Questions and answers
The capacitors
The kit
If you have viewed this page previously, please click "Reload" to see any recent changes.
IMPORTANT: If you already ordered a kit or PSU, please click HERE for instructions.
Thomson Exchange Power Supplies and kits
As we mentioned in our continual updates on our discussion forum - because people were not returning their old PSUs to us, our stock available for exchange dwindled quickly to zero. Consequently, we are now asking you to pack your PSU in a sturdy box and post it to us as soon as you have received your order confirmation IF you need a replacement quickly (see more info. below). Please note that we will also charge an additional £25 (in addition to the £25 deposit) if your old PSU is not received within 14 days of despatch of the Rebuilt PSU.
DO NOT SEND US THE MULTIWIRE CONNECTOR!
We have now introduced a two-tier ordering system. (Sept 2008)
1. You can place your order and send us your old PSU immediately and you'll receive a replacement around eight working days after we receive it. (It will probably not be your own PSU.) We recommend you use Recorded Delivery or Special Delivery so you can check that it arrived. Example: you post it on a Friday, we receive it on the following Monday and you should receive the replacement 8 working days after that (a week on Wednesday). That's up to 13 days in total from the day you post yours, dependent on when we receive your PSU. Before asking "when will I receive it" please check that we have received your old PSU and that a full 8 working days have passed since the day of receipt.
2. You can place your order and simply take your place in the queue. You should receive a rebuilt power supply within about 4 weeks. You can then return your old PSU as soon as you are happy that the replacement is OK. Please note that we will also charge an additional £25 (in addition to the £25 deposit) if your old PSU is not received within 14 days of despatch of the Rebuilt PSU.
Guarantee
We guarantee to repair your Rebuilt PSU if it develops a fault (through no fault of yours*) within 3 years from the day of delivery to you. Proof of purchase required. The guarantee does not include the cost of returning it to our appointed workshop. (This is a standard "return to base" guarantee. Return the PSU to us and we'll get it tested and repaired [if faulty] ASAP.)
*Exceptions. The guarantee is limited to 1 year if you fail to return your faulty PSU to us (i.e. if you do not honour the exchange agreement). The guarantee does not cover damage caused by liquid spillage, overheating (lack of ventilation, fan not working, room too hot etc.) which causes the PCB to discolour more than usual. The guarantee does not cover any PSU not supplied by us.
Or you can order a kit and get it "next day". You can then solder the parts yourself (see our instruction page) or you can take your Digibox to a local repairer. there's a list on our web site. See the link on our instructions page. Kits are also guaranteed for 3 years. We will send you a replacement for any capacitors that fail.
- We recommend that you obtain a certificate of posting if you choose not to use Recorded Delivery.
- Your card will not be charged until the day of shipping. Thank you for your patience. Capacitor kits are normally available immediately, occasional shortages excepted.
Inform Sky that you are getting your Digibox repaired. We understand that they might credit your account if you are unable to view their programmes for more than a certain (minimum) period. We recommend you do this in writing.
You can discuss the PSU here:
http://notonyourtelly.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1390
Please navigate to the last page to see recent updates.
| As a general rule if the box comes on the PSU is repairable. However, if it is totally dead the PSU may have blown up and might not be repairable with the capacitor kit. In such circumstances we reserve the right NOT TO REFUND ALL OF YOUR DEPOSIT. Have a look at resistor R15. If it has blown, the PSU has had a major blow-up. (The fuse will be OK!) See below.** There are two 1 MOhm resistors R20, R22 on the primary side of the PSU. If either of these goes open-circuit the power supply will be dead but the large capacitor will remain fully charged to 330 volts. So beware - a dead PSU could be potentially dangerous even after a few days! | 
|
| The cause of the PSU blow-up is usually the large capacitor C14 going open circuit. In some instances the power supply will run with this capacitor open-circuit but there will be an audible noise coming from the chopper transformer and the chopper transistor's heatsink will be running at a much higher temperature than normal - usually too hot to touch. The power supply will also radiate interference and in a few cases this has found to interfere with wireless ADSL broadband connections . If you observe these symptoms, DO NOT reboot the Digibox as the power supply will blow up when you reconnect the mains! **A supplementary kit SATKIT33j is available for repairing "blown up" PSUs. It must be fitted after RELKIT33j is fitted. It is not a cheap kit and this is why we charge you £25 extra to fit it if your PSU has blown up. If you are certain that the resistor is o/c, the PSU will require both kits. There's a lot of work involved so, if you don't feel confident to D.I.Y. please buy an exchange PSU (+ £25) or get one of our recommended repairers to do the work. |
The Capacitors
We guarantee the capacitors for 3 years (unless you fit them the wrong way round or make the PSU get so hot that the board goes brown!) We will send you a replacement for any capacitors that fail.
