ian field wrote:
"Tony" wrote in message
...
ian field wrote:
Having turned out not to have been affected by the end of InView EPG
service - my FVRT90 promptly died.

When I went to use it the power LED came on and then it froze, so I
unplugged it for 30 seconds and plugged it back in, whereupon the 7
segment display run through the Klingon alphabet and then went blank.

Hopefully it only needs a PSU recap or dry joints sorting out - otherwise
I'll have to put up with the less than favourite Techwood (Vestel) and
the POS Nikkai barebones.
Does it do that every time you cold boot it now?

Could be the flash is worn out or the drive is knackered. I think the
test pattern comes up when there are channels stored but the drive is not
formatted (ie it thinks its in the factory). I'm not entirely sure.

A full PSU recap fixed it - its my favourite PVR so I beefed up the main
smoothing electrolytics with 10uF multilayer ceramic chip capacitors on the
print side.

There's also a 1uF electrolytic in the regulation circuit on the primary
side, if this fails the PSU can go bang - it wasn't hard to find a
non-electrolytic 1uF that will never dry out.

The mains rectifier reservoir capacitor was a flimsy ordinary type with lead
wires instead of riveted tags like this component should have - I drilled
new holes and fitted a propper one.

All of the electrolytics (except the 3 directly on the cathodes of the 3
rectifiers) looked cheap & nasty - the ESR readings didn't look all that
bad, but evidently too high for the PSU to work correctly.



Cool, useful to know when mine goes. Perhaps the 12v for the drive went
down. Did you find the faulty location(s)?

--
Tony