Give Up?

Well, I was close....

Ok sparky, what was the issue with the cable itself? curious minds would like to know. thanks!

Bombaywalla, I didn't see any signs of damage on it, but I think it was a solder joint covered by the shrink wrap leading up to the spade. One cannot always tell just by looking.

Maybe it happened while I was handling them while eating fried chicken. ;)

A loose solder joint will indeed cause the symptoms you described.

you probably tapped/moved/bumped the cable while working on the unit. Or, maybe someone took an opportunity to clean back behind while you were tinkering.

Cable was already going....it just got nudged along.