So it could be gel crimps that are burned out ?
I think that could well be possible, yes.
The other thing I thought about is the D.C. resistance of the cable per metre is probably a lot less than the resistance of each joint, perhaps because the contact surface area is smaller and there’s a metal-metal contact, so it could be that a joint is a current bottleneck. So joule heating which is I2R therefore being proportional to R will be higher at the joint bottleneck. Does that sound right?
Hmm . . . I'm balancing on top of the fence. Having passed through the era of the dreaded "blue-bean" crimps, which were just brass with serrated teeth to puncture the insulation, the idea was to ensure similar metal to similar metal contact with a pressure induced cold-weld (by plastic deformation of the metal at the point of maximum pressure). However with a many-thousand-volt transient surge, I'm not so sure if the normal Ohmic behaviour would be followed.
I wonder what state all the main insulation is in if the whole copper gets cooked?
A very nasty, smelly, blackened mess. And possibly stuck to the duct - if ducted.
Makes me think: what has possibly happened to my NTE5s? Wonder if they got cooked too, so that there might have been a deleterious effect on them. The performance looks excellent now so I have nothing to complain about and no obvious reason why I need to replace master sockets. But it makes me wonder.
The many thousands of metres, and section joints, between the proposed point of electrical interaction at Harapul and your NTE5s, in the office, at northern Heasta was probably enough to save those devices. That Mrs Weaver had disconnected the four patch leads, before the "main event" occurred, undoubtedly saved the analogue front-ends of the four VMG1312-B10As.