CR-10 Bed Heater Cable Connector Getting Hot

CR Series Creality CR-10 Series
1

Short version:
The connector for the bed heater, on the back of the control box gets too hot to touch. What steps should I take to troubleshoot this problem? Are there any topics or videos you can point me towards?

Full story:
I have an old CR-10 Hictop, ran by Octoprint, updated power supply and main board over a year ago, and it’s been working great. Almost everything on it is modified except for the bed heater. The other day the bed heater started failing and would not heat. I found the connector on the control box was a little loose so I tightened it up and it started heating again.

After a while I started smelling something burning. I touched the connector and it was so hot it burnt my fingers. I used some electronic parts cleaner on the pins and sockets, tried to clean everything off, and let it dry for a few hours. I monitored it when starting the next print and it started getting hot again.

What could cause the connector on the control box to get so hot? Would replacing the connector be any advantage? Any trouble shooting topics or videos you can point me toward?

Thank in advance.

P.S. Creality team. I like the suggested topics that pop up to the side. That could save a lot of time searching the forum. More forums should use this tool. Unfortunately I couldn’t find another relevant post that would help me.

2

if a connector is getting hot, this usually means the connection is not tight.
Try tightening the screws to ensure there is no movement.
The heater can draw a lot of current and any insecure connection will heat up as there is insufficient surface area for the current to pass through.
Check the wiring and ensure the wire going into the connection is full thickness and not missing any strands.
From your symptoms I feel the wire has been reduced in thickness and is causing extra resistance and therefore heating up.
It may be worth stripping back the wire and making a fresh connection. If you are unsure there will be plenty of guides on the internet regarding making seure electrical connections.