Thomson Sky-HD (and Sky+) PSU failure

supersneak · Newbie Joined: 02 May 2010 Posts: 2

Thanks for the quick response, the PSU was bought from SatCure, I assume that this will be replaced or repaired under warranty.

admin · Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 6:17 pm Post subject:

See http://www.SatCure.net/PSU/

Mamba · Newbie Joined: 07 May 2010 Posts: 1

Hi everyone

For someone like myself who does not have any soldering experience, is the solderless replacement PSU easy to fit? I have placed a 1TB drive in the Thomson box and felt quite chuffed with myself Cool

but desperately need the PSU replaced but can't find any installation instructions anywhere?

Your help would be greatly appreciated

Very Happy

admin · Posted: Fri May 07, 2010 3:39 pm Post subject:

You'll be given access to the instructions when you order. However, if you doubt your ability even to use a screwdriver, you might prefer to let someone else do it.

TheBlueRaja · Newbie Joined: 13 May 2010 Posts: 1

Hi All,
I soldered my PSU about a year and a bit ago with the SatCure Capacitors and I've got to be honest, for me, it's not fixed the problem.

I still get failed recordings and no satellite signal received but read that the problem may be related to the star washer which i never either received in the first place or noticed When I got the kit. (I ordered a RELKIT33j I think - the one that could cope with the higher capacity hard drive)

So i ripped it out again and put one in - same problem.

So before i go any further and order a replacement PSU from SatCure I wanted to double check the capacitors but no longer have the little diagram which showed which one should go where, does anyone have a copy?

Thanks

admin · Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 9:10 am Post subject:

If a PSU upgrade doesn't fix "failed recordings" (and there are some cases where it won't) it's because you have inadequate signal (dish, LNB, cable, connectors), or local interference from a DECT 'phone or similar, or a fault on the mother-board or a failing Hard Drive or ALL of those.

At this stage, it would be best to replace your Digibox with another. If that doesn't cure your problem, you know what to look for. If it does cure your problem, you have a working PSU to sell.

Adeharding · Newbie Joined: 03 Jun 2010 Posts: 1

I have 2 Thomson boxes when box 1 is in standby with no activity box 2 has signal breakups at exactly 1 min intervals. Box 1 also has regular signal failures and recording tech fault 11 errors. Do you think just box 1 needs new PSU or both ??

admin · Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 9:46 pm Post subject:

See http://www.SatCure.co.uk/tech/thom_psu.htm

CWatters2010 · Newbie Joined: 19 Jul 2010 Posts: 3

Putting aside safety issues for the moment... Is it possible to power up a repaired Thompson Sky HD+ PSU out of the box? Specifically...

* Does it require output pins to be linked together to turn it on (like a PC power supply)?

* Do outputs need a minimium load to ensure stability?

I would like to check one I'm about to repair before putting it back in. It failed while we were on holiday and was potentially powered up for two weeks in a failed condition. Came back to find:

Power LED on but flickering.
Box felt hot but fan not running.
Box wouldn't respond to button presses.
Several caps bulging.

Have the caps out waiting for the replacement to arrive.

admin · Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 5:51 pm Post subject:

I don't see what purpose an off-load test would serve, other than to charge up the capacitors and leave the PSU in a dangerous state.

CWatters2010 · Newbie Joined: 19 Jul 2010 Posts: 3

You're probably right.

Will cross my fingers that it's not going to put out 400V on the 5V rails Smile

admin · Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 3:28 pm Post subject:

It definitely won't do that. Probably the worst that is likely to happen is a puff of smoke if you reverse a capacitor.

CWatters2010 · Newbie Joined: 19 Jul 2010 Posts: 3

Just fired it up and it seems to be working fine.

Thanks to all at SatCure.

player2 · Newbie Joined: 16 Aug 2010 Posts: 1

Slightly weirdly, my Relkit33js contained a Phillips screwdriver bit "PZ2 APTC" in place of a star washer. Edit: Ah, OK, I see the bit is an "extra", so I am just missing a star washer - how critical is this?

By the way, I don't seem to be able to desolder the joints using the solder kit. My iron is only 15W. Is the iron too puny, or is my technique at fault?

admin · Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 7:22 am Post subject:

15W may be too low. I've never used less than 30W. That's what we sell. The modern lead-free solder requires a higher temperature.

Ask Sales to post you a star washer. Meanwhile it will be OK without but look out for the symptoms of a bad connection, as described.