Calling all DYI light gurus!

[cabrego]

Okay, here is the deal. I observed what I thought was a light blow out in my T5 light system (NOVA Extreme 4 bulb-96w). I basically heard a soft pop and smoke come from one side of the fixture. No, big deal I thought. Upon closer inspection I noticed 2 of the 4 bulbs were out (red flag). I tested the bulbs on the working circuit and the bulbs do work.

Further, one of the sockets appeared to be burned. To make a long story short, I picked up a local replacement socket to test if replacing the socket would fix the issue. No luck.

So, my question is, i
1) there away to trouble shoot the ballast?
2)am I screwed?
3)any suggestions?

[lemartin777]

you have 4 lights. how many ballast do you have? if you have two try the good ballast with the bad this is the only way i know how to check

[cabrego]

I think one ballast controls all 4 lights.

I tried using a multimeter to measure voltage at various wires but I was not sure what to expect without a wire diagram.

I suppose the ballast has to be the culprit since i tested with the new socket.,..damn nova crapped out in less than a year ..

[mustang51js]

open the light up to see what you have, could be a loose wire. Im going to say that you have 2 ballasts in there and one went out,and the only way to fix it would be to replace the ballast.