Contents

PAGE
FUSE TERMINOLOGY 01 - 02
2
I t EXPLAINED 03
LIGHTNING SURGE WITHSTAND 04
FUSE SAFETY STANDARDS 05
IEC 127, UL/CSA248 (sdmSrVßpcc)

USER SELECTION GUIDE 06 - 08

SMD DIMENSIONAL COMPARISON SHEET 10
PRODUCTS
FUSE TYPE PRODUCT DESCRIPTION SAFETY APPROVALS

SURFACE MOUNT
SSQC REPLACEABLE SSQ / SST WITH INTEGRAL CLIPS 09
SSQ FAST ACTING, SQUARE CERAMIC, 2410 SIZE 11 - 12
SST SLOW BLOW, SQUARE CERAMIC, 2410 SIZE Vrßc 13 - 14
C1Q VERY FAST ACTING CHIP, 1206 SIZE 15 - 16
C2Q VERY FAST ACTING CHIP, 0603 SIZE 17 - 18
SMP TELECOM PROTECTION - 600V POWER CROSS / LIGHTNING WITHSTAND 19 - 20
IEC 250V RADIAL
MRF QUICK ACT, RADIAL LEAD MICRO TYPE 21 - 22
sdrSpc
MRT TIME LAG, RADIAL LEAD MICRO TYPE sdrSpcc 23 - 24
UL / CSA 125V MICRO
MQ FAST ACTING, AXIAL LEAD MICRO TYPE 25 - 26
MS SLOW BLOW, AXIAL LEAD MICRO TYPE rßc 27 - 28

UL / CSA 5 x 15 MM
2JQ / 3JQ FAST ACTING, 350V, 2AG CARTRIDGE AND AXIAL LEAD TYPE 29 - 30
2JS / 3JS SLOW BLOW, 350V, 2AG CARTRIDGE AND AXIAL LEAD TYPE rSVpßc 31 - 32
MJS LIGHTNING SURGE WITHSTAND 33 - 34
UL / CSA 4.6 x 19.5 MM
RJS TELECOM PROTECTION SERIES, 600V LIGHTNING 35 - 36
SURGE WITHSTAND, RADIAL LEAD rSc
IEC 5 x 20 MM
5SF / 5SFP QUICK ACT, LOW BREAK CAPACITY CARTRIDGE AND AXIAL LEAD TYPE 37 - 38
5ST / 5STP TIME LAG, LOW BREAK CAPACITY CARTRIDGE AND AXIAL LEAD TYPE sdmrScc 39 - 40
5HF / 5HFP QUICK ACT, HIGH BREAK CAPACITY CARTRIDGE AND AXIAL LEAD TYPE 41 - 42
5HT / 5HTP TIME LAG, HIGH BREAK CAPACITY CARTRIDGE AND AXIAL LEAD TYPE 43 - 44
5VT / 5VTP TIME LAG, LOW BREAK CAPACITY, HIGH SURGE PROOF 45 - 46
5ET / 5ETP TIME LAG, ENHANCED BREAK CAPACITY, HIGH SURGE PROOF 47 - 48
UL / CSA 5 x 20 MM
5MF / 5MFP FAST BLOW, CARTRIDGE AND PIGTAIL TYPE 49 - 50
5MT / 5MTP MEDIUM BLOW, CARTRIDGE AND PIGTAIL TYPE VrßSpc 51 - 52
5TT / 5TTP SLOW BLOW, CARTRIDGE AND PIGTAIL TYPE 53 - 54
UL / CSA 1/4 x 1-1/4 INCH
3AG / 3AP FAST BLOW, GLASS CARTRIDGE AND PIGTAIL TYPE 55 - 56
3AB / 3ABP FAST BLOW, CERAMIC CARTRIDGE AND PIGTAIL TYPE VrßSpc 57 - 58
3SB / 3SBP SLOW BLOW, GLASS CARTRIDGE AND PIGTAIL TYPE 59 - 60
GSA / GSAP SLOW BLOW, CERAMIC CARTRIDGE AND PIGTAIL TYPE 61 - 62

VALUE - ADDED OPTIONS 63 - 64

TAPE AND REEL INFORMATION 64
CLIPS 65
CROSS REFERENCE 66
ORDERING INFORMATION 67 - 68
©2003 Bel Fuse Inc. Data subject to change without notice
 Fuse Terminology

AMPERE ( or CURRENT) RATING ( In)

Effect of Ambient Temperature on Current-Carrying Capacity
The nominal value upon which all performance charac-
Slow
teristics of a fuse are based. Current Carrying Capacity, 120
Blow

