Used Series 3 Tivos (TCD648250B) on ebay

armstrr · 09-29-2009, 12:42 AM

so there have been about 60 of these series 3 machines on ebay in the last few days (still some there) that are being sold with no remotes, no power cord and....no hard drive. there looks to be 3 or 4 resellers that are selling these at the same time for between $104 (ME!!!!) to 150.

I recently upgraded my TivoHD to 1.5 tb internal, so i have the 160gb hard drive from it. i don't suppose i can use it to test the Series 3 i just won, can i?

if not, what is the smallest drive that i can put in the tivo to test it? (obviously i don't want to invest a lot if this is a dud!!)

is there some place i can download software to prepare the drive?

could i plug in the tivo to the video outputs and test it without a hard drive? any idea what might happen? (i can't believe it would be detrimental)

thanks!!

orangeboy · 09-29-2009, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by armstrr

...is there some place i can download software to prepare the drive?...

Google "tivo instant cake".

armstrr · 09-29-2009, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangeboy

Google "tivo instant cake".

thanks...that may be the ticket.

in the mean time....can i test it with the 160gb hd that i just pulled out of a tivoHD (i replaced it with a prepared drive). i want to keep this as a backup for the tivoHD, so i don't want to reprogram it.

if i go the instantcake way, what is the smallest size drive i can use...just to test the Series3 out before investing in a larger drive?

thanks!!

robomeister · 09-29-2009, 01:31 PM

To answer your questions directly:

No, the 160GB from your TiVoHD will not work in the Series3. For a couple reasons, it is too small (has to be at least 250GB) and it has the wrong software on it (the first 3 numbers of the TSN must match).

So you need a drive that is at least 250GB and you need either Instant Cake (for TCD648250B) or a drive image and the mfs tools to put the software onto the new drive.

Good luck,
robomeister

P.S. I also won one of these TiVos. Hopefully, they come with the hard drive mounting hardware.

netringer · 09-29-2009, 02:46 PM

Where could these be coming from? How would any legit source be removing the hard drives?

Phantom Gremlin · 09-29-2009, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by netringer

Where could these be coming from? How would any legit source be removing the hard drives?

Some company might have been using these for internal purposes. E.g. let's say CNN wants to monitor what's on all the other channels. What's an easy way to do that? Buy a bunch of TiVos!

Or maybe it's a very rich guy (yes I know he probably wouldn't have 60 of these).

Why should any company trust "clear and delete everything" to actually work? Or what if the rich guy recorded a lot of porn on the boxes? Smartest thing to do is pull the hard drives.

lessd · 09-29-2009, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phantom Gremlin

Some company might have been using these for internal purposes. E.g. let's say CNN wants to monitor what's on all the other channels. What's an easy way to do that? Buy a bunch of TiVos!

Or maybe it's a very rich guy (yes I know he probably wouldn't have 60 of these).

Why should any company trust "clear and delete everything" to actually work? Or what if the rich guy recorded a lot of porn on the boxes? Smartest thing to do is pull the hard drives.

Before you purchase some information, I got one of these Series 3 TiVos without the drive and the drive mounting is missing also, so you have no way of mounting a new drive. I am only a sample of one and i got mined for less than $100 (off E-Bay), it does work and I will use it for spare parts for my other 3 Series 3 TiVos. The unit looked new and the SI screen said the unit had never been activated so they may be an unused lot leftover from TiVo itself, the basic box before the drive was ever put in.

mr.unnatural · 09-30-2009, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by netringer

Where could these be coming from? How would any legit source be removing the hard drives?

They're probably non-working returns to Best Buy or some other retailer. BB doesn't actually repair anything themselves. They either send units out for repair or replace then with a new unit from stock.

I purchased about a dozen HDTivos several years ago that had been returned to BB or CC with bad HDMI cards. They were listed on ebay by a third party that acquired them as surplus. I don't recall if they had hard drives or not but I'm thinking they did. I had the HDMI cards repaired by CCS for $100 apiece and reimaged the hard drives. I picked up some inexpensive Tivo remotes on ebay for about $6 each and bought replacement AC cords from AllElectronics.com for about $1-2.

