HD100 won't turn on at all

[SageGk]

My HD100 will not turn on. I am not even getting the red light like most other people have gotten in other HD100 "broken" threads. Anyone experience this? I tried plugging intoa different outlet, flipping the power switch to no avail.

[sic0048]

Have you opened the case to check to see if the caps are bulging on the power supply. I would bet money that they are and it is the same problem as what you have read about in the other thread.

Crack the case open and let us know what you find.

[SageGk]

No bulging caps. I just plugged it into yet another outlet and toggled the power switch...the lights are still not lighting.

[SageGk]

How does the warranty work, from purchase date? I purchased 1 year and 4 days ago!

[cgreenle]

I also didn't have bulging caps or flashing red light.

Do you have a meter? I checked the soldered in fuse and it was blown. Also two out of the four diodes in the bridge rectifier circuit was shorted.

I didn't attempt to repair the power supply as it appears to be built with problematic components. I gutted the power supply and added a dc jack to the box. Now I'm using an external power supply.

[SageGk]

Originally Posted by cgreenle

I also didn't have bulging caps or flashing red light.

Do you have a meter? I checked the soldered in fuse and it was blown. Also two out of the four diodes in the bridge rectifier circuit was shorted.

I didn't attempt to repair the power supply as it appears to be built with problematic components. I gutted the power supply and added a dc jack to the box. Now I'm using an external power supply.

can you post pics/instructions if its not too much trouble? I want to copy what you did. Thanks.

[cgreenle]

Typical me, I didn't document anything. I should know better by now, everyone loves pictures.

Without me having to tear my home theater apart again, I attempted to make some drawings. I hope this helps.


Parts List:
DC Jack 5.5mm O.D.x2.5mm I.D. Radio Shack Part Number: 274-1576 ~$3
DC Power Supply 5v, 3A D-Link Part Number: JTA0302C Flea-Bay <$10


http://sites.google.com/site/sceptre...txhd100fix.jpg

This method will retain the functionality of the power switch. It does however remove the possibility of going back to an internal power supply at a later date. I assume no responsibility for this mod, treat this post as interesting reading.

Step 1)
Cut all four wires coming from the green processor board(2 red and 2 black), cut these wires as close as possible to the power supply.

Cut both wires coming from the switch to the power supply(brown and blue)cut these wires as close as possible to the power supply.

Cut the 120v cable several inches below the strain relief.




Step 2)
Drill a 7/16" hole close to where the power cable comes from the unit. Install the DC jack.

Step 3)
The next two steps is important that they be done correctly!!
Remove the strain relief from the case and pull the wires back into the inside of the unit. Carefully follow the top black wire from the switch, solder that wire to the center tab on the DC jack. Take the bottom wire from the switch and solder it to the outside tab on the DC jack. I would recommend that a meter be used to verify the identity of the wires.

Step 4)
Take the two red wires from the green board and splice them to the top wire from the switch(brown wire). Take the two black wires from the green board and solder it to the bottom wire from the switch(blue wire). Use butt splice connectors or something similar to make splices.



Step 5)
I would again recommend that you check the continuity of your work at this point using a meter if available. The center pin in the jack should show continuity back to the red wires(+5v). Reassemble the box and attach the external power adapter. I've listed a compatible power supply that can be found for less than 10 bucks on Flea-Bay. You can use any power adapter that has the correct connector and is rated for 3 amps at 5 volts w/ a positive center pin.


Again, sorry I didn't think to take any pictures but if I perform this again I will. Hope this helps.

later

[SageGk]

Originally Posted by cgreenle

Typical me, I didn't document anything. I should know better by now, everyone loves pictures.

Without me having to tear my home theater apart again, I attempted to make some drawings. I hope this helps.

That's great! I'm ordering the parts now, thanks!

[SageGk]

FYI for anyone trying this: the vendor for the PSU is in Hong Kong and shipping may take a while 2-4 weeks as per seller.

[razrsharpe]

it's just a standard 5v power supply and doesn't need to be the dlink variety. I wouldn't be surprised if you have one in a box full of wall warts somewhere (i know i certainly do). If not you can definitely get one at radioshack or www.alliedelec.com, www.digikey.com, www.mouser.com, or www.newark.com

(just copying the specs cgreenle posted above)
Your PS just needs to have a 5V, 3A, positive center pin, and a DC jack that is 5.5mm OD x 2.5mm ID

PS before attempting this though i think it would be worth while to contact Sage Support and see what they say. You never know they may fix it for free

[cgreenle]

Originally Posted by razrsharpe

it's just a standard 5v power supply and doesn't need to be the dlink variety. I wouldn't be surprised if you have one in a box full of wall warts somewhere (i know i certainly do)

razrsharpe, you are absolutely correct. I just mentioned one possible power supply that could be had for cheap. I really didn't mention the cheapest, FREE! I actually used an old power supply that I had laying around. It came from a Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 router. It is actually 2.6A but has been working like a champ for over a week now.

