Thomson Sky-HD (and Sky+) PSU failure

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There is a discussion about the Thomson PSU problem on digitalspy forums now.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=727185 For anyone interested.

Someone has posted a picture of his Sky HD box having 4 failed capacitors. All the capacitors in my Sky HD boxes are CapXon and so are his. I've noticed that on the Thomson Sky+160 power supplies I have (Which are otherwise identical) 3 of the 4 capacitors reported as failing in the HD box are OST amid mainly CapXon.

I'm trying to make sense of this, did Thomson try a fix on the 160's that didn't work, or are the capacitors more expensive and the Sky HD box lost out to cost cutting measures? All of my Sky+160 boxes predate the Sky HD box and have never been repaired.

[admin]

May 21, 2008

The HD Digibox takes more current from the PSU than the Sky+ Digibox so the latter lasts longer before it fails.

If you've fitted a kit or PSU please take part in the poll:
http://notonyourtelly.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1948

UPDATE April 9, 2009

COUNTERFEIT PSUs

See http://www.SatCure.net/tech/thom_psu.htm#counterfeit

Because these PSUs are not safety-approved, I recommend you avoid them. If you are in business, you could get into trouble with Trading Standards if you fit one to someone's Digibox. They may even be unsafe. We will NOT accept one of these under our exchange scheme.

UPDATE March 21, 2009
The "I will WAIT" scheme is closed until such time as we can get hold of spare PSUs. You will HAVE to send us your faulty one in advance. If you are so addicted to TV that you can't manage without, please seek help, learn to read, make babies, take up a sport, get a life!

UPDATE March 10, 2009

Because so many people have failed to return their old PSUs we no longer have a "float". Our stock is now zero so it's possible that those who ordered a PSU on the "I will WAIT" scheme will never receive one. If you want it now, please place your order then send your PSU to us immediately. If you are already waiting you may continue to wait but it could be months before we can get more stock.

So you can either continue to wait, buy a kit, send your PSU to us for repair or take it to a local repairer.
http://www.SatCure.net/psu_fix.htm

For those people living outside the UK or unwilling to lose their PSU for a number of days, we suggest you buy a used Thomson Sky+ Digibox (cheaper than HD). The price may currently be as low as £30. Get its PSU rebuilt then fit that one into your Sky+ or SkyHD Digibox. You can then, if you wish, resell the Sky+ Digibox with your old PSU (either as it is or rebuilt).

UPDATE March 9, 2009
We are no longer offering the PSU on a "I will wait till one is available" basis. As we reported previously, one person in 50 has not returned his old PSU. The result is that we no longer have any stock to cover advance ordering. If you want it now, please place your order then send your PSU to us immediately. If you are already waiting you may continue to wait but it could be months before we can get more stock.

UPDATE February 16, 2009
We are now offering a mkII kit which has uprated capacitors that may help to buffer surges caused by fitting a higher capacity Hard Drive. (If you have no intention of fitting a larger capacity Hard Drive, you won't need this mkII kit.)

UPDATE September 8, 2008
(To save you from reading to the end).
We are now supplying complete REBUILT (exchange) power supply units and RELKIT 33j repair kits. See
http://www.SatCure.co.uk/accs/page12.htm#rebuilt

UPDATE October 5, 2008
(To save you from reading to the end).
We are now also able to supply a supplementary kit SATKIT33j which must be fitted after RELKIT33j if the PSU is completely dead.
A sign of a PSU which is about to blow is a buzzing noise from the PSU and sometimes interference with ADSL broadband. If the PSU is buzzing DO NOT disconnect and reconnect mains power because it will almost certainly blow, causing expensive damage!

Because many customers didn't return their old PSUs, our stock of exchange units was reduced to zero so we have been forced to request that IF YOU WANT A QUICK REPLACEMENT you place your order then immediately post us your old PSU in a sturdy box labelled with the order number. It's unfortunate that our system that originally provided a "by return post" service has been reduced to a "four days if you are lucky" service by a few mean customers. (We know who you are.)

