Has anyone come across a problem with this box where the front panel doesn't come on, and the only sign of life is that the red light on the front panel is blinking?
Is this dead or can it be rescued. If it is dead how do I get the DVD out?
Has anyone come across a problem with this box where the front panel doesn't come on, and the only sign of life is that the red light on the front panel is blinking?
Is this dead or can it be rescued.
Yoiu could try wrapping it in a poly bag and putting it in the freezer for an hour or two. Then let it reach room temperature, remove from the bag and try again.
It's a bit of a forlorn hope, but what can you lose?
Yoiu could try wrapping it in a poly bag and putting it in the freezer for an hour or two. Then let it reach room temperature, remove from the bag and try again.
It's a bit of a forlorn hope, but what can you lose?
Have you seen the size of it? Got to be the worlds largest Freeview box and certainly wouldn't fit inside the freezer!
Got the dvd out, noticed it was a normal pata drive so tried removing the cables - finally some signs of life, display comes ob and the tv dislays the menu background, but never gets to freeview ( putting a pata writer in puts me back to square one.
Typical, the only time I have given cheap stuff a chance in recent years!
might be the power supply capacitors bulging, see if you can see any that look as though they have 'domed' tops
Already done that, and have done ever since I had a mobo fail for that reason, none of (very large number of) them are bulging, everything looks really shiny and new (which implies no ventilation, I would have expected a layer of grease as it's been in the kitchen!)
Already done that, and have done ever since I had a mobo fail for that reason, none of (very large number of) them are bulging, everything looks really shiny and new (which implies no ventilation, I would have expected a layer of grease as it's been in the kitchen!)
If you have a digital multimeter, try to measure the voltages at the secondary.
Usually there are at least 3 different voltages (3,3V, 5V and 12V).
You can easily measure at least the 5V and 12V on the poxwer connector of the PATA drive (red wire for 5V, yellow for 12V and black for 0V /GND).
Generally when a capacitor is dead at primary (in fact it has a lower value than its original value), the voltages are too low when the power supply is normally loaded (they can be normal if the power supply is partly disconnected from its loads, e.g. the drive).
Unfortunately I don't have one, forgot to mention that there had been a power outage the day it died which points in that direction (and based on PC issues I guess that powering the drive is now overloading the crippled PSU), if it was a decent box I would be inclined to get it fix, but it isn't (turning to BBC Three every time I turn the volume down on the TV being one of it's less annoying foibles).
Now looking at fleabay and seeing if I can pick up a decentish receiver for next to nothing. The Pace Twin in the lounge will become useless as a recorder at DSO so I'm seeing if a Hummy can be picked up allowing the Twin to cascaded to the kitchen for viewing only after DSO.
I was saving for a Freeview HD box to get after DSO next autumn allowing my Hummy to be cascaded to the lounge, but it looks like I'll need something before then. (So annoying being fully ready for DSO since 2003* only to have my Setpal killed by split NIT, find out my ITV Digibox won't do 8K (still working fine at the moment), find my Twin won't record properly post DSO, and now for my Goodmans to die - argh!). And just to rub salt in the digital tuner on my lounge TV doesn't do sound properly - I think it's a loose daughterboard but as it is connected to a working PVR I don't want to fiddle and risk breaking the TV!
Comments
Yoiu could try wrapping it in a poly bag and putting it in the freezer for an hour or two. Then let it reach room temperature, remove from the bag and try again.
It's a bit of a forlorn hope, but what can you lose?
Have you seen the size of it? Got to be the worlds largest Freeview box and certainly wouldn't fit inside the freezer!
Typical, the only time I have given cheap stuff a chance in recent years!
Already done that, and have done ever since I had a mobo fail for that reason, none of (very large number of) them are bulging, everything looks really shiny and new (which implies no ventilation, I would have expected a layer of grease as it's been in the kitchen!)
Usually there are at least 3 different voltages (3,3V, 5V and 12V).
You can easily measure at least the 5V and 12V on the poxwer connector of the PATA drive (red wire for 5V, yellow for 12V and black for 0V /GND).
Generally when a capacitor is dead at primary (in fact it has a lower value than its original value), the voltages are too low when the power supply is normally loaded (they can be normal if the power supply is partly disconnected from its loads, e.g. the drive).
Now looking at fleabay and seeing if I can pick up a decentish receiver for next to nothing. The Pace Twin in the lounge will become useless as a recorder at DSO so I'm seeing if a Hummy can be picked up allowing the Twin to cascaded to the kitchen for viewing only after DSO.
I was saving for a Freeview HD box to get after DSO next autumn allowing my Hummy to be cascaded to the lounge, but it looks like I'll need something before then. (So annoying being fully ready for DSO since 2003* only to have my Setpal killed by split NIT, find out my ITV Digibox won't do 8K (still working fine at the moment), find my Twin won't record properly post DSO, and now for my Goodmans to die - argh!). And just to rub salt in the digital tuner on my lounge TV doesn't do sound properly - I think it's a loose daughterboard but as it is connected to a working PVR I don't want to fiddle and risk breaking the TV!
* Setpal for TV, and ITV Digibox for VCR
Indeed, my parents are still happily using a 1980s TV, yet stuff I've been buying hasn't lasted too long!