Percent of Rated Current

Radial

Life, Temperature Rise and Overload Clearing Tests are all 110 Normal
Blow

conducted at percentages of the fuse In. 100 Micro

Fuse

90

80
BREAKING CAPACITY
(also INTERRUPTING RATING; IR ABILITY; SHORT CIRCUIT 70
Micro Fuse: C1Q / C2Q / SSQ / SST / MQ / MS
Normal Blow: 2JQ / 3JQ / 5SF / 5HF / 5MF / 3AG / 3AB
RATING) 60 Radial: MRT / MRF
Slow Blow: MS / 2JS /3JS / MJS / RJS / 5ST / 5HT / 5VT / 5ET / 5MT / 5TT / 3SB / GSA / SMP
50
The maximum current that a fuse will safely interrupt, -75 -65 -55 -45 -35 -25 -15 -5 5 15 25 35 45 55 65 75 85 95 105 115 125 135 145

at the maximum rated voltage (and ANY voltage below Ambient Temperature ( in Centigrade )
maximum rated). The breaking capacity is tabulated for all
fuses in this catalog; the values were established by tests
conducted by the appropriate safety agencies.

FUSE CHARACTERISTICS
DERATING (terms which define how quickly a fuse will operate at various
overload currents)
In general, it is recommended that fuses be operated
continuously at no more than 75% of rated current, in 25ºC Fuses designed and approved to IEC127 Fuse Standard
ambient. However, there are many extenuating factors have clearly defined performance gates, dictated by the
which should be considered for any particular application : specific Standard Sheets. All IEC fuses in this catalog are
either Quick-Acting (Type F) or Time-Lag (Type T). The
1. Higher or lower ambient - see general derating curve
performance gates are tabulated on the individual pages for
below.
each IEC Style Fuse Series.
2. Slow blow fuse designs are more sensitive to heat and
The UL/CSA 248-14 Fuse Standard requirements are
usually require a greater degree of derating.
much broader in scope in terms of characteristics. There
3. Smaller, quick-acting fuses, such as MQ micro, SSQ sur- are only 2 fusing points (135% and 200%) for Miniature
face mount and C1Q chip fuse designs can tolerate high- Fuses and only 1 (200%) for Micro Fuses. Only fuses des-
er percentages of continuous current, up to 90-95% In, ignated “Time Delay” must meet a minimum clearing time
if inrush surges or transients are not likely. requirement. All others must only comply with the broad
criteria of : 135% Rating - 1 hour maximum to clear; 200%
4. Fuses designed to certain IEC 127 standard sheets can rating - 2 minutes maximum to clear (1 minute maximum
be operated continuously up to 90% rated current. for Micro Fuses).
These include :
Accordingly, for UL/CSA 248 Style fuses, the definition
IEC127-2, Standard Sheets 1 through 6. of terms such as “Very Fast Acting”, “Fast Acting”, “Quick
Acting”, “Normal Blow”, “Normal Acting”, “Time-Lag”,
IEC127-3, Standard Sheets 3 and 4.
“Slow Blow” , etc., is left to the individual fuse manufactur-
Again, inrush surges and transient must be considered. er. UL Listing and CSA Certification under 248 only verify

01
 Fuse Terminology

performance to the broad 135 and 200% test points - there or transient current pulse. The I2t value of a pulse can be
are no tests to distinguish amongst the various characteris- approximated from the following formulas for a given wave-
tics claimed by the fuse manufacturers. shape.

I2t (Ampere Squared Seconds) - a measure of heat

energy associated with current flow. See Page 3 for detailed
explanation of I2t. Pulse Waveform

VOLTAGE RATING
Fuses may be used in any application where the open
circuit voltage does not exceed the fuse voltage rating
AND the prospective short circuit current is below the fuse
Interrupting Rating. Fuse can be used at any voltage below 1
2
the fuse voltage rating; a 250V fuse can be used in 125V cir-
cuits.