The capacitors we fit are better than the originals. This is why we can confidently give a 3 year guarantee on the rebuilt PSU. The large capacitor C14 is rated at 85'C. This capacitor sees only a 100 Hz frequency half-sine wave so it does not suffer from the same internal heating effect experienced by the other capacitors which are seeing high-current pulses at around 30,000 Hz.
Any sticky orange stain on the aluminium top of the largest capacitor C14 is simply flux which has ended up there after the cleaning operation, when the unit is held upside down. You can wipe it off with a tissue if you wish.
- Q. Why don't you supply better capacitors with, for instance, a 5000 hour rating?
- A. The capacitors we supply are tried and tested. We know that they will last for at least 3 years because they already have done so in similar equipment. If we change to a different manufacturer, we can not give a 3 year guarantee. Do you want to take the risk? (The original capacitors had a high rating - on paper - and look what happened to them.)
The Kits
Q. I fitted the RELKIT but my PSU is still dead (no lights and no sound). What should I do?
A. You will need our supplementary kit SATKIT33j which contains all the primary-side components that might be faulty. This is an expensive kit because the parts are difficult to source and we had to buy a large quantity. It must be fitted after RELKIT33j is fitted.
- The parts we supply in each kit should be as listed on the PDF sheet (download link in your "Keep-me" message). If there's any discrepancy, please contact Sales immediately with full details.
- Q. Should I replace ALL capacitors or only the ones that are bulging?
- A. We supply ALL necessary capacitors for a very good reason. Unless you have an ESR meter, you can not determine which capacitors have failed or are going to fail soon.
- Q. Why can't I simply buy the capacitors from somewhere like Maplin?
- A. You'll probably find that they don't stock all the values and they don't have the high-reliability types that we buy from America. Your power supply will work but may not last as long as you'd like and you'll have to do the job again.
- Q. I'm not sure if my PSU is completely dead. Will I need both kits or just the RELKIT?
- A. Impossible to answer but, if the RELKIT does not fix it, you'll need the SATKIT as well.
If you have questions about the capacitors, please read the forum discussion:-
http://notonyourtelly.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1390&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
(Kit purchasers please refer to your "Keep-me" email for more information links.)
In order to improve reliability, some capacitors have a higher rating than the originals.
All capacitors except C14 are rated at 105 degrees C (see note above).
KIT WARNING!
If you replace the existing capacitors with those from our kit, be careful to put them the right way round. If you get one the wrong way round, there is a risk that it could overheat very quickly and may go "pop".
- Capacitor C41 should be bent away from the heatsink before soldering. Position its top between the two adjacent capacitors, C42 and C60. C70 and C80 should also be angled away from the heatsink if possible. Every millimetre counts.
As you don't want to risk popping your face or getting a shock, please replace the cover before reconnecting mains power.
- Q. I'd like to go the kit route but I can't solder! Who can do it for me?
- A. We are building a list of people who are willing/able to fit kits locally. Please check this list. If you are able to offer this service or know someone who can offer it, please contact us.
| 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 PSU or Hard Drive. (We do not supply Hard Drives.) 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. If you want to order one, please contact TECHNICAL. Before you get too desperate, try peeling back the label and putting a drop of thin oil on the spindle. "Is my tuner faulty?" First replace or upgrade the power supply, since this can cause a "tuner fault" symptom. If that doesn't help, our suggestion is to unplug and swap the tuner modules over to see if the fault follows the suspect one. If it does, then a replacement tuner should be the answer. If the fault remains with the same input, then it's obviously not the tuner at fault. Unplug mains connection before opening equipment. Observe normal precautions to guard against zapping the tuner with static electricity. |
©2008 SatCure
| 
| A Beginner's Guide to Receiver Repair Based on the original "Screwdriver Expert's Guide to Satellite Receivers" this eBook describes the basic components and a typical power supply with diagrams and explanations. Shows how to solder and describes what to check and measure. Includes a basic guide to tracing the cause of a fault. It won't make you an expert but, if you are capable of soldering in components supplied as a kit, it will take you one step further so you understand why you are doing it and even help you figure out other possible fault causes and cures. If you buy a repair kit, you need this eBook. Click here |
| 
| FREE - Beginners Guide to Electronics Easier to understand than anything you've read previously! Martin has a knack of explaining technical subjects in simple language. Components covered include resistors, diodes, transistors and capacitors. As an example, it describes in detail how to build a flashing LED circuit on perforated stripboard ("Veroboard") with a photograph of every stage. This is NOT just another boring technical eBook full of mathematical equations. You'll like it! Ideal for everyone from the young student to the retired lady looking for a new hobby. You'll definitely want more! Click here |
