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(ET) Control panel fuses: What does the Elec-trak *REALLY* need



I've been thinking a bit about fuses as I look at the cremated remains of one of my E15 controller cards. Several of the PCB traces are burned, there are jumper wires soldered in, it's a sad mess.

And I was thinking: There is no way in hell that these components, edge connectors, and the like can withstand a 20a 36 volt current limit. However the controller fuse is (I think) supposed to be 20a.

I wonder if GE was out of their minds. This annoys me a bit: The purpose of a fuse is to protect a circuit and as such it should be rated so that it blows before the current capacity of any downstream components have been reached.

This also blew up Card 4's on my E20 when the diodes short. The difference is a blown fuse and a quick-to-replace part and a blown edge connector and carbonized components.

So what *should* the control fuse on an E20 be? 5a? 8a? Anyone ever measured how much current is drawn with all relays closed?

Chris