Help me fix ETC S4's

[tech2000]

The lights in my school are only ten years old but 15+ of the ETC Source Four caps where the lamp plugs in do not work. We have "rewired" plenty of them whenever they stop working and get them to work again (and it is pretty easy). However, now even though we are doing the same thing as always, it is not working.
I am in need of help repairing these lights. Any advice is greatly accepted!

[Dustincoc]

How have you been "rewiring" these lights? S4's don't have that much that can be rewired, you just replace the socket which comes with new wires permanantly attached.

[tech2000]

By "rewiring" I mean replacing the little copper leads the lamp plugs into in the socket. Then we "rewire" the stage pin plug. Although, for some reason we will do this and go to test it and either it will not work or there will be a tiny spark and then the light wont work. (the lamp is fine)

[Dustincoc]

I think you just have bad sockets. After a while, the terminals in the sockets will burn out. The tiny sparks are what's called Arcing, that is what destroys the socket. Replace both the sockets and the lamps. Bad sockets spread like an infection in that a bad lamp causes a bad socket and a bad socket causes a bad lamp. Reusing those lamps would just lead to a new batch of bad sockets. BMI carries the complete TP22 socket for S4's for $17.75(Part#TP22H) according to my latest catalog.

[tech2000]

So it's bad even though the sockets that were just replaced still look new?
I guess that actually does make sense...and that is a pretty decent price for replacements.
Thanks for the help!

[Charc]

Originally Posted by tech2000

So it's bad even though the sockets that were just replaced still look new?
I guess that actually does make sense...and that is a pretty decent price for replacements.
Thanks for the help!

I thought you just said you were replacing the contacts in the socket, not the whole socket?

There really isn't that much that can go wrong. You've got the socket itself, the leads, and the plug.

Maybe grab a DMM and see if you've got continuity on the leads, or with the lamp in the socket. Or just replace it.

[tech2000]

Alright, the last thing I said was a little messy...I only ever tried replacing one contact at a time, I have never replaced the entire socket with both contacts.

[Charc]

Originally Posted by tech2000

Alright, the last thing I said was a little messy...I only ever tried replacing one contact at a time, I have never replaced the entire socket with both contacts.

With spare contacts...?

[tech2000]

For some reason we have some extra contacts with the wire attached...(now we only have a couple left.

[gafftapegreenia]

Yea your best bet would be to get new ceramic lamp bases with 36" leads and replace the ones giving you trouble.