Tim Downie wrote:
Andy Burns wrote:
On 15/09/09 20:39, Tim Downie wrote:
With a view to bringing it back for the dead I thought I'd have a
look inside the case for anything obvious. Well, I found this.
http://www.zen31010.zen.co.uk/images...wcapacitor.jpg
I know these things aren't normally worth attempting to repair but
because TiVo have just about giving up supporting new Freeview boxes
for the TiVo, I'd like to repair it if possible. I'm no expert in
this field but would I be right in assuming that capacitor in the
centre of the picture isn't right?
Yep, capacitors (especially within PSUs are a common failure)
Thanks to all for the advice. I've ordered a capacitor and will let you
know the outcome.
Tim
Indeed. Most electronics is super reliable, and generally its one stray
thing that goes. Identify it and replace it and all is well.
Its the identifying that is the problem.
I had a TV years agpo that randomly lost colors..hitting it restored
them. One day even that failed to work.
I ran it caseless and prodded things with a long plastic knitting needle.
It became apparent that there were dry joints, so I looked at what I was
prodding and found eyelets instead of plated through holes Yuk!. These
looked distinctly dodgy, so I resoldered them on that card. That fixed
one set of probelms. Thenh I got mad and resoldered every single eyelet
on every board.
The set was perfect for several years until the house took a direct
lightning strike on the telephone wire. The TV went then as did anything
else on 'standby'..
Sigh. I liked that TV.
In your case that capacitors is almost certainly the output smoother of
a SMPS. It has to take a LOT of high frequency ripple current, and is
the one most likely to suffer if its even slightly suspect in the first
place. It will get hot and eventually either short, or cease to do its job.
I am pretty sure you have identified the correct cap.
Old valve sets are similar - the caps all dry out. Many a valve radio
will spring to life after all the paper and electrolytic caps are replaced..