Automotive Tube vs. Tube Fuses

[DigiTan]

I recently got interested in using automotive style blade fuses in projects, rather than tube fuses that are fragile and require larger fuse holders. At least for general use.

Is there any quality difference I should know about between automotive-style fuses and traditional tube fuses seen in home appliances?

Like say I used ATO Mini's in place of 1/4" diameter tubes. Are the applicance-style ones more precise or better overall than the other? I know automotive type target 12V and 48V battery systems, but would that really matter?

FYI: The title was meant to read "Automotive Fuse vs. ..."

 

[dknguyen]

I would think automative fuses are meant for higher temperature usage than building fuses. But seeing as how fuses operate thermally, I doubt that is the case otherwise automative fuses would have a higher current rating than building fuses at room temperature. So it's probably just the physical packaging of the fuse.

 

[Diver300]

You shouldn't use fuses beyond their voltage rating or beyond their prospective short circuit current rating. Automotive fuses could be dangerous if used on mains circuits, as the current would just arc across the gap when the fuse melts. Other than that, they are fine. I've got an Agilent spectrum analyser that uses an automotive fuse.

I think the difference is just more modern packaging of the same technology.

 

[Reloadron]

Just as Diver300 mentions, fuses are selected for their intended application. Using an automotive fuse involving a mains application would be an unwise decision. Read a little about fuseology here. Even the link doesn't fully cover all the flavors but is a good start.

Ron