HDHR Ethernet Port

[rsagetv99]

The Ethernet port on my HDHR stopped working. Has anyone cracked open an HDHR or fixed an on on-board Ethernet controller?

I am thinking maybe the big yellow capacitor next to the Ethernet jack may be the culprit, but I am trying to convince myself of that because it would be very easy to replace.

Any advice?

HDHR support said they would repair it for $75, but the budget is kind of tight right now.

[Conejo]

Are you sure it's an Ethernet Port issue and not the now known power supply issue?

The only way I would know it's definitely an Ethernet port issue would be to confirm that there's no 'connect' loop when the Ethernet cable is plugged into a switch/router, or using 'Wireshark' to verify there's absolutely no traffic when powered up.

Ethernet is usually chip-based and wired directly to the port interface -- no resistors, diodes or buffers of any kind. Everything is provided by the chip. If it's dead, and it's not the power supply, then the entire circuit board would probably be replaced.

[rsagetv99]

This board has the two-legs of the metal shielding for the RJ-45 jack (probably ground) connected via a trace to one of the legs of the capacitor. The other leg of the capacitor is either connected to nothing, or it is connected via trace to one of the pins of the RJ-45 jack - can't tell for sure due to board labeling.

The capacitor is a small yellow button type 102K 2KV capacitor, not the larger barrel type.

I have no link-light on the HDHR and I have tried switching the cable, and trying a different switch to no avail. This unit was working fine for over a year.

[Conejo]

The metal box you see around the Etherenet Jack is for use with STP (Shielded Twisted-Pair) cabling, used commonly in Europe to reduce noise. The ground/shield is not utilized with UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) cabling.

Have you inspected the 8-pin plug closely to make sure non of the prongs is out of alignment? This is the common cause for Ethernet failure. Otherwise, if it's a blown chip, then...

[cslatt]

I'd highly recommend checking your power supply before going any farther. At least rule it out. My HDHomerun worked like a champ for months and then started giving me problems - turned out it was a shady powersupply. You can check if yours is in the bad run by going here: http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/power