0.368
I2t ( AMPERE SQUARED SECONDS)
5
I2t is a measure of heat energy. The use of I2t values to 1 1
determine proper fuse type/rating is only valid under adia- 3 2

batic conditions, where there is no external heat transfer. Current - Time Integral Table
This is generally accepted to be times of one-half electrical
cycle ( 8-10mSec), or less. Accordingly, for inrush or tran-
sient current conditions lasting longer than 10 mSec, the
standard Time-Current (I-T) curves should be consulted for
In the second case, the withstand I2t rating of the device
proper fuse selection.
to be protected must be known. The selected fuse should
I2t values of fuses are helpful in 3 general areas: have a TOTAL I2t value less than the device withstand rat-
ing. Total I2t is the sum of the melting I2t (measure of ener-
1. To determine that a specific fuse /rating will not operate gy to melt the fuse element) and the ARCING I2t (measure
(open) under known inrush or transient conditions. of energy passed from end of melting to completion of arc-
ing, when fuse operation is completed). For the types of
2. To determine if a specific fuse /rating WILL operate
fuses covered in this catalog, the arcing I2t is usually an
quickly enough under short circuit or overload condi-
insignificant portion of the total I2t. However, high voltage
tions to protect a downstream component, usually a
and/or low power factor (inductive) circuits require addi-
semiconductor or other sensitive device.
tional consideration.
3. To compare fuses of different manufacturers for substi-
The third case, valid comparison of different manufac-
tution purposes.
turers’ fuses, is severely hampered by lack of standardized
In the first case, the fuse should have a melting integral test methods and data presentation. The following section
( melting I2t ) value greater than the I2t value of the inrush explains why this is so.

02
 I2t explained

I2t - TEST METHODS AND DATA

PRESENTATION
A major concern for the fuse industry and users alike is
how different fuse manufacturers arrive at the I2t values
which are published in their catalogs, and what the numbers
signify. For the Miniature and Micro fuses covered in this
catalog, there are no prescribed test procedures/criteria in
UL/CSA248 or IEC127 to evaluate I2t, unlike most of the
other parameters presented in fuse catalogs. Accordingly,
the catalog should clearly indicate the test methods used to
generate the published values.

At a recent IEC Working Group covering Policy for

Miniature Fuse Specifications, it was unanimously agreed
that published I2t values should be :

MELTING I2t , measured at 10In, using constant

current DC
Every major fuse manufacturer was represented in this
working group. Although this agreement represents a
starting point, there are additional factors which must be
considered. The use of 10In (10 times rated current) was
considered expedient, since data for most IEC Style
5x20mm fuses already exists. But the use of 10In does not
always produce adiabatic conditions (opening times less
than 1/2 cycle).

Accordingly, for some slow blow and time-lag designs, a

higher multiple of test current must be used to obtain a
true I2t value.

Bel I2t Data

The data presented in this catalog are nominal MELT-

ING I2t. The values indicated are those measured at 10In
as well as those recorded for melting times less than
10mSec, using constant current DC.

03
 Lightning Surge Withstand

LIGHTNING SURGE WITHSTAND - MJS SERIES

The MJS Series, covered on P.27-28 in this catalog, was PEAK VALUE
developed specifically for telecom applications. The fuses
must withstand repeated current surges generated by light-
1p
ning, as well as operate to protect the end product during
0.9 1p

CURRENT OR VOLTAGE
a “Power Cross” condition (usually 600VAC imposed on the
tip and ring circuits).

To develop a means for designers to select the proper

fuse rating AND for comparison to other fuses/protectors, 0.5 1p
Bel has generated “Peak Surge Current Withstand” ratings
for each fuse in the MJS Series. The test is conducted using
double exponential impulse waveforms, as specified in the
FCC Part 68 and Bellcore 1089 documents.
0.1 1p
The fuse is subjected to 25 or 50 pulses (with up to 1
a b
minute between pulses to allow for cooling of the element),
T0 T1 T2
on circuits adjusted to deliver the indicated peak current
and waveform. DEFINITION OF DOUBLE EXPONENTIAL
IMPULSE WAVEFORM
For any given application, the circuit designer must cal- OF DURATION a x b SECONDS
culate the actual peak current his product will see during
the FCC/Bellcore testing. For a 800V, 10x560µSec, 100A
test, for example, the total test circuit and product imped- A 10 x 1000 µ Sec Impulse Waveform Is One Which Has
ance must be factored and the peak current calculated (or A 10 µ Sec Rise Time [T1 - T0] Or (1.25[b-a]) And A
Decay Time Of 1000 µ Sec (T2-T0)
measured). The actual peak current will always be less than
the available 100A. The withstand values given for the MJS
Series can then be used to select the most suitable fuse rat-
ing for the application.

