What is a “pico fuse” and what size is appropriate to use with the battery pack?
A pico fuse is a small fuse that can be used in the battery leads to protect the battery and the radio from damage should a short circuit occur. A 3 A fuse is suggested. The FT-817 draws 2 A during high-power transmissions. A 3 A pico fuse is rated to blow at 3 A in 4 hours and at 6 A in 5 seconds. In a recent test by W4WB and N4BK, a sample 3 A pico fuse blew at 5.1 A in just about a second or so. Pico fuses may be found in many electronic supply stores. One source is All Electronics Corp. (www.allelectronics.com). See also TOPIC – BATTERIES.
