ReplayTV 5xxx Power Supply Repair

You might contact Mikeyboy. He is the most likely to have done this sort of repair. Not sure why you would have had three different power supplies so close together from the caps. Perhaps an external event?

However, if the capacitors have simply failed due to age - This could be the "lifetime" limiting components. Electrolytic caps are often replaced in industry critical applications at around 10-years. This style cap also ages "on-the-shelf" and does not need to be powered up.

I have 13 RTV 5000 series between two homes so I've gotten pretty resourceful at keeping them all alive. I bought some of them on ebay just to keep for parts but keep them all plugged in and working. Today one of them stopped though. The blue light was on but there was no video.
Rebooted - not even the blue light.

As had happened on another unit, I suspected a power supply problem. Popped the hood and sure enough, the 2200uf 10volt cap had blown - exactly the same one as in the other machine. Replacing the cap brought it back to life.

For those who don't know the difference between an electrolytic cap and a baseball cap allow me explain. The power supply board is in the front left corner of the unit and has the power cord plugged into it. The cap in question is one of the round black cylinders on the right side of the board. This specific cap is next to a coil and is located 1" in from the right side and 1.25" in from the front side of the board.

So how did I immediately know the cap had blown? You'll notice that all the caps have a flat top with an X scored on the top. The purpose of the scoring is to provide a weak point for the cap when it pops. You may notice some dirt and/or a small hole and/or a bulge in the top of the cap.

If you're handy with a soldering iron you can remove and replace the cap in about 5 minutes once you've unplugged the unit and removed the board from the chassis. When installing an electrolytic cap you MUST OBSERVE POLARITY! One side of the cap will be marked with a stripe with a "-" sign. That side goes into the shaded, rearward hole on the board.

If you're not comfortable soldering, any electronics repair shop can do it for you. The cap itself is less than $2. If you don't have an electronics supply store nearby you can order from Radio Shack or Jameco (the better choice).

Hope this helps someone out there in ReplayTV Land!

In my internet searches I found help for capacitor issues.

Great discussion, fixes, sources, etc.

http://www.badcaps.net/forum/index.php

Enjoy!

Just thinking out loud....
Are there any voltages supplied from the OEM Replay PSU that a standard $25 computer PSU doesn't provide?

Thinking hack here....

Standard computer PSU supplies +12v, +5v, +3.3v, -12v

I've been running my ReplayTV 3000 on a PC power supply for probably 8 years or so! Only issue is if it is an ATX power supply you'll need to add a jumper so it turns on.

Thanks Reden,

As I thought, a easy cheap fix!

$18 including shipping... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817170014

I have a minimal amount of electronics, but I was wondering what would one do to use the PC power supply to step down to the rainbow voltages and by-pass the failed replay power unit?

Thanks

Robert

No need to step down any voltages from a computer PSU, everything is already there that the Replay needs... +3.3, -3.3,+5,-5, +12, -12, Ground, etc..
You just have to cut the leads from the OEM Replay PSU identify the correct voltage for each lead- then splice in the computer PSU.

Here's a standard 24 pin atx PSU pinout: http://powersupply88.com/atx-power-supply-pinout.html

Here's a page with the pinouts for the ReplayTV- look about 1/2 way down the page for the photo of the actual connector voltages:
http://www.replaytvparts.com/5000or5500powerproblems.html

There's no -3.3 output from a computer PSU. Old PC supplies had -5V, but most don't now.

Yeah, my mistake no -3.3 (minus 3.3) volt output on computer PSU.
Good thing is the Replay doesn't need -3.3v it needs +3.3v

Thanks for all the quick responses. That is an easy (and Cheap!) alternative. I saw ebay was wanting around $100 for a replay PSU.

Robert

You could probably use one of the Mini ITX PSU's- it would fit right inside the Replay case with heavy duty velcro to hold it in place:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104080

SUBJECT: Repair or Replace?
. .
IMHO, I'd look for BULGED electrolytic caps on the ReplayTV P/S and replace them *BEFORE* I'd pop in a PC P/S... {thinking}
[*IF* you have a voltmeter (digital or analog) and can solder! ]

There are PLENTY of PHOTOS with VOLTAGE CHECK INFO available if you SEARCH.
. Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show) .
Good Luck!

Another option for those would like to have the power supply repaired. You can send them to me and I will replace the caps, test it and return it like I am doing with the Channel Master cm-7000.

I there is an interest, I will pull one of mine to determine what all the caps are and find replacements to determine the cost of this service.

I have a 5xxx power supply that just died. I would like it repaired. I see no tops popped but on a 0320 barrel (not the big ones and not the small ones), black, there appears to be a hole and an almost solder-like material bridged from it to the biggest heat sink bolt. When I say heat sink, I mean the longest and thinnest, and seems to be the biggest heat sink. It is definitely the power supply because there is a slight burnt mark on the power connector and it smells...and it doesn't boot up and the blue on light stays on unless I unplug it. Is the 0320 a capacitor and can you fix/replace it? If so how do we connect/hook up? Thanks.

Well you maybe able to use a pc power supply for a 3000 (I have seen one), but it is not going to work for a 5000/5500.

The 5000/5500 power supply has 5 voltages: +2.5V, +3.3V, +5.0V, +12.0V, +34.0V. The pc power supply does not have the 2.5V or 34V supply voltages.