Chief, a neutral dropped out somewhere! Although you may have a good nominal voltage now, you didn't for a few seconds or so, its all it takes. What Dnkldorf was going for was what part of the ballast, ie cap/starter/reactor/tranformer. It could be a clue to what happened. As you describe a stink, I imagine the transformer didn't survive an over-voltage situation. Bulb, or cap could be a transient, or for that matter, low voltage too. Either way, I would sort out what happened before you go to replace too many of them. Could get expensive.


Mark Heller
"Well - I oughta....." -Jackie Gleason