Originally Posted by razrsharpe

PS before attempting this though i think it would be worth while to contact Sage Support and see what they say. You never know they may fix it for free

I agree on this point as well. SageGk, you really should contact Sage before you do anything that might jeopardize your warranty if it's still in effect. Maybe I should have checked to see when I bought mine....

Order Number : 30028
Placed : 05/20/2008 20:00:01 PDT

Figures It's been dead since January and I've been using the HD200 I bought for the theater.

Maybe you shouldn't listen to anything I have to say.

later

[SageGk]

Well, Sage gave me an RMA number. Does this mean I don't have to pay the $60? I asked them but didn't get a reply yet.

[razrsharpe]

i think theyve said in the past if the HD100 is out of warranty (more than a year old) then yes you would pay the $60... narflex as posted the policy somewhere on here...

[popechild]

Originally Posted by cgreenle

Step 4)
Take the two red wires from the green board and splice them to the top wire from the switch(brown wire). Take the two black wires from the green board and solder it to the bottom wire from the switch(blue wire). Use butt splice connectors or something similar to make splices.

Trying to go through this and I just noticed that on my board, and in your pictures, the top wire from the switch is the blue one and the bottom wire is the brown one, which is backwards from what you wrote, so I'm confused as to which of the two goes to red and which goes to black. Any further guidance on this point?

[Skiier__Dude]

cgreenle's method is great but I found myself without a DC jack and couldn't find one around the house. I modified this method, but bi-passed using the power switch (figured neither of my HD-200s have the switch so the HD-100 doesn't need it either).

Step 1. Use the same power supply as noted above. Using your snips or a knife, you want to carefully cut the back end off the new power supply's connector end to expose the solder connections. Determine which wire is soldered to the center-pin of your connector (if your power supply has a + connector on the center pin, this will be your +'ve wire). Once you have determined which of the two wires is positive, make note of it (the wires are usually marked distinctively) and the snip the connector off the cord and bare the ends.

Step 2. You can remove the old power cord from the HD-100 and discard the old power board if you wish (I just kept the board in place).

Step 3. Inside the HD100, snip the two red and two black wires off the internal power supply board. Join the two red wires to the +'ve wire you identified above and the two black wires to the ground (the other wire from your transformer). I used 2 small marettes but you can also use crimps or scotchloks to connect the wires. Run the power cable out the access vacated by the old power cable -- to stop it from pulling out, I tied a knot in the power cable -- a tie-wrap will also secure it in place.

Cost of the repair was free (thanks to my large box of old power supplies) and took about 10 minutes.

[matt91]

Just wanted to add another data point on this.

My HD100 blew out the other day. I wasn't too excited about soldering new caps (hadn't done it for ~20 years), but then discovered this thread.

I too have no need for the power toggle switch. So I simply bypassed the internal power supply and connected an old 5v 2.5A wall wart directly to the red/black power leads running to the microprocessor board.

As skiier mentioned above, just connect the two red lines to the (+) wall wart line, and the two black to the (-) line. that's it.

The new power supply put out 5.11V with no load, and 4.96V while the unit is decoding a 1080i stream.

Seems like a good fix. I still need to check and see how hot the wall plug gets after running for 4 hrs or so, but I don't think it'll be too bad. Cool to the touch after 1hr.

[stuckless]

Thanks @cgreenle and @Skiier__Dude for your instructions. I turned on my HD100 tonight and I saw the dreaded red flashing power light (of course it was one of the rare nights that my wife decided she wanted to watch a movie) After spending about 10 mins searching the forums, I stumbled onto your howtos. I had a 5v dc adapter lying around and in 30mins I was back up and running Thank you!

[stuckless]

I might have spoken too soon. While the unit now turns on, the network is hit or miss. I turned it on and it found the network, but now, I can't get it to see the network at all

Anyone else have an issue with the network once they repaired the power supply?

[larryf]

Originally Posted by stuckless

I might have spoken too soon. While the unit now turns on, the network is hit or miss. I turned it on and it found the network, but now, I can't get it to see the network at all

Anyone else have an issue with the network once they repaired the power supply?

It doesn't sound like the power supply caused network issues. I'd think a cable or other network problem has surfaced.

Make sure the ethernet cable is fully seated... If it has a 'hood' on it they can be difficult to seat. Check for a link light on the router, try a different cable or port on the router if there is no link light.

Hope that helps,
Larry