I'm still getting a lot of people describing symptoms and asking me "could this be caused by the power supply?"

The answer is always "yes" because a failing power supply can cause an infinite number of symptoms. After all the Digibox is simply a computer with a tuner or two. If your computer power supply starts to produce incorrect voltages and interference, what symptom do you suppose it will cause?

Anyway, if the PSU is more than a year old or if one or more capacitors are bulging, you don't need to ask. As far as we can tell, ALL Thomson PSUs made before 2008 have the poor quality "CapXon" capacitors.

The later model Thomson Sky+HD Digibox uses "Taicon" capacitors in the power supply. Obviously we don't know whether they will be more reliable. Time will tell! See http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=31584397#post31584397
June 24, 2009 We have received a report of failed "Taicon" capacitors.

Note: if the internal fuse has blown, this indicates major damage which our capacitor upgrade kit will not fix. If your fuse has melted, DON'T order the kit. Order the complete exchange PSU instead.

As a general rule if the box comes on the PSU is repairable with capacitors. However, if it is totally dead the PSU may have blown up and might be repairable only with time-consuming diagnostics and additional parts. In such circumstances we reserve the right NOT TO REFUND YOUR DEPOSIT if we send you a working PSU.

Don't wait for the PSU to go bang - replace the capacitors before this happens; you'll save money!

NOTE: Obviously we can't guarantee that replacing/upgrading the PSU will fix every possible fault. The Hard Drive is a common cause of failure - typical life being 2 - 3 years. Other parts also fail but are beyond the scope of a DIY repair so the Digibox should be sent to a professional repairer such as Digifix if a PSU upgrade and new Hard Drive don't fix it. (Assuming that you've eliminated all other causes such as dish alignment, faulty cable, faulty LNB, local interference etc.)

Q. How do I remove the PSU and where do I post it?

A. As soon as you place the order, you'll receive a "Keep-me" message with a link to the instructions.

Q. How do I fit the kit?

A. As soon as you place the order, you'll receive a "Keep-me" message with a link to the instructions.

Q. I returned my old PSU a week ago. When will you refund my deposit?

A. As soon as our repairer notifies us that your PSU is repairable with capacitors. If it is unrepairable or needs additional parts, we will refund some or none of your deposit. Sometimes we do not charge a deposit so, before complaining "you didn't refund me!", please check that we debited you in the first place.

Q. Where can I get more information?

A. http://www.SatCure.net/tech/thom_psu.htm

Q. Where can I order the complete Power Supply?

A. http://www.SatCure.net/accs/PSU.htm

Q. Where can I order the capacitor kit?

A. http://www.SatCure.net/accs/page12.htm#psukit

Q. When was the shakeproof washer introduced?

A. June 2008. See http://notonyourtelly.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1390&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=210

Q. When was the heat-resistant card introduced?

A. May 2009. See http://notonyourtelly.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6416

MORE:
Many Thomson Digibox power supplies begin to fail after 12 months. This can result in a "poor signal" indication, which is more noticeable with certain LNBs - especially if the LNB requires more current from the power supply. (The quad-output LNB requires more current than a single. An OCTO LNB requires more current than a quad). If you get problems after upgrading your LNB, suspect the old PSU first!

If you don't want to wait, order a kit and solder the capacitors yourself or get someone local to do it for you. We are building a list of people offering the kit-fitting service:
http://www.SatCure.net/psu_fix.htm

FANS and TUNERS
Because Thomson has apparently pulled its operations out of the UK, we can no longer obtain any Thomson-specific spare parts.

The TUNER rarely fails - "No Signal" symptoms are usually caused by the old PSU or Hard Drive (we do not supply Hard Drives) or by the newer Sky firmware which switches off an LNB input if it is not being used.

