....and let the breaker handle dead shorts...

I would purchase one....set it up..and check to make sure it trips instantly upon a dead short...

Also:

Number of Poles = 2 ; 1 pole switched, 1 pole series trip breaker

If I read this right....there are four connection tabs...."a" to "b" is a straight switch...."c" to "d" is a breaker....you will have to jumper "b" to "c" to have both the switch and breaker...feed "a"...and run out from "d"...

But without one in my hand to check out....it might just be written poorly..

At lower voltages...a short is more likely to simulate a resistive load....that's why there are still fuses in cars...  

I know you're trying to get as much contact as possible with long ski's....but you might consider stepped ski's that wont short to the other rail upon a spin out... :tongue:

BTW..I forgot to point out that a "resitive" load is any load that uses a heating element.....which is is effect...a dead short with resistance in between...

An inductive load....is any load that has a winding...like a motor , transformer,or a megnetic solinoid...


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## rodstrguy (Feb 14, 2002)

I suggest slow burn fuses, they work well on a track I race on... Do the breakers come in a smaller load???


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## rybred33 (Jan 10, 2007)

dang!! got trumped by 20 years experience!! just trying to help, lol, i am clueless about slots, ill stick to rc cars, rw


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## Crimnick (May 28, 2006)

Bah...just pulling rank *snicker*....

I'm still running on wall warts...


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## rybred33 (Jan 10, 2007)

I understand, I know when a bigger dog enters the yard, lol, good luck, :wave:


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

You could also flip your track polarity,you shouldn't blow fuses when you spin,which will happen if your wired negative polarity.
Negative polarity puts full voltage to the rails,and uses the ground side to control speed,positive polarity only puts power to the rail if the trigger is squeezed


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## dlw (Aug 17, 1999)

*Noddaz....*

I'm guessing your problem XT's have the thin, flat shoes. Just straighten them out, and then put a slight bend about a 1/4" from the front of the shoe. It seems you have too much shoe contact. 

Or you can put a small step in the shoe. Check some of your vintage Afx cars for reference, and to copy off.

You should also check the comm brush holders. See if they are poking out under the chassis. If so, you'll have to disassemble the chassis, and gently bend them until the are parallel with the chassis.


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## noddaz (Aug 6, 1999)

*"Trip Time at 200% = 3.0 to 33 Seconds "*

Wow Crimnick..
I missed that part... lol
I guess that I could melt wire while waiting for the breaker to blow...  
I will stick with fuses... lol

And DLW, yes, it is the XT thin shoes that are killing me...
I have tried the step trick and it works well on a few XTs save one...
It has smaller rear tires than stock and I have noticed that the shoe hangers sometimes drag the rails... So when it spins, somtimes it blows a fuse...
Scott


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## dlw (Aug 17, 1999)

Ok, check the comm brush holders on that car. Do they hang below the middle strip? Also, check the rivets holding the pickup shoe holder.......are they contacting the rails? You may need larger rear tires.


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## Crimnick (May 28, 2006)

rybred33 said:


> I understand, I know when a bigger dog enters the yard, lol, good luck, :wave:


Right now...I'm wiring a chineese food place...and the only guy who speaks english (half way)...is never there...so I spend at least an hour a day on the phone....by the time I get home...I'm speaking pigeon engrish too...vewy gude....ok now...back to whook...vewy beezy.... :freak:


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## rybred33 (Jan 10, 2007)

Crimnick said:


> Right now...I'm wiring a chineese food place...and the only guy who speaks english (half way)...is never there...so I spend at least an hour a day on the phone....by the time I get home...I'm speaking pigeon engrish too...vewy gude....ok now...back to whook...vewy beezy.... :freak:


LMAO, we sent new guy for wire stretcher, 1/2 hr later, brings greenlee tugger.LOL Good luck with engrish, lol


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## Crimnick (May 28, 2006)

rybred33 said:


> LMAO, we sent new guy for wire stretcher, 1/2 hr later, brings greenlee tugger.LOL Good luck with engrish, lol


HEHE...I sent a first year for wire for a main distribution shut trip tie in to a sub station....I needed 7 legs over 250'....

I told him to get me all red wire...because it pulls easier...

Not being stupid....he looks at me like..."yeah...right"...

I said no really....check it out...

I grabbed a piece of black....and stripped an inch of it...and said hold this...

I then grabbed a piece of red...and just pressed hard enough to cut the clear coat...and pulled it off...

I held them up...

"see this?.....this is a different kind of insulation....the red dye in the insulation requires an extra coating over the insultation because the red insulation will degrade and rot off..."

"this clear coating has a lower friction co-efficient than the standard rubber insulation on the other colors.."

"it pulls easier"

he says...."ah...I get it....ok cool...."

So I said..."make sure you tell the foreman that Russ wants all red wire because it pulls easier...

He happily went to fetch it...

He came back and simply said "Russ...you're a dick"

*snicker*  

The next day we were hanging a transformer...I sent him out to the trailer for an "ID 10 T" -bolt....

LMAO....


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## rybred33 (Jan 10, 2007)

Great cadweld story: I lived in Knoxville TN for couple of years and worked at a facility being built for John Deere, we were running ground loop around perimeter and "big wigs" from JD were there. This idiot lights a mold and forgets to move the case of shots from below the mold and....poof! fourth of july takes place right in front of them!!! the wholoe case of shots goes off, scares the JD guys, the worst part was that he was from cincinnati, and made no case for us "yankees" as they say. He got fired. I still talk mto some of the boys I worked with there, and they always ask, "hows your brother?" idiot!!! PS, I have lived in ne ohio all my life, except those two years, my wife is from knoxville.


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## Crimnick (May 28, 2006)

Lol!!!!


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

This thread is starting to read like the last page of EC&M.


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## Crimnick (May 28, 2006)

Scafremon said:


> This thread is starting to read like the last page of EC&M.


heh,,,sorry....anyone who plays with electricity for a living isnt quite right in the head...

Or as my buddy charlie says...

Russ....all your dogs aint barkin...


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

I totally understand.

I'm a PM for an electrical wholesaler. My division concentrates on projects requiring 5kV and upwards (schools, prisons, utility substations, water treatment plants, etc).


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## rybred33 (Jan 10, 2007)

My wife hates when we go out because I study the ceiling conduit and ways it was run!!!!Bad habit I guess, I love it though!!!!!!! :wave:


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