9200T Weird Behaviour

[Deleted User] · 10/07/12 - 21:46

I don't know how long it's been doing it, but I've noticed it twice in two days now.

Yesterday morning, I sat down to watch a recording, and the list button (under the slide) suddenly refused to work, so I decided to do it the old way. I pressed Menu, and instead of

Record
Preferences
Edit Channels
Installation
System

I got

Preferences
Edit Channels
Installation
System
Games

A restart fixed it. Now it's just done the same thing tonight; can anyone tell me what's happened? I've never noticed it before; until now, the machine's behaved perfectly (well, since the last update, anyway) - no missed recordings, no fan noise, no "thinking it's recording" bug, nothing.

It's one of the first ones (when I bought it they still had the previous model on the shelves), software is 1.00.23 May 2010, loader a4.07. Switches off every night at 0100, on at 0600. Auto Updates turned off.

One little sidenote: when I turned it off and on, I noticed the EPG populated in about 60 seconds!

Max Demian · 10/07/12 - 21:56

This is well known. It means that the box has failed to recognise the hard drive. Usually a restart (from standby) fixes it. If it persists, it could be there is something wrong with the hard drive (or its connections).

If it keeps on doing it, you might need to take the top off and reseat the disk drive connections. Failing that, it might need a new drive, which is tricky as they are hard to come by.

[Deleted User] · 10/07/12 - 22:16

OK Max, thanks, I'll keep an eye on it.

Luckily, my sister-in-law has one that she never uses

soup_dragon · 16/08/12 - 10:54

Hi all

Our has just started to do it too.....

I've tried switching it off at the wall then it took ages to come back on again. Still no sign of the Record option in the menu. I can hear the hard drive running, is that a positive sign?
Is it possible that vibration can make the cable come loose?

Cheers Tom

soup_dragon · 16/08/12 - 10:57

I've just had the case off and pressed the cable connections firmly home. Turned it on again and it was back to normal. I put the case back on and it's gone again

Does anyone know the exact hard drive model so I can see if I can get one from somewhere?

Cheers Tom

Martin Liddle · 16/08/12 - 11:41

soup_dragon wrote: »

Does anyone know the exact hard drive model so I can see if I can get one from somewhere?

Any Seagate DB35 series ACE drive (NB not SCE) will do nicely. You are unlikely to find them through the usual retail channels (because they haven't been made for some years) but eBay usually has a few.

soup_dragon · 16/08/12 - 11:48

I've just opened the case again and the bl**dy thing is working again. I don't suppose a format would do any good would it?

Cheers Tom

Max Demian · 16/08/12 - 12:03

soup_dragon wrote: »

I've just opened the case again and the bl**dy thing is working again. I don't suppose a format would do any good would it?

I doubt it. You could try unplugging the cables and replugging them. Otherwise it looks as if your HDD is faulty.

soup_dragon · 16/08/12 - 12:08

I've got a Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 in a draw in my computer room. It's 200gb, any idea if that would work with the Humax? I think it has a few bad blocks on it though so would the Humax isolate those during it's initial format?

Cheers Tom

Martin Liddle · 16/08/12 - 12:09

soup_dragon wrote: »

I don't suppose a format would do any good would it?

No it wouldn't. In my view the only thing that will fix the problem is a replacement hard drive.

soup_dragon · 16/08/12 - 12:13

Martin Liddle wrote: »

No it wouldn't. In my view the only thing that will fix the problem is a replacement hard drive.

How about the Seagate Barracuda that I've got?

Cheers Tom

Martin Liddle · 16/08/12 - 12:47

soup_dragon wrote: »

How about the Seagate Barracuda that I've got?

Try it and see. It stands a reasonable chance of working better than what you have currently. The problem with drives that are not optimised for PVR use is that you may get occasional stutter on playback as the drive struggles to read a marginal sector where a PVR drive would simply ignore the problem.

soup_dragon · 16/08/12 - 15:19

You're right, the only way to find out is to try it. My only real worry is the fact that there are bad sectors/blocks on the Barracuda drive. If the Humax will wark those as unusable during the format it might be worth a go.
Regarding the original drive. Is there a utility that I can use to check it's viability while still in the box? I've got Humax Media Controller installed and have used it in the past to copy recordings onto the laptop. Is that any use?

Cheers Tom

Martin Liddle · 16/08/12 - 15:52

soup_dragon wrote: »

You're right, the only way to find out is to try it. My only real worry is the fact that there are bad sectors/blocks on the Barracuda drive. If the Humax will wark those as unusable during the format it might be worth a go.

No the Humax assumes that the drive is perfect (which is a reasonable assumption on a modern drive).

Regarding the original drive. Is there a utility that I can use to check it's viability while still in the box?