04
 Fuse Safety Standards

FUSE STANDARDS / SAFETY AGENCIES Additionally, under the Component Programs of both
All of the Fuse Series in this catalog carry third party UL and CSA, it is possible to have fuses evaluated to only
certification, usually by 2 or more safety organizations. a portion of the applicable requirements; or to different
parameters from those specified. These programs allow
fuses to be designed (and approved) for specific applica-
IEC127 - MINIATURE FUSES tions, which may have special protection requirements
This International Electrotechnical Commission which fall outside the UL/CSA248 specifications. Such com-
Standard is divided into 10 parts, containing construction ponent approvals carry ther and S safety logos.
and test requirements for miniature and sub-miniature
(micro) fuses. While the IEC does not evaluate, test or ELECTRICAL APPLIANCE and MATERIAL
“approve” fuses, the IEC127 Standard forms the basis for CONTROL LAW - JAPAN
evaluations carried out by European safety agencies.
Fuses which comply with the applicable requirements are
s - SEMKO (Sweden) eligible to carry the PSE p mark, which is required
d - VDE (Germany) for fuses used in products which are sold in Japan.

m - IMQ (Italy)
CE - EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
Fuses having these approvals comply fully with the
applicable requirements in IEC127, and are generally All of the fuses in this catalog fall under the “Low
accepted throughout Europe by safety agencies evaluating Voltage Directive” and comply with :
end products employing the fuses.
EC Directive no. 73/23/EEC dated Feb. 19,1973, modi-
Additionally, both UL - Underwriters Laboratories Inc. fied by the Directive no. 93/68/EEC , dated July 22, 1993.
(U.S.A.) and CSA - Canadian Standards Association
Accordingly, the smallest package of all fuses in this catalog
(Canada) will evaluate fuses to the IEC127 requirements.
carries the c logo. This marking is required to sell/ship
Such fuses are then eligible to carry the Component
product into and throughout the European Community.
Acceptance marksrand Sof these organizations.

Increasingly, fuses carrying s d r S safety

CCC - CHINA COMPULSORY CERTIFICATION
approvals have been accepted in many North American
MARK
applications by UL and CSA. This allows a user the conve-
nience of using only one fuse part number for products sold The CCC certification system was implemented May 1,
throughout the world. 2002. This certification scheme supercedes the earlier CCIB
and CCEE schemes.

UL/CSA 248 - HARMONIZED NORTH CCC certification is mandatory for fuses used in all
AMERICAN STANDARD products sold in China. The safety standard used to establish
the CCC certifications is GB 9364, which is derived from the
The requirements for miniature and micro fuses are
IEC 127 Fuse Standards. At the present time, only fuses which
contained in UL/CSA248, Parts 1 and 14, which took effect
comply with GB9364/IEC127 are eligible for the CCC mark.
Oct. 1, 1994. Fuses which fully comply with ALL the
Accordingly, there are many fuse types designed to and Listed
applicable requirements are eligible for V Listing and ß
under UL/CSA 248 fuse standards that are not permitted to
Certification.
carry the CCC mark.

05
 User Guide

CIRCUIT PROTECTOR SELECTION CRITERIA ELECTRICAL CRITERIA

In today’s market place, there is virtually no demand for The electrical ratings / performance required of a pro-
“non-approved” fuses. Every fuse in our catalog carries the tector are dictated by:
approval of at least one safety agency. Likewise, most elec-
A. Normal operating conditions of the end product,
trical products now require some safety agency approval.
i.e., steady state current, ambient temperature, etc.
Accordingly, the following information is based on the
assumption that the end product will be submitted to one B. Foreseeable field fault conditions due to failures
or more safety organizations offering third party safety cer- within the end product.
tification.
C. Foreseeable field fault conditions due to power line
Selection of a supplementary circuit protector must / lightning transients and surges.
usually satisfy 4 basic categories of criteria :
D. Specified overload / short circuit test conditions
1. Electrical performance / ratings. imposed by safety agencies on the end product.
2. Safety agency approval / requirements. The following information should be determined for
each particular application:
3. Mechanical Properties/ physical dimensions.
1. Circuit operating voltage and whether power is AC or
4. Effective cost.
DC.
Optimally, the protector selected should represent the
2. Transient tolerance required:
best match to all of the above categories after a review of
all available types. In many cases however, a protector is an A. Maximum inrush current at product “turn-on”, as
afterthought in the design process. Such oversights often well as waveform / duration that protector must
limit the amount of board space available to the protector. withstand .
With the accelerating trend to miniaturization in elec- B. Anticipated usage pattern / duty cycle - will end
tronics and telecommunications products, quite often pro- product be switched on once / day, once/week,
tectors are specified by mechanical attributes first, such as once/year, etc., or continuously cycled?
micro sized leaded or surface mount fuses. In many cases,
these “smaller” size fuses do not have the electrical charac- C. Lightning surge conditions (amplitude / waveform /
teristics/ratings/approvals required by the end product cycles) protector must survive.
design.
3. Normal Operating Conditions:
The only proper way to select a circuit protector is to
A. Maximum steady state current protector will see in
first determine the electrical performance AND safety
service.
agency approval(s) required of the protector in the partic-
ular application. Only then can the mechanical and eco- B. Minimum / maximum ambient conditions that pro-
nomic options be considered. tector must function in.

