Point taken, David, perhaps I need to learn a bit more about electricity.
I've learned quite a bit just from these comments.  For instance, I learned
not to try to run a HVAC blower on the bench through a 10 amp fuse.  I
never knew what a power probe was; here's a good description of what they
do: http://deloreantech.wikia.com/wiki/Tool:Power_Probe.  I'll have to
spend more time thinking through how I use this setup in the future.

On Wed, Jul 1, 2015 at 11:01 PM, David Beierl <dbeierl@attglobal.net> wrote:

> At 10:26 AM 7/1/2015, Steven Shelton wrote:
>
>> I test my electrical work and 12V devices using a jump starter battery and
>> a cigarette lighter plug with two alligator clips attached.  The plug has
>> a
>> Buss 10 amp fuse in it.  My limited electrical knowledge results in a lot
>> of blown fuses.  Is there a 10 amp breaker that I could wire into the
>> tester so I won't have to keep buying boxes of Buss fuses?
>>
>
> I hate being Debbie Downer, but possibly you should read up on
> electricity a little?  From your description I can't really tell what
> you're doing, but fuses are normally sized to prevent overheating and
> possible fires in wiring.  Ten amps is normally considered about the
> limit that a lighter plug/socket can handle safely and in my
> experience it's marginal for that, plugs tend to melt.  It's a
> terrible connector for any power use anyway, it was built very
> cleverly to supply cigarette lighters and automatically release them
> when they get hot enough.  The latch/release mechanism isn't even
> touched by a power plug, which makes contact on the rivet holding the
> latching contact onto the rest of the assembly.
>
> Fuses are designed to blow maybe in an hour or two with a 30%
> overload and in a few milliseconds with a short circuit.  If you plug
> in and the fuse instantly blows with a pop, that just saved you from
> some melted wires.
>
> You can get self-resetting breakers that are used on things like
> power window circuits in case someone holds the switch too long, but
> that can present a safety risk.  Button-reset breakers are also
> available.  With any breaker read the specs carefully.  Many small
> breakers have a rated life of fifty operations, for example.
>
> Yours,
> David
>