The drive is faulty and I don't see what you hope to gain from a utility. We struggled with this problem slowly getting worse for some time before I replaced the drive.

soup_dragon · 16/08/12 - 16:09

Fair comment

I now have to decide if it's time to get an hd box or just replace the hdd. I've found one listed as new ( other ) on eBay for £23 delivered or new for £30. I think it'll be a replacement drive rather than a new shiny box at the moment though.

Cheers Tom

[Deleted User] · 16/08/12 - 16:37

Funny that this thread has bubbled up just as I was about to post again

It's been a while before I could look at it as I've been busy, but there have been some developments. I took the drive out and put it into my PC. I downloaded Seagate's tools and they report that it's fine. So....I had an old 10GB drive that I knew was good, put that in to see what happened. The Humax asked me to format, so I did. The Humax restarted and everything seemed normal, but then it refused to work. I know the drive is small, but it should work, shouldn't it? Sort of? Would the faulty drive cause all the other things to happen?

Anyway, since then more things have been happening - e.g., the Humax was behaving as if I'd got auto switch off/on turned on, when I hadn't (I'd been using it without the drive - just as a set-top box). Long story short - it just turned itself off the other day (as if I'd flicked the switch at the back) and now won't work at all. Is it dead - I mean, is it easily fixed?

If not, what's a good replacement? I really liked the 9200, the EPG was good, and I liked that I could move files on to my laptop. I know it was slow, but I wasn't doing it all the time, just occasionally. So the 9300's probably out. True HD would be nice, but not a deal-breaker.

soup_dragon · 16/08/12 - 16:54

Rowdy wrote: »

I had an old 10GB drive that I knew was good, put that in to see what happened. The Humax asked me to format, so I did. The Humax restarted and everything seemed normal, but then it refused to work. I know the drive is small, but it should work, shouldn't it? Sort of? Would the faulty drive cause all the other things to happen?

Hmmm

I'm wondering if one or more of the soldered joints under the main board are starting to fail? I got my hard drive going again by giving the cable a good firm press at either end. It may be that in pressing down on the main board it's made the contact block soldered bits make contact again?
Just a thought but I may be talking out of my backside

Cheers Tom

[Deleted User] · 16/08/12 - 17:33

soup_dragon wrote: »

Hmmm

I'm wondering if one or more of the soldered joints under the main board are starting to fail? I got my hard drive going again by giving the cable a good firm press at either end. It may be that in pressing down on the main board it's made the contact block soldered bits make contact again?
Just a thought but I may be talking out of my backside

Cheers Tom

Good idea, but it was the first thing I tried. Thanks anyway.

soup_dragon · 16/08/12 - 17:45

Rowdy wrote: »

Good idea, but it was the first thing I tried. Thanks anyway.

What the pressing home of the cables or checking the soldered joints on the underside of the board?

Cheers Tom

[Deleted User] · 16/08/12 - 17:54

soup_dragon wrote: »

What the pressing home of the cables or checking the soldered joints on the underside of the board?

Cheers Tom

Sorry, I misread your post. I'll get the board out when I get a few minutes, might not be till the weekend.

soup_dragon · 16/08/12 - 18:05

Rowdy wrote: »

Sorry, I misread your post. I'll get the board out when I get a few minutes, might not be till the weekend.

No problem.
If it is the soldered joints on the socket for the cable to the hard drive I'll have to have a few friendly words with the sparks at work

Cheers Tom

soup_dragon · 17/08/12 - 19:17

Rowdy wrote: »

Sorry, I misread your post. I'll get the board out when I get a few minutes, might not be till the weekend.

I've spoken to a spark at work and he said that a tell tale sign of a " dry joint " is dull looking solder.
Apologies if I'm telling you something you already know.

Cheers Tom

Luis Essex · 18/08/12 - 18:52

Rowdy wrote: »

I really liked the 9200, the EPG was good, and I liked that I could move files on to my laptop. I know it was slow, but I wasn't doing it all the time, just occasionally. So the 9300's probably out.

http://humaxdisk.wikispaces.com/9300T-9150T+mods

http://hummy.tv/forum/threads/9300-transfers.166/page-2#post-13166

http://hummy.tv/forum/threads/9300-transfers.166/#post-3290

[Deleted User] · 21/08/12 - 20:37

Tom, thanks for your help - I haven't got the board out yet. I decided to go the 9300 route, and I've got one now. Seems ok, my telly seems to work better with HDMI - I don't mean the picture, the TV has been freezing a lot using SCART. And I've got a nice HD now for the PC!

Luis, thanks for the links, it helped me make my decision.

soup_dragon · 23/08/12 - 22:45

Strangely enough our 9200 has been ok since my last poke and prod. Shouldn't say too much as it might be listening :rolleyes:

Cheers Tom

[Deleted User] · 23/11/12 - 18:06

Sorry to bump an old thread, but someone, somewhere might be interested. The 9200's HD is still working happily in my PC - not the system drive mind, just extra storage. It's passed every test I can throw at it. The Humax is now recycling centre food.

So, if you get HD errors on your Humax. don't immediately think it's the HD!

Hey there!

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