Hi, I'm pretty much a newbie to electronics, but I've gotten a little way through a project and come across a problem (or at least an oddity) that I can't find an answer to. I built a simple 555 timer switch, that I used to control a flashing light. I added a NPN transistor(TIP 3055), then added a PNP transistor(NTE 2537). Everything worked fine while just the light was hooked up, but after that I wanted to see if there was any discernible power drop. I have a power supply rated at 30 volts and 4 amps. I checked it from after the PNP with a pretty common multi-meter. The volts read fine, very little drop. Then I checked the amps, and I don't know what to make of it. On the meter, the amps started to rise, past four amps. At the same time, the PNP started getting hot within a few seconds, so I don't know just how far up the amps would have risen. This transistor is rated at 110 volts and 40 amps and stayed cool to the touch for several minutes just running the light. The NPN appeared unaffected. Why would it start to climb like that and why is the transistor getting hot? Is there a way to fix this? I've used the same meter to check the power supply directly, and it works just fine; no buildup and no noticeable heat. Any advise is appreciated.
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