Thank you all for the help in sourcing a potentiometer.
I got one installed. I plugged everything in and the new potentiometer sparked and got smoked. So now i know the problem isnt the potentiometer but just a symptom of something bigger.
Please give an opinion: This unit I'm working on here is for controlling the flashing of 5 watt -120volt multi colored bulbs (c7 colored night light style bulbs) .
This light flasher unit runs 2 lines of (4) light bulbs each in the console of this montgomery ward entertainment center.
One line is called channel 1 and one line is called channel 2. So that it has 2 light strings that do the same thing but probably flash at slightly different times. Each line has its own potentiometer to control light intensity.
This light flasher setup gets its signal from a pink and white wire that connect to the nearest speaker. This flasher unit is totally seperate from the stereo , tape, phonograph and everything else except for the speaker wire signal.
Also, in this unit is a power supply plug for the stereo setup. So this flasher unit plugs into the wall, then has 4 outlets on it.
One of the 4 plugs is for power supply to the stereo which is always on as long as the plug is in the wall. 2 of the 4 outlets are channel 1 and channel 2 for the flashing colored lights, and one outlet is simply an outlet with a switch for auxillary lights for the 'post' which this unit never came with.
One channel, channel 2, does work and does flash the colored lights according to the speaker signal input, but as soon as I plug in the light string to the channel 1 plug on the flasher unit, I see bad sparking in the potentiometer and some smoke. That potentiometer (the one I just changed out) won't spark until I plug in the light string onto the unit and complete the circuit, then it sparks out.
So I believe there is something bad in the channel 1 circut on this board. So im looking at the components and it doesnt seem to complex, but im not really very savy in electronics.
Apparently, for some reason, way too much current is getting to that little potentiometer. Please see the component I have circled. Can you help me identify what it is and do you think it could be the cause for the excessive current frying the potentiometer.
Thanks