I am currently in the process of designing an automotive (motorsport related) fuse-box as a side project to my studies. I've not had much luck searching for fuse holders (20 position) however while searching I came across fuse holders for printed circuit boards. I'm wondering whether a PCB design would be out of the norm for a fuse-box?
The advantage I see is that I can have it custom to the size I'd ideally want. Though I'm not to sure whether the same PCB can be used to house the relays (micro). I'd like to have one PCB which houses the relays, fuses and regulators my existing design
Answer
The problem with PCBs in this application is two fold: 1) protecting the board from moisture (copper oxidises in the present of moisture) and 2) The current carrying capacity of the copper traces on the PCB. The copper layer on most PCBs is very thin and won't carry many amps of current. You could make the traces wider but almost certainly you'd have to either lay down copper wire on top of the traces and cover them in solder, or add a layer of solder onto the tracers all over to add thickness to enable the copper to carry the current.
Your best approach is to use fuse holders which have holes to mount them onto a flat surface and have screw fixings or solder tags for wires to be attached.
The moisture problem can be dealt with, using potting compound to keep out any moisture, but first off you need to deal with the problem of the copper layer on the PCB not being able to handle the current.
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