Blue Sea Aux Fuse Block Install

What gauge sheet metal?

 

I fab'd up a plexiglass aux fuse block panel for an 8 circuit Blue Sea w/o ground, and a main fuse. Tapped holes to hang 5 relays off the back. Didn't bother with a brace like most, and just made it low enough to where the bottom rests atop a factory relay.

 

Does anyone know if there is an advantage/disadvantage to having The circuit panel with or without a negative post?

 

Nice! Just started mocking my aux box up, having to get a little crafty with my clutch master cylinder though

 

I just used a piece of aluminum that I cut incorrectly for a fill plate on an airstream. I like the breaker use with this, I might have to pull the one from my car when I add a relay box below the fuse panel.
More work is required on mine to get it looking good like y'all's.

 

There is no advantage/disadvantage for either/or. Since we're talking vehicles made of steel, you don't need one with an integrated grounding post - you can ground anywhere on the truck. Blue Sea systems is marketed around the marine market (hence the name, obviously). Boats are typically nonmetallic, lacking accessible grounding points. Thus, having a block with a central ground makes sense in that scenario.

Then again, that's a biased opinion...

 

Another approach -

 

Thanks man-
Really digging the plexi.
I'm using Lexon and plan to do similar multi-bent platform

 

I wire up my ham radio equipment using a similar fuse panel and relay shelf. Though all of yours look nicer than my old one, have to get better. I use a remote controlled relay to control 2 - 12 volt 40 amp relays. doing this I just hit a remote control button and all my ham radios turn on or off. Have some 1/4 inch black ABS at home and made the original "shelf" out of it, used those 2 factory threaded holes to mount mine too, wonder what accessory they are there for ?
Neatness counts so it is back to the layout mode for me this weekend hahaha.

 

Dude thanks much for this write up there OP I'll literally be following this step by step when I do mine here in a few weeks.

 

Did the same thing here. Same box. Same place.

 

If you are no capability of cutting sheet metal, the top of the fuse box is a good place with plenty of room:

 

Super easy. Just painted it tonight and I'll set it back up in the morning and start wiring. Let me know if you want info on how it made it.

 

Awesome post guys! Thank you! I'm currently on a ship I work aboard and wondering if any can give me close measurements of the panel. Mostly just clearance and doesn't have to be exact.

I would like to cut and fab everything in our fully loaded maintenance shop before I go home in a couple of weeks. Lol. Thanks in advance!

 

Let me preface by saying I'm still learning, lol. If I followed this installation and installed a breaker with fuse box, do I wire my relays from the fuses coming off this box? Would this eliminate the need for in-line fuses? Would I still need the add-a-circuit to tap the signal for my switches to go on/off with the truck power? Thanks!

 

I think I'm reading this right, but someone else please chime in:
1) If you're running power out of a fuse box (like the blue sea) and each line has a fuse (5A, 10A, etc.) you would run the main power from the fuse box to the Relay for whatever it is controlling.
2) If you want your relay'd items to only work when the ignition is on then you will need a control line from an add-a-circuit to the relay. I've only done this for non-switched items (internal USB power items). For my lights and such, I wanted them on even if the ignition was turned off.

Here's the part I need others to verify:
3) If you want something on a switch that also only works when the power is on then you need two relays. Your first relay would have main power from a fused circuit in the fuse box, but only open if the ignition is on. That power output would then go to a second relay that is controlled by your switch for your lights or whatever. If you do this you'll either need a super beefy first relay to supply power to all your secondary relays, or you'll need multiple pairs of chained relays and will probably want to run your "Ignition control" add-a-circuit to a bus bar so that multiple relays can use a single signal input.

 

Thanks, that all makes sense. I should have clarified on 3, the ignition controlled portion of my switch is just for the illumination within the switch. I want power at those switches even when the truck is off, just don't want the lights in the switches running down my battery when the truck is off.

 

I haven't installed any switches in the cab yet, but from what I've seen on tutorials people are daisy-chaining the illumination power from other switches in the console which already have the ignition control so they all go off when the truck is off.

 

Hi guys, quick question here - with this setup, if I wanted to run a light bar for example, do you have to use a relay in between the blue sea box somewhere? How would that work?

 

How did you come to find that the 100 Amp breaker was sufficient? I would want to know that my breaker would trip when needed, 100 A seems big but I could be wrong.