Fuse question for hartke 3500

middlecislowe · #1 05-27-2011, 06:42 PM

Alright I'm new here and this is gonna be pretty detailed. Thanks to anyone in advance who can help. I have a Hartke 3500 head. My fuse sled has a space for two fuses. On the fuse sled it says FUSE FOR, then an arrow pointing to each space, the one on the left says 100~120V, the one on the right says 220~240V. My first question is, do I put a fuse in each space? Or is it for whether you're in America or UK, that kind of thing. I'm in America btw if that helps.
The next q I have is to confuse matters, on the head itself next to the fuse bay it says:
~AC INPUT
115V/60hz, 300W
FUSE: 8A/250V

My questions are: Do I use one or two fuses? If I use two, which ones and where do they go in the fuse sled? If I use only one, which one do I use and in what space on the fuse sled does it go?

Thank you a million if you can help me. I have a gig tomorrow and I'd like to not have to borrow another amp,

S

anderbass · #2 05-27-2011, 09:18 PM

Here's a link to your manual:--> http://s3.amazonaws.com/samsontech/r...cs/ACF18FA.pdf

Looks like your amp came factory equipped with 2-fuses, an 8-amp fuse for use in the USA,
And then another 4 amp fuse that would only be in use if the fuse block was disassembled and switched over to 230-volt mode for using the amp in some other countries besides the USA.

You didn't fill out your location in your profile, so I cant tell what part of the world you live in...

But if your amp used to work where your currently located at, the amps voltage selector should still be switched to the correct position now, and you'd just need to make sure that the 1-corresponding fuse was not blown. Then If the amp still wouldnt work, you've got some other problem besides just the fuse.

Describe your amps problem, what are its symptoms?

If your fuse was blown, you wouldnt have any sound at all and no lights illuminating... (although other issues like a bad power switch for example would cause those same exact symtoms)

middlecislowe · #3 05-27-2011, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anderbass

Here's a link to your manual:--> http://s3.amazonaws.com/samsontech/r...cs/ACF18FA.pdf

Looks like your amp came factory equipped with 2-fuses, an 8-amp fuse for use in the USA,
And then another 4 amp fuse that would only be in use if the fuse block was disassembled and switched over to 230-volt mode for using the amp in some other countries besides the USA.

You didn't fill out your location in your profile, so I cant tell what part of the world you live in...

But if your amp used to work where your currently located at, the amps voltage selector should still be switched to the correct position now, and you'd just need to make sure that the 1-corresponding fuse was not blown. Then If the amp still wouldnt work, you've got some other problem besides just the fuse.

Describe your amps problem, what are its symptoms?

If your fuse was blown, you wouldnt have any sound at all and no lights illuminating... (although other issues like a bad power switch for example would cause those same exact symtoms)

Thanx for the reply. I have the manual already but it didn't answer my question unfortunately. First off, I live in America, L.A. to be precise. My predicament is I just got this amp but it came with no fuses, so I can't look at a blown fuse and just replace it.
There's a voltage converter above the fuse bed which you can set for 115 or 230. It was already set at 115 and that's where I've kept it. I'm pretty sure that's where it should be for USA.
All I need to know is what rating of fuse do I put in either 100~120V bed OR the 220~240V bed OR both. The manual doesn't give precise information. It says somethings which I'm sure is understandable to more knowledgable people, but I'm not a very tech oriented guy. haha.
Basically if you could fill in the blanks to the following statement I'd be all good:
If you're in USA, put a _____ fuse into the 100~120V bed (AND/OR) put a _____ fuse into the 220~240 bed.
Thanx again in advance for any help.

S

middlecislowe · #4 05-28-2011, 01:01 AM

And also, just to reiterate my first post. Nect to the fuse bed it says:

~AC INPUT
115V/60hz, 300W
FUSE: 8A/250V

But that confuses me because the amp beds say 100~120V and 220~240V. The closest thing I can think of is the 250 is referring to the 230~240V bed. And that I should put an 8amp fuse in there. But then I'm thinking that's for if you live in the UK or somewhere with a higher voltage rating. (are Hartke made in England?) But since I'm in USA I want to use the 100~120V bed and since it's half V, I should put a 4amp fuse in that one. But that's shoddy detective work at best and I don't want to screw anything up. One other thing I'm thinking is maybe you use both fuses, since the Hartke 3500 has both a tube and solid state amp together. As you can tell I'm extremely confused. But if someones has this amp or is familiar with it and can tell me what fuses to put where I'll be good as gold and I'll buy you a beer next time I see ya! Thanx,

dincz · #5 05-28-2011, 01:14 AM

You only need the 8A fuse in the 100-120V slot.

FUSE: 8A/250V - these are the maximum ratings the replacement fuse is certified for. The voltage marked on the fuse itself is not important for you.

BassmanPaul · #6 05-28-2011, 11:04 AM

Usually with that kind of fuse holder one is active and the other is a spare. You can safely put two fuses into the carrier and have the other spare.

middlecislowe · #7 05-28-2011, 12:33 PM

Awesome, thanx! That clears things up for me a lot. So just so I understand this, I'm using the 100~120 fuse bed because I'm in America. But whether I was in America or UK for instance, I'd still use an 8amp fuse, I'd just put it in the 220~240V bed if I was in the UK (and switch my voltage converter to 230 of course), right?
One last question, the 250V means I can use any 8amp fuse rated from 110V (USA rating) up to but not past 250V, correct? Is there an optimal V rating I should use? Is 250 the best cuz that means it'll be harder for it to blow?
One last question, I promise. I know there's two kinds of fuses. Fast acting and slow burn or something like that. Which one should I use.
I swear these are my last question. Really helpful though, thanx!

middlecislowe · #8 05-28-2011, 12:44 PM

Just rereading Anderbasses post. So only one bed works at a time? So I can put an 8amp fuse in the 100~120 bed and a 4amp fuse in the 220~240 bed (I'm assuming double the V rating=half the amp rating)? And only one side will work depending on if I have the voltage converter set at 115 or 230, right? This is good to know since I do play the UK about once year. So with everything in place, I wouldn't even have to bother buying a power convertor, just a power adaptor to be able to plug intto their walls. I could probably even just buy the same cable I use, just with the UK end, right? Damn, I ask a lot of questions, ha!

BassmanPaul · #9 05-28-2011, 02:51 PM

That is essentially how I understand its use. Yes if you double the supply voltage you need to halve the value of the fuse to garner the same protection. The voltage rating is immaterial as long as it is the same or higher than the supply voltage.

middlecislowe · #10 05-30-2011, 09:10 PM

One last question. Slow blow or fast acting? Thanx,

BassmanPaul · #11 05-31-2011, 10:28 AM

It should specify fast or slow on the amp itself near the fuse holder. If the old fuse looks like it had a spring inside it's a slow blow.

middlecislowe · #12 05-31-2011, 05:07 PM

Was no fuse in it. Tried both 4amp and 8 amp, slow burn and fast acting, kept blowing right on power up. Ended up just taking it in to get fixed, haha. Thanx to everyone for helping, but it seems it's more than just the fuse. Hopefully not too much $$$. I'll give you an update when I get it back,