Check with Weaknees.com or Tivo.com to see if they have replacement hard drive brackets for an S3 Tivo. I'm guessing you'll have to get them from Tivo. Any Tivo remote will work with the S3, including numerous preprogrammed universal replacement remotes.

jwelser · 10-02-2009, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.unnatural

Check with Weaknees.com or Tivo.com to see if they have replacement hard drive brackets for an S3 Tivo. I'm guessing you'll have to get them from Tivo. Any Tivo remote will work with the S3, including numerous preprogrammed universal replacement remotes.

So, I just picked up one of these too (without the bracket.) Who did you talk to/how were you able to get parts like this from Tivo. Any help would be appreciated.

CrispyCritter · 10-02-2009, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwelser

So, I just picked up one of these too (without the bracket.) Who did you talk to/how were you able to get parts like this from Tivo. Any help would be appreciated.

I wouldn't expect there would be any way to get the parts from TiVo. TiVo can't in any way suggest that the case can be opened up by the user for legal reasons (power supplies are not consumer-level shielded). You'll have to get them elsewhere - I've gotten Series two mounts from Weaknees.

drey · 10-03-2009, 03:40 AM

Just make your own bracket, it's simple. The hard drive basically needs to be above the motherboard, so find a regular metal plate, mount it on 2 stands (cut them to the proper height) and you have the bracket. Cheap and simple!

magnus · 10-03-2009, 09:31 AM

I'm not sure why anyone would have paid more than $100 for these. I saw one that said it did not power up and it sold for $137 (that's crazy).

shane86 · 10-06-2009, 06:20 PM

Just got my series 3 from ebay yesterday, and the 1TB Hitatchi drive i intended to put in it.. busted it open, and yup, no hard drive braket. at least the connector fits, so i won't have to chop and solder.

Called Weaknees hoping they had a bracket available, thinking, eh... $20 maybe... no real skin after how deep in to this project already.

They have them alright... $99, and not many.
they came to the same conclusion, they can't get them, and you can't really fully refurb a box without one.

so, for now, i'll probably just let the drive hang out for initial setup, until i can fab some sort of braket.

the easiest way would be to throw a couple bends in a thin peice of sheet aluminum or steel, but the feet have to be standing off the motherboard to clear a few chips on it... guess i'll have to go to the computer store. perhaps a motherboard stand off will work.

Phantom Gremlin · 10-06-2009, 06:38 PM

Have you considered using cable ties?. Costco sells containers of 500 of these for just a few dollars. Simply use a handful and stabilize the hard drive with them to convenient points in the chassis. They're just as useful as duct tape! OTOH maybe this isn't possible with the S3 chassis layout. I don't have one so can't check.

However, that solution leaves the drive hanging in space, stabilized only by the ties. I'm not sure if that's good or bad or indifferent for something that's spinning at 7200 RPM plus seeking back and forth.

daveak · 10-06-2009, 06:47 PM

Could you not just get a drive enclosure and have the drive outside the unit?

magnus · 10-06-2009, 09:35 PM

@shane86 If the auction did not state that the drive bracket would be missing then I would complain to the seller.

Adam1115 · 10-06-2009, 10:16 PM

I can't imagine I couldn't find a drive bracket in the hundreds of computer cases in my basement...

But to do all this work? Thing better work and be more like $50...

drey · 10-07-2009, 01:38 AM

There is a bunch of WD 250GB drives that were removed from TiVo on eBay now. Might want to ask sellers if they have the bracket

lrhorer · 10-07-2009, 02:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveak

Could you not just get a drive enclosure and have the drive outside the unit?

Yes, but it requires cutting a hole in the chassis. With the THD, it's easy, because the e-SATA port on the THD is serviced by a cable. Swapping the primary and secondary drives in a THD is simple, and indeed, I am running my THD precisely this way: with no internal drive at all. With the original S3, it's a bit more difficult, since the e-SATA port is serviced directly by a connector soldered to the motherboard. I do have the primary and secondary drive swapped on one of my S3 TiVos, though:

aaronwt · 10-07-2009, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lrhorer

Yes, but it requires cutting a hole in the chassis. With the THD, it's easy, because the e-SATA port on the THD is serviced by a cable. Swapping the primary and secondary drives in a THD is simple, and indeed, I am running my THD precisely this way: with no internal drive at all. With the original S3, it's a bit more difficult, since the e-SATA port is serviced directly by a connector soldered to the motherboard. I do have the primary and secondary drive swapped on one of my S3 TiVos, though:

jlib · 10-07-2009, 10:29 PM

Nice work! You can also go a bit less elegantly and enlarge one of the vent slots on the bottom side with an Exacto hack saw.

