Jeff, More likely, the 20A panel breaker was a garden variety that was designed for residential and light commercial lighting and receptacle applications.
Most manufacturers of power-distribution circuit breakers offer models with time-current curves tailored for specific applications, including high-inrush models with a hydraulic dashpot made especially for transformer protection. Such brands as Airpax, Carlingswitch, and Heinemann come to mind. Even the common plug-in circuit breakers made by Square D, Cutler-Hammer, and others are available in high-inrush versions- but you won't find them at Home Depot. In the specific case you cited, it may be that the 20A circuit was shared with other equipment. That's not good. 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jeff DePolo Sent: Wednesday, January 17, 2007 9:52 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [Repeater-Builder] Re: Power Supplies going up in smoke (non filtered) <snip> Maybe they think they need to go that big to handle the inrush current? A properly-sized fuse should be able to handle the inrush current without blowing (even if it's not slo-blo). However, I can't say the same for circuit breakers in the panel. Don't know how many times I've tripped a 20A panel breaker by turning a 50A Astron on... --- Jeff