06
 User Guide

4. Circuit Protection Performance are usually determined during tests on the end product.

A. Minimum overload current at which protector must Certain parameters such as ability to withstand surges
function, and maximum time allowed to function. (power, lightning) without operating, may not be fully eval-
uated/determined by normal safety testing of a protector.
B. Any other critical overload level / time restraints
These should be included as additional requirements to an
protector must meet.
“Approved” protector when specifying a protector.
C. Maximum short circuit current that protector must
interrupt. This value can sometimes be difficult to MECHANICAL / PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES
determine. Often it is an assumed theoretical value
by the safety agencies. In some cases, compliance is Once the electrical and safety approval requirements
determined by testing the protector in the end are determined, then the mechanical needs can be
product, under shorted conditions. addressed. The predominant trend is towards surface
mount technology. However, the presently available
“Approved” SMD protectors do not meet the electrical
SAFETY AGENCY REQUIREMENTS requirements of many applications. Quite often, engineers
For most circuit protectors, there is some level of third have designed circuit boards for a SMD package, only to
party safety certification available. While use of a “non- find that a larger, through-hole protector is required to
approved’ protector is sometimes possible, there are usu- meet the electrical and/or safety requirements of the appli-
ally additional testing / follow-up inspection costs imposed cation.
which will discourage this approach.
Other major issues in protector selection are potential
There are published safety standards which establish replacement of “one-time” protectors, such as fuses and
minimum construction and performance criteria for these thermal cutoffs, and the initial insertion/mounting means.
protectors. Full compliance results in a “Listing”, “Certifica- Several factors should be considered :
tion” or “Approval” of the protector by one or more safe-
A. Is the protector likely to “fail” (operate) in the field?
ty organizations. Use of such protectors can significantly
In many instances, the protector is in the circuit pri-
reduce the amount of testing that an end product may be
marily to comply with safety agency requirements /
subjected to.
testing for the end product.
There are also “Component” programs available,where
B. If a one-time does operate, will it be replaced? By
a protector is not evaluated to all the test/construction
who? Some high volume, low cost products are sim-
requirements. Use of these can sometimes result in a more
ply thrown away. In other products, the entire cir-
thorough test program on the end product. Increasingly
cuit board is replaced and sent to the factory for
though, “Component” protectors are being accepted in
analysis/repair. In more expensive products, such as
many end products without additional testing. The govern-
computers, it is critical that the cause of failure is
ing “rules” seem to change often at certain safety agencies.
determined and corrected before the circuit is pow-
In general, a protector should be “Approved” for the ered up again.
maximum circuit voltage and short circuit current of the
C. There are fewer and fewer applications where it is
end product application. The suitability of the operating
deemed acceptable to have a layman replace/reset
temperature and overload clearing times of the protector

07
 User Guide

an operated protector. This is a major concern of Clearing times, especially at less than 1.5In for UL/CSA
many European safety organizations. types, or less than 2.1In for IEC types, can be affected by
application conditions, such as - ambient temperature, fuse
D. In low voltage circuits (3-12V), voltage drop is a
mounting means, trace width/thickness, wiring sized,
major concern. Direct soldered-in components are
adjacent heat generating components, etc.
preferable to those mounted in clips or panel hold-
ers.

EFFECTIVE COST
There are factors to consider in determining the over-all
cost of a circuit protector - some obvious, some not:

A. Basic purchase price.

B. Is protector a sole- source item? Are alternative

types an option?

C. Labor cost to assemble in product. Must protector

be hand-inserted? Can an alternative design be auto-
inserted? Can value-added options (leads pre-
formed and cut; protector pre-assembled in clips)
reduce front end labor cost?

D. Field service calls - are they likely? Is protector

replaced in field or at factory?

E. Is circuit board completely SMD? If yes, a premium

for a SMD protector may be cost justified. If board
is still mixed technology, then through-hole protec-
tor may be more cost effective.

IT CURVES
The Time Current Characteristic (IT) Curves presented
in this catalog contain average clearing times, for reference
only. Data is measured during test methods prescribed by
safety agency standards, such as UL 248 and IEC127. These
tests are conducted under controlled laboratory condi-
tions, using standardized holders and oversized wiring, not
found in typical end product equipment. If clearing times
are deemed critical in a particular application, the actual
clearing times should be determined by tests in the partic-
ular end product, using the specific fuse in question.

08