Boxer Fuse Block Upgrade

Good day Paul,

Thanks for that info. Does this little block have a cover? If so, then I need to actually get a block so that I can measure all of the dimensions to maintain the use of the factory cover. If not, then the design is pretty straight forward.

Cheers,

Sam

 

Good day Hans,

Yes, there has been some progress... sadly not as much as I would have hoped, but progress.

I was able to source and deliver the black stock material to my machine shop last Friday. At that time I was hoping to pick up the white blocks, but they were only partially complete. The top portion of the white blocks were machined, but the bottom portions were not yet done. My machinist wanted to do both the white and black ones at once and so was waiting for the black stock. I mentioned to him that I wanted to get a completed one so that I can take some pics and so he said that he should have some done this weekend for me. Also, he is planning to have all the machining done by the end of next weekend, maybe sooner.

My apologies for these delays... they are directly or indirectly related to me being somewhat anal with regards to the engineering of these blocks. From the time I posted pics of my prototype, I re-engineered the bases three times before I was satisfied with the result. Mechanically, all three designs would have accomplished the task, but after factoring in manufacturing issues and electrical relationships (heat dissipation, etc), I wanted to have an optimized design. So, my mechanical design portion added almost a month to the schedule. Adding to this my desire to have both a white and black base material, also added time to the schedule... as finding and acquiring a small quantity of black stock was very time consuming.

The other issue I had was the automated assembly of the blocks. Given the small quantity and the fact that the parts had to be hand populated, I needed to work with my assembly house to provide a balance between hand and machine assembly in order to minimize the assembly costs. I believe I have achieved this goal, but with the cost of time... In the future, given these assembly issues, I would would design my own connectors (they would still look and work like the OEM version), but have features that would allow for complete automated assembly.

So, if all goes well, I will some pics of the white block this weekend with pictures of both white and black by next weekend with shipping shortly thereafter.

Cheers,

Sam

 

Good day Hans,

These blocks are not for the TR, but only for the Boxer and the 308 series. The TR has a totally different arrangement in that it is actually a fuse and relay panel.

As for your current blocks, what color are they? Can you post a picture? All of the blocks I have seen (308/Boxer) have been white (left-side) or black (right-side). You have me curious now... please send me a pic if you can.

As for the Fuse order, this is helpful, but to be totally certain I would need a picture or wiring diagram showing the backside of the block. Some of the fuse circuits share the same source circuit and so you will find "shorting bars" on the bottom of the fuse blocks between adjacent fuses.

Cheers,

Sam

 

Good day All,
Just a quick update to let all of you know that there is progress on the blocks, albeit, slow. Sadly, I am just waiting for my machinist to finish up the bases... and I have waited for a few weeks now. A major job came in and this was his priority. He did e-mail me and told me that he was working last weekend to catch up. So, hopefully I will have the bases this week.

Cheers,

Sam

 

Good day Rob,

Done!

Cheers,

Sam

 

Good day All,

Yet another update... There has been no progress on the base blocks this week. My machinist said that he will for sure have them done this weekend, however, I will be away until July the 4th for work duties (off to Orlando). So, there will be no further progress until I return.

Have a great week and a half!

Cheers,

Sam

 

Good day All,

At long last I received some fuse blocks bases today (about 2 hours ago)! I do not have all of them, but enough to take some pictures for you all. I haven't soldered the "bus" bars yet, as I need some RoHS compliant solder... and being that today is Sunday, none of my suppliers are open...

The fuse block bases look fantastic! I am very pleased The fuse cover retention mechanism (steel pin) works great and is absolutely spot on dimensionally. My multiple tolerance/dimension checks certainly has paid off. Enough of of me babbling, here are some pics. BTW, I only had a blank fuse cover for the black block with me, and so I could not show a cover on the white block. The white cover fits perfectly, but I left it at the machine shop... I also forgot to include pictures of the blocks with the single to dual connector clip. I will post a pic later this evening or tomorrow.

Cheers,

Sam
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Good day All,

Thanks everyone for the compliments and kudos! I really do appreciate everyone's enthusiasm!