The FANS do fail. If you are desperate, we may be able to supply a very similar fan (the one next to the power supply) but you would have to cut the plug off the old one and solder the wires to the new fan. Before you get too desperate, try peeling back the label and putting a drop of oil on the spindle.

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There is a 'Nigel Goodwin' talking about a forthcoming reliability kit, is that from you? He hasn't said who is making it but it did sound like SatCure.

He is currently suggesting people use larger, higher voltage capacitors than they are replacing and I worry about heating problems/airflow so we aren't exactly getting on.

The £3+ capacitor is for the 400v 100uf I assume?

I'll word a post over the next day or so for the digitalspy discussion, I'm still trying to make sense of my PSU capacitor brand finding. None of my Thomson boxes have failed so I'm unsure what conclusion to draw.

[admin]

[admin]

I'll try to get this kit ready ASAP. My worry is that people will start fitting capacitors from [well known electronics suppliers] without actually realising that factors such as high-frequency ripple current rating are critical. The PSU will work for a time then go bang without warning. We have even been guilty of this ourselves occasionally. I'll specify one thing then our buyer will order something completely different because "it looked the same and the other was out of stock". The first I know of it is when the customer sends me a photo of the charred remains!

It's also advisable to replace ALL capacitors. Some PSUs monitor one voltage rail (usually the 5v, which draws the heaviest current and is the first to fail). As long as that's OK, the others are assumed to be OK. Problem is, if someone replaces capacitors on one supply rail but not the others, the voltages can go way too high and blow the CPU, or any of the chips (or even the Hard Drive).

You can shrug your shoulders if an ordinary Sky box dies but it's harder to swallow if the box contains your recordings from the last month!

[Ragnarok]

[admin]

The plural of kit is "kits".
The kits and PSUs will be made available ASAP. I can't give a date. Watch this space.

[admin]

Useful notes written by a customer who fitted one of our PSUs:
http://blog.teegzworld.com/2008/02/sky-HD-power-supply-unit-replacement.html

[admin]

Sorry for the delay. It's going to be a few more days.

Some of the capacitors are extremely close to the heatsink. Even if we use the best ones available, it's going to be difficult to guarantee them for 3 years (and I really WANT to!)

I've ordered some reflective flame-retardant plastic film which I'll try inserting between the h/sink and capacitors. If that helps, we'll include it in the kit.

Some people have suggested fitting sleeves to the wires and raising the capacitors up. I'm not convinced this is a good idea, for two reasons:

1. It makes them more susceptible to disconnection.
2. The effective ESR will be increased by the inductance of the wires.

I don't know whether this increase will be significant but I'd rather not risk it.

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I hope the reflective film isn't conductive!

Will the film affect the air flow around the heatsink?

If it were my box I'd be so tempted to drill a few holes in the base and mount the capacitors on the underside of the PCB. Have the tops of the caps poking out the underside with some clearence for extra air flow. Soldering gets very messy is a drawback.

[admin]

On the models without a fan, there is no airflow. On the models with a fan, it shouldn't make any difference to the airflow.

[admin]

We have a small number of REBUILT power supplies arriving on Tuesday 12th Feb. These are available on an EXCHANGE basis only.
http://www.SatCure.co.uk/accs/page12.htm#HD

[admin]

Unfortunately, I have had to add a refundable deposit on all exchange units. This is a MAJOR hassle for everyone but some people can't be trusted to return their old units promptly. (This is why we are short of stock.)

[admin]

A dozen REBUILT PSUs arrived and went out today. Won't have any more for at least a week. We can't cope with the demand right now. And, of the last dozen standard PSUs from the Thomson stockist, three have been faulty on arrival.

If anyone has a faulty Thomson PSU awaiting return, please get it to us ASAP.

[Ragnarok]

That sounds like good and bad news news at the same time. Any word on the DIY rel kits yet?

Good to see the returned PSU's going to very good use.