Wasn't gonna post this...

[Marco]

Better a saggy one than none at all mate...

Heh-heh... Aye, and the ability and desire to use it! They say that when you get to a certain age, you lose the urge...

Marco.

[struth]

Heh-heh... Aye, and the ability and desire to use it! They say that when you get to a certain age, you lose the urge...

Marco.

You do when your on the drugs im on.... usually get your kicks out of a pish

[Marco]

Aye, and the only 'excitement' you get is if you can manage it without dribbling!

Never mind, we shouldn't joke about these things...

Marco.

[Jac Hawk]

Hi Marco, fuses react specifically to a given current flowing through them. They will allow their nominal rating to pass indefinitely but if the current increases beyond a certain level then the conductor inside the fuse will melt (blow). A very high current will cause the fuse to blow quickly, a current say just 100% above the fuse rating will take some time to blow the fuse. This relationship of current versus time is defined in a series of British Standards that fuse manufacturers *should* adhere to so that equipment designers can calculate how much energy a fuse will let through before blowing. They can then design the equipment to withstand this amount of energy so that minimum damage is caused before the fuse blows. For fuses in our standard 13A plugs this is BS1362.

*I think* what Anthony is saying is that if the fuse is made from a different conductor material it is unlikely to adhere to the same time/current curve as a BS1362 compliant fuse and so the protection level offered may be different.

I'd agree, there must be a difference in the speed / current required to blow the SR fuses, i'd be interested to hear from anyone who have had one blow on them and if their equipment it was protecting was unaffected, also i'd be interested to find out if the manufacturer of these fuses gave any guarantees for the equipment covered by them.

Everyone that has them say their equipment sounds better, but do they offer the same level of protection? at the end of the day, that's why a fuse is in the circuit in the 1st place and if they don't i wonder how many people would continue using them on the understanding that they maybe not offer the exact same level of protection?

[struth]

Until someone tests some to destruction i guess its just a question mark. Doubt id use them as my system is probably not at the top end, and neither are my ears i guess these days. Im happy enough with what im hearing...more than happy actually.

[Jac Hawk]

Until someone tests some to destruction i guess its just a question mark. Doubt id use them as my system is probably not at the top end, and neither are my ears i guess these days. Im happy enough with what im hearing...more than happy actually.

+1

[Gazjam]

And the auidiophile fuse, that is not clear glass?

Looks like 'dis:


Remember its internal case fuses I'm swapping over, not the ones in the plug.
May do at some point though, just the one 13A plug in my system nowadays, all else hardwired from the balanced mains.

[Gazjam]

You do when your on the drugs im on.... usually get your kicks out of a pish

Grant, you saucy knave...

[Barry]

Maybe round pin fuse free plugs are the answer..

I believe these are still considered safe under BS regulation... but could be wrong.

UK round pin mains connectors (i.e the 5A and 15A round pin system to BS 546) are still safe to use (and do not infringe any regulations0 provided they are not used as part of a ring main. That is you cannot mix BS1363 connectors (the 13A rectangular pin style) with BS 546 round pin connectors.

BS 546 connectors can only be used on a radial system, where each socker must have its own feed back to the consumer unit and use a 15A (or 16A) rated circuit breaker.

You might have dificulty persuading an electrician to do it for you though.

[The Black Adder]

Ah... So they are only good for a separate radial circuit. Good for hifi I suppose.

Why wouldn't a sparky want to do that if it's all above board etc?