Electrical fault???

yaya · 28-07-2007

Hi guys, had my dreambox 5620 for about 2 years, been on and working for that long as well. I decided that i was going to update my cam for the first time in about 6 months, because i only use an official card anyway. Followed the usual procedure and reset the dreambox, tick tick tick tick tick, thats all i now get from the box, i dont get any 5600 boot message, no lights, just tick tick tick tick, coming from inside the box. Weird thing is ive had it working twioce since then, once by pressing down on the top of the box and once from switching it off and then on about 10 times. Now it seems permanently stuck in this tick tick tick. Anyone got any ideas or experience of this?

P.S i tried hooking it up to dreamup, which recognises the box as a 5620 but cant initialise flash, if that helps. Cheers guys

yaya · 12-08-2007

Does anyone know a place i can send it to so it can be repaired??? Cheers

**rolfw** · 12-08-2007

Well SMS at Camberley are the UK distributors, you could try them.

PS. If you add the correct information to your profile, then everyone will be able to help more easily, it is only because I asked you in another thread that I know you are South of London.

shagx · 13-08-2007

power supply fault, you have a capacitor gone short circuit on one of the power rails I expect dragging it all down thats why it ticks

yaya · 13-08-2007

how do i fix that shagx? Could i take it to a normal electrician? OR is there a guide online that i could follow and get my old soldering gun out??? Cheers

**rolfw** · 13-08-2007

An electrician will not be able to fix a satellite receiver, you need someone like a TV engineer, who is capable of identifying and replacing very delicate surface mount components.

If you have no experience of soldering on this type of board, don't try it, it will end in tears.

**Robbo** · 13-08-2007

Originally Posted by yaya

how do i fix that shagx? Could i take it to a normal electrician? OR is there a guide online that i could follow and get my old soldering gun out??? Cheers

At minimum you would need a fine tipped soldering iron and a pair of fine tipped tweezers plus solder. A multimeter would be useful too.The cost of these items alone could be more than the repair cost. Plus you would need to find out exactly which cap has gone and identify replacements with the same footprints and values. Unless you are an electronics hobbyist or a professional engineer or technician its probably best to leave it to someone else.

**billnot** · 13-08-2007

Originally Posted by Robbo71

At minimum you would need a fine tipped soldering iron and a pair of fine tipped tweezers plus solder.

You also need steady hands and excellent eyesight. I no longer have either.

Those can't be bought, alas.

shagx · 14-08-2007

As stated above you would need a multimeter to be able to locate the power rail drop from the transformer side of the circuit then follow and test the capacitors along the rail to you find the faulty one which has probably gone short circuit.
The actual component cost will be pence to buy but locating it can take abit of time, if you dont know how to repair or what to look for id suggest taking it to a local electronics repair shop.
Be warned the power supply transformer still can contain voltage even though the power may be switched off!!

Regards

ShagX

**Llew** · 14-08-2007

Bear in mind that an electrolytic capacitor test with a multimeter so equipped may show a correct capacitance reading, but will still be faulty (high ESR).

Checking using the resistance range for a 'kick' - the same applies.

Only an ESR meter will determine whether the capacitor is faulty (unless the signs are obvious - dead short or bulging case).

Llew

**Topper** · 14-08-2007

Originally Posted by Llew

the signs are obvious - dead short or bulging case

Wow I got both those characteristics ergo.....

***Yeshi*** · 14-08-2007

Can i just say you do NOT remove surface mount caps off with a Fine tipped soldering iron, you will burn the board and posibly damage the tracks.

First identify the cap at fault with a multimeter once you have tracked down the dead cap, take yourself to maplins and buy yourself a gas solder iron with a hot air fittings.

Apply the flux, grab yourself small screw driver, heat the cap up (dont get too close). whilst applying heat push the cap away from its track. it will move fairly easy.

apply the powerlead to the box it shud then power up and work as normal. BUT remove the powerlead and find a replacement cap from another box which you dont use or is broken. do the above and replace in the box being repaired.

I will say again. dont use a fine tipped soldering iron as you will burn the board..

**Robbo** · 14-08-2007

Originally Posted by Yeshi

Can i just say you do NOT remove surface mount caps off with a Fine tipped soldering iron, you will burn the board and posibly damage the tracks.

First identify the cap at fault with a multimeter once you have tracked down the dead cap, take yourself to maplins and buy yourself a gas solder iron with a hot air fittings.

Apply the flux, grab yourself small screw driver, heat the cap up (dont get too close). whilst applying heat push the cap away from its track. it will move fairly easy.

apply the powerlead to the box it shud then power up and work as normal. BUT remove the powerlead and find a replacement cap from another box which you dont use or is broken. do the above and replace in the box being repaired.

I will say again. dont use a fine tipped soldering iron as you will burn the board..

You can remove them with a soldering iron mate, if you do it VERY carefully with the use of flux, by gently alternating the heat to each end in turn, while gently using the tweezers to lift the component. I have done this hundreds of times without a problem over the last twenty years whilst working on surface mount boards at work. I have also used a SMT hot air rework station, but I prefer the iron,

yaya · 15-08-2007

Ok, opened it up today with an electronic tester screwdriver. I have located the problem as being either the big yellow box thing or the thing that looks like 2 copper wheels next to it. Whilst i was fiddling, the dreambox booted up. I switched it off thinking my tinkering had cracked it but then i tried again and just tick tick tick. Any ideas what parts these are or what to do with it?

This is what they have written on them:
Copper wheel: LFW10500005C BMC 0339
Yellow Box: .22K275V-X2 MPX GMF40/100/21 250V-CARLI

P.S: As a replacement box should i buy a technomate 1500ci to work with my digitalb card? Cheers

**Llew** · 15-08-2007

The 'copper wheel' will be the mains smoothing choke, and the other component is a 22nF 275V capacitor. The X2 suffix denotes a mains - rated capacitor, and must be replaced with a similar X2 rated item.

However, problems with these items are unlikely to give the symptom you describe.

A short between the turns of the choke would blow a fuse. Open turns on either coil and you would have no supply to the rest of the circuit.

The capacitor if short circuit would again blow a fuse, but if open circuit may allow mains spikes into the supply, but unlikely to cause your problem. Could replace it I suppose, cheap enough from a component supplier.

Llew

**Llew** · 15-08-2007

Just a reminder - only do cold checks on your receiver if you have no experience of fault - finding. Live receivers are dangerous to work on, particularly on the mains side of the box.

Llew

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