As far as internal mounting goes, I would just glue foam ear plugs as legs on the drive and just let it sit there on the mainboard.

jwelser · 10-08-2009, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drey

Just make your own bracket, it's simple. The hard drive basically needs to be above the motherboard, so find a regular metal plate, mount it on 2 stands (cut them to the proper height) and you have the bracket. Cheap and simple!

That's pretty much what I'm doing. I have some 9th tee Series 2 DTivo brackets lying around, and they ALMOST work perfectly. I think I will just have to drill one extra hole (to accomodate the "back right" mounting hole, when you are looking at the mounting area from the top, with the back of the Tivo facing you) and then pick up the right sized spacer at frys to hold up the "back left" corner (and I'll probably have to drill another hole for that too.) The one from the kit 9th tee kit might work, I won't know until I actually try to put it all together.....

I'll post pics when I'm done. I assume that bracket is still available from 9th tee.....

armstrr · 10-10-2009, 11:28 AM

so, have any of you tested your as is "without hard drive" tivos? mine is on its way. i don't have a drive to test it, so i don't want to invest much...i suppose the best way to go about this would be to find out what the model # of the original 250 drive is and look for one and then instant cake it...correct? if it works out ok, then i can use that same instant cake cd to do a 1tb drive. does this make sense?

does anyone know the original 250gb hd's make and model #?

i'm not worried about the metal mount...i can rig something up.

netringer · 10-10-2009, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lrhorer

Yes, but it requires cutting a hole in the chassis. With the THD, it's easy, because the e-SATA port on the THD is serviced by a cable. Swapping the primary and secondary drives in a THD is simple, and indeed, I am running my THD precisely this way: with no internal drive at all. With the original S3, it's a bit more difficult, since the e-SATA port is serviced directly by a connector soldered to the motherboard. I do have the primary and secondary drive swapped on one of my S3 TiVos, though:

You have three external SATA drives connected? How you do dat?

lessd · 10-10-2009, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by armstrr

so, have any of you tested your as is "without hard drive" tivos? mine is on its way. i don't have a drive to test it, so i don't want to invest much...i suppose the best way to go about this would be to find out what the model # of the original 250 drive is and look for one and then instant cake it...correct? if it works out ok, then i can use that same instant cake cd to do a 1tb drive. does this make sense?

does anyone know the original 250gb hd's make and model #?

i'm not worried about the metal mount...i can rig something up.

The original drive (for the Series 3) was a WD model WD2500BS Caviar, the drive model may have changed over time. My take on these E-Bay Series 3 units is that they are all new, just not had their drive mounted yet and put together with the accessories and box. TiVo may just be dumping old pre finished series 3 stock..just a guess.

armstrr · 10-10-2009, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lessd

The original drive (for the Series 3) was a WD model WD2500BS Caviar, the drive model may have changed over time. My take on these E-Bay Series 3 units is that they are all new, just not had their drive mounted yet and put together with the accessories and box. TiVo may just be dumping old pre finished series 3 stock..just a guess.

THANKS!!

i assume it is best to get this specific drive, correct? if not, what do i need to look for...again, this is only to instant cake it to test since i want a larger internal drive if it tests OK.

DougJohnson · 10-10-2009, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by armstrr

THANKS!!

i assume it is best to get this specific drive, correct? if not, what do i need to look for...again, this is only to instant cake it to test since i want a larger internal drive if it tests OK.

It may be harder, and more expensive, to find the exact drive than a bigger drive. My experience is that TiVos are not real sensitive to the exact make and model of drive used. OK, I know there were problems with one or two drives in the Series 3.

Just for testing, find any SATA drive 250 GB or bigger and give it a try.

-- Doug

armstrr · 10-19-2009, 03:13 PM

so has anyone had a chance to try theirs?

and what solutions to the lack of hard drive tray have people actually used? thanks

shane86 · 10-19-2009, 05:53 PM

Progress update:
So, i contacted the seller, and complained about the lack of a HD bracket. he agreed to refund me $30, which is enough for me right now.

Getting a hard drive was a little tricky. originally, the Hitiachi drive