My install worked and lighted for a while and now its off

Ok so I tried to install two 12" CCFLs in my car. One set on the driver side and one set on the passenger side. Here is how I did it:

Added an add a circuit to my tail light fuse
Put a 5 AMP fuse into the add a circuit (read that these cathodes run 5 AMPs)
From the add a circuit I put a wire to a rocker switch
The rocker switch was grounded and on the other side I attached both the wires coming from my both cathodes
The cathodes are also grounded

Please note: I did NOT extend the white wire.

Is the setup mentioned above good? It worked for a while and then my driver side cathode just went out. No burning smell but there was a kind of new electronic smell from the transformer. Both the transformers have this smell but one is more overpowering than the other one.

I have asked a couple of people that has bought from this site before and they said their transformers dont smell like anything.

Any help? Thanks a lot!

Heres how it looked when it worked

sean89 wrote:

From the add a circuit I put a wire to a rocket switch

i wish i had a rocket switch

rocker. sorry.

One transformer draws 0.7 amps. Wherever you heard 5 amps is wrong.

The transformer may have died, the cathode may have died, you may have a loose connection. Too many variables. Test your connections, try swapping transformers - do stuff, then come back if you can't figure it out.

Is the somewhat chemical smell from the transformer normal? Also even though I need to power 2 cathodes I still only need a 5 amp fuse right? Or do I need a 10?

No, actually you need to get a smaller amp fuse.

Look for 1amp/3amp.

Even at 5 amps, there's quiet a bit of excess there.

EDIT: You want your fuse(amp wise) as close to the actual power being distributed.

For instance, the flowlighting Inferno(Version 1) runs at around 3amps. The smart and logical thing would to have a 5amp fuse, instead of a 10 amp. The closer the fuse to the actual power being applied is what you need. If you used a 10amp fuse, on an inferno that runs 3 amps - there's a bit lee-way there, and if something shorts - the fuse may not pop due to the 7 amp difference.

Sorry, just took a Xanax so I can sleep, so I'm not sure if that made any sense.

SickWitIt wrote:

No, actually you need to get a smaller amp fuse. Look for 1amp/3amp. Even at 5 amps, there's quiet a bit of excess there. EDIT: You want your fuse(amp wise) as close to the actual power being distributed.

Don't listen to this ****, it's wrong.

1) You do not fuse a circuit based on the load. It's a VERY common misconception here on Oz. People read it somewhere online and follow it. Then, they tell it to other people and soon it's assumed to be the correct way. It's incorrect. You should fuse a circuit based on the wire guage used. Once the initial circuit is set up, the fuse size should never change.
2) Two transformers at 0.7A per transformers equals 1.4A. Try to fuse a circuit that pulls 1.4A w/ a 1A fuse and see what happens.

You're fine w/ a 5A fuse as long as your wire is large enough. Check out this thread:
http://www.oznium.com/forum/topic15761

The only, if any, that cannot handle the 5 amps is the wire that was sent from here. Whats the limitation on that wire?

I bought an 18 guage wire that says it can handle up to 10 amps and the add a circuit said it can handle 2-10 amps.

So from that (I could be very wrong here so please correct me if I am), I am coming to the conclusion that what probably happened is the 5 amps was too much for the cathode wires or transformer sent from here and I need to get a fuse that is near 2 amps.

If too much power was sent to the cathode what is the repercussions? Does the transformer stop working? The wire that was given from here looks intact so I am guessing something happened with the transformer. I am trying to find out what I need to get reordered from here so I can get this rig back up!

Thanks so much for your replies everyone.

sean89 wrote:

The only, if any, that cannot handle the 5 amps is the wire that was sent from here. Whats the limitation on that wire? I bought an 18 guage wire that says it can handle up to 10 amps and the add a circuit said it can handle 2-10 amps. So from that (I could be very wrong here so please correct me if I am), I am coming to the conclusion that what probably happened is the 5 amps was too much for the cathode wires or transformer sent from here and I need to get a fuse that is near 2 amps. If too much power was sent to the cathode what is the repercussions? Does the transformer stop working? The wire that was given from here looks intact so I am guessing something happened with the transformer. I am trying to find out what I need to get reordered from here so I can get this rig back up! Thanks so much for your replies everyone.

