Klayfish Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 I'm sure this has been covered before, but I don't have a ton of time to research, so please forgive me. I set up my Halloween display over the weekend, which is a very meager one. Frankly, I kind of use it as a test session for Halloween to make sure my controllers, radio, etc...work. Well, one of my 16 channel LOR controllers has a channel out, specifically #15. When I opened the box and looked, it looked to me like a tiny ball of something was built around where the lead from the power supply for #15 plugs into the board (forgive me, I don't know the correct terminology). Almost like a very tiny cocoon or tightly packed web, I presume it was a tiny critter. Whatever it was, it was small, maybe 1/4 diameter. I cleaned it off, but there appears to be a tiny bit of black inside the connector (not on the board). Perhaps I cooked it, because in my haste to get it going (my kids were waiting and it was getting late last night) I forgot to open the box and look inside before I ran it. Though the amount of black is really quite tiny. The board around that area looks fine...a very tiny bit of dust/debris from whatever was there, but nothing horrible. How do I tell what's actually wrong, i.e. figure out if it's the computer board or the plug? I've got a spare plug I can use, but if it's the board I'm in trouble...I don't know how to repair those and wouldn't venture to try, I'm not that handy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santas Helper Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 If the controller is new, I would send it in to keep the warranty. Without showing a pic of what you're describing, you are limiting the public to nail down a suggestion. it could be as easy as a Triac. or not... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. P Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 Sounds like you had a spider egg sac in there and when you powered on something shorted out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klayfish Posted October 17, 2016 Author Share Posted October 17, 2016 (edited) I know, I need to get a photo. I will try to do so later today. For now, the best description I can give is this... Right where the number 15 is, on the little black thing between the prong for 15 and 14, there was a tiny bit of dust. I didn't see any physical damage to the board otherwise. Where I plug into the prong for 15, there was whatever it was (spider egg sac could definitely have been it, a small one) on the outside of the connection. In fact, I had to remove it (the sac or whatever) before I could unplug it because it was right where I would grip it to pull it off of the number 15 prong. When I look inside that connector, there is a small amount of black between the metal and the plastic covering. The board is 4 or 5 years old, so it's not new. How would I tell if a triac is bad? Edited October 17, 2016 by Klayfish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k6ccc Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 One of the best ways to clean it up is to use a toothbrush with some isopropyl alcohol. Make sure it is unplugged and brush gently. Make sure it is completely dry before you power it back up. Easy way to test a triac is to hook up a light or string of lights and test using the Hardware Utility. If it is bad, the light generally will stay on. Sent from my Droid Turbo via Tapatalk, so blame any typos or spelling errors on Android Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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