My Bad Luck and good luck

[ilikualot]

So I have been looking for some 96w PC and I finally got them today and I got a great deal. I bought them used. I got them all hooked up ready to go and then I had to go to a friends house. I got home excited to check out the tank and I could smell some burning. So I ran to my tank to check it out and I see a little smoke coming from the connector from the wire to the light bulb. Thats the bad luck. The good luck is I caught it when I did. I wonder what migt have happened if I would have got home an hour later. DOes anyone know is this the bulb or the wire? What should I do now. I am stuck with a burnt bulb and a wire. I would imagine I could buy another wire.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[lucubrator]

It's probably the connection between the bulb and the connector. Try pressing the wire in harder and you'll probably solve the problem.

[ilikualot]

I did that and it worked better but then I disconnected it cause I got scared. If it is already burnt a bit, is it ruined?

[phishphood]

Not sure what common sense dictates, but I've run my 96W PC's after the endcap was almost entirely black. Just make sure you don't hear any sizzling sounds right after you push the pins all the way into the endcap (make sure it's not being pulled to one side).

[lucubrator]

If you really want to get peace of mind, you could buy new endcaps, but that's usually not necessary. Just try to push the wires in as far as they'll go, and you'll likely be alright. Make sure that you have some sort of strain releif on the cable.

[Dakota]

If it helps, I've had my endcaps smoke and sizzle, turn black, and I still use them... just remember to push them in ALL the way.. any cap with cause an arc.. very bad. . .

[ilikualot]

Thanks for your help. I have had them going for the last hour and they have been working great. I got to get something to fix the strain on the endcaps. Thanks for your advice.

[supaboy1981]

Mine Burned and melted. I threw the whole retrofit away