You don't send power to the transformers. The transformers draw the amount of power needed.

Think of it as the pipes in your house and the faucets are the transformers. For example, say the pipes can handle 1 gpm. When you turn the faucet on, the pipes don't push 1 gpm. It may only flow at 0.5 gmp b/c that's all the water the faucet wants (in this case, water flow = current flow).

You most likely got a faulty transformer. People post up all the time about this happening. So often, I would say it's a quality control or design issue. Call up Oz customer support and they'll most likely send you a new one.

Thank you!

I have made a ticket for a replacement transformer if possible. Should I take extra precaution and downgrade to 2 amp or leave it as is? Im so glad people here know about this stuff, I didnt know this forum existed at the time of purchase and had to do a lot of research to get where I'm at.

ive had a few transformers go bad within the first hour of use, i didn't notice any smell they just stopped working. Switch the transfers to make sure this is the problem.

i would not worry about changing the fuse

sean89 wrote:

Thank you! I have made a ticket for a replacement transformer if possible. Should I take extra precaution and downgrade to 2 amp or leave it as is? Im so glad people here know about this stuff, I didnt know this forum existed at the time of purchase and had to do a lot of research to get where I'm at.

I wouldn't change it to a 2 amp fuse.

Said I will be getting a replacement transformer. So everyone here is agrees that the 5 AMP fuse is fine and the itty bitty wires from the transformer can handle it? I hope to god that it was the transformers fault because if its not I'm stumped

5 amp fuse is fine for the wire it is on....no issues there....your CC will not be able to draw enough power to cause any issues with your setup.

Everything you did is fine setup wise.

Make sure all your grounds are metal to metal contacts, and that all your connections are secure where you joined the wires together etc.

Sounds like you had a bad transformer

Thats great news for me! My car is only 5 weeks old and I dont want to have electrical problems with it haha. I can update everyone on what happened after I get it installed with the new transformer next Sunday. I will be out of town all week on a business trip. Thanks everyone!

post pics after you get the new one installed!

So I did get the replacement a few weeks back but have been extremely busy to put them in. This long weekend I finally got time to put it in. Here is 2 quick pics. I am going to wash/wax my car and take awesome pics this weekend (hopefully)

And if anyone was wondering my installation was apparently correct, just a defective unit that was replaced quickly and for free by Oznium.

I am planning on putting 4 of these in my trunk. I am leaning towards white because the purpose is for brightness. What do you guys think?

keep in mind that these are very fragile, it all depends on where you plan to mount them and what is in your trunk. You might be better off using flex strips or a couple modules.

H-Town wrote:

keep in mind that these are very fragile, it all depends on where you plan to mount them and what is in your trunk. You might be better off using flex strips or a couple modules.

That is one of my concerns, however I dont think I will have anything in my trunk that should interfere with them.

I have some other questions about wiring them, I will make a new thread about it after work.

well if u mount them on the trunk lid they could possible break when u go to close the trunk from the vibrations but if not more then likely they would be fine

They wont be on the trunk lid but on the roof of the trunk itself.

personally i use led strip everwhere but i am sure u will have no problem with cathodes in there as long as nothing hits them

Now the other one isnt working!!! This is getting annoying.

more than likely it is the cathode itself... this is why i bought led strips

Its the transformer. I have two sets, the first ones broke and it got replaced and it worked now the second one broke.

yeah, cathodes break and come apart WAY to easily

sean, i had the same problem a couple times. i haven't had it happen again in the past couple months, but i also dont use them all that much.

ViciousBread wrote:

yeah, cathodes break and come apart WAY to easily

i can confirm that one too

in my opinion led strips are easier to mount and have richer brighter color also

I finally got time to put in my second replacement for the transformer and its working now as before.