I have received a several PMs regarding pricing. Consequently, shipping/pricing is as follows:

Shipping will start in a week or so and will be staggered to accommodate my work schedule and available bases (I do not have them all yet). I will prioritize the shipments based upon the order with which interested parties contacted me and bump up those in desperate need (melted or no-worky blocks).

As for price, they are a little less than my original estimate of $300 USD. The price will be $280 USD if paying by cheque/money/PayPal (no credit card) or $289 (280 + PayPal credit card fees) if paying by credit card. The price includes one white block and one black block and eighteen single to dual connectors. The Fuse Block covers and fuses are not provided. Pricing is the same for the Boxer or for the 308. The difference between the two is the "bus" bars and these will be verified with each 308 order (I already have the Boxer "bus" arrangement).

Shipping will vary depending upon the method and will be charged at my cost. For 2-5 day ground shipping (trackable/traceable/insured) via CanadaPost/USPS is roughly $23 and 12-15 day is roughly $16. I will not ship standard post, as there is no way to track the package and there is no insurance coverage. Consequently, it becomes an uncomfortable position for both me and the purchaser if the package becomes lost... obviously something I want to avoid.

I can also ship Fed Ex, UPS either prepaid or billed to an account (no handling fees). However, these methods are somewhat pricey and have hidden charges (brokerage fees, etc). Also, I am trying different packaging options to see if I can reduce the shipping costs. I will formalize the shipping charges over the next several days.

Thanks again for all your encouragement!

Cheers,

Sam

 

Good day David,

Yes, there has been some progress. I mounted the bus bars on the first set of block and have been testing the completed blocks in my BB for the last 2 weeks. They are working great! I wanted to take a few more temperature measurements of the fuses, PCB traces, and the connectors to ensure that all is how I designed it to operate. Sadly, work related duties have been ridiculous... lately 60-70 hours per week with a few days being 16 hour days... Consequently, my spare time has been nil. Things have slowed up a little this week and so I should be done my final qualification testing (temp measurements) this week. I will post the temp results and the final pictures of the blocks that will include the mounted "bus bars" once this is done.

Given the above, I have not shipped any blocks, as I want to complete my final testing on the blocks.

For all those who wish the blocks for their 308s, I need pictures of your 308 fuse block bottoms (opposite of the fuse side) so that I can ensure that the bus bars are correct. The manuals clearly show how these bus bars are arranged, but I want to ensure that your particular car was not changed from what the manual says it should be. You can e-mail me these pics to sams2 (at) telus (dot) net.

Cheers,

Sam

 

Good day All,

I had some time today and so I was able to take some tests of my fuse block and compare them to the original OEM and to the glass style fuses. The test was not overly formal, but is representative of what I found. My BB was at operating temp so that the all the fans were on. Outside air temp was approximately 25C. Cabin Temperature was higher, although I did not directly measure it. The circuit tested was the last circuit on the black fuse block and was in excellent condition (connectors and fuse). It was determined that this circuit had the largest load current of just under 12 A. The voltage across the fuse was taken from connector to connector, and not just across the fuse.

From the results, one can see that both my new block and the glass style block have approximately 1/3 less of a voltage drop than the OEM block. This translates to roughly 1/3 as much resistance and 1/3 as much power lost though the block. Thus, there is more voltage for the actual circuit and as a benefit, less heat generated by the actual fuse block. Both of which are very desirable.

The slight differences between my block and the glass style are negligible. Both styles are significantly superior to the OEM model.

I ran out of time today to take actual temperature measurements, but will do so over the next few days.

Cheers,

Sam
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Good day Dave!

You are welcome! I do apologize for the delays, but like I said work has been ridiculous... In fact, I was planning to release three new products (for work) this Fall, but alas my ongoing projects do not seem to want to conclude...

As for testing... it just makes sense on a variety of levels. I have never been one to say "it should work, so ship it" like so many other people/companies. I like to have actual recorded tests in order to assure myself that I have not missed anything and to verify the benefits of my designs.

That being said, the blocks will be shipping very soon. I will do my best to finish the last bit of testing this week...

All the best with your resto (I am so jealous)! To what extent is the resto? How long has it taken you so far? Ensure that you post some pics so we can see the results!

Cheers,

Sam

 

Good day Hans,

Thanks for the compliments!

Have a great time in Greece and have a safe journey back!

Cheers,

Sam