Should A Phone Charger Have Its Own Fuse?

[Guest]

I use my phone gps a lot for work and I'm in the midst of some rewiring so I might as well add one. Looking to do something like what Good Times did:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?200165-USB-Charger-for-my-iPhone&highlight=phone+charger

Get a cheap cigarette lighter to USB charger, take it apart and add some wires. I took apart an old one I had lying around looks like it had its own little fuse. I've got a circuit that runs neutral light, oil light, and brake lights that I was thinking of adding it to. I figure those aren't on very often ( well maybe brakes) and they don't draw much when they are on. Probably using an LED tail/stop bulb. Should I give the charger its own fuse or am I fine?

[Steve]

Look at it this way: if something shorts out in your charger, it's going to try to draw a LOT of current. What size are the wires? Are they big enough to handle the 15 amps it's going to take to blow the brake light circuit? (By the way, that circuit also handles your turn signals, horns and oil pressure light.) Yes, I would probably put it on that circuit, too, if I was using a stock fuse box, as the other two choices for switched power would be for your headlight or the ignition. Neither one of which I would like to lose, let alone in the middle of a turn. At night. With no moon.

Yeah, I would put it on its own circuit, and I would use a fuse that is just a bit larger than the actual draw of the device. If it draws 1 amp while charging, use a 2 amp fuse. If it draws 3 amps, use a 5 amp fuse, etc., but I'll bet the small wires on the charger will go up in smoke before blowing a 15 amp fuse.

And please remember one thing: the fuse is not there to protect your charger, it is there to protect the rest of the bike when the charger fails.

.

[ezmack]

I'm starting from scratch with the harness so that's all thats on there. Better safe than sorry I guess, its a 6 fuse block so I've got the room just trying to keep the wires minimal. Not sure what it will use amps wise I think a decent charger is a little over 2 amps with the phone only using half 1.2ish Start low and move up to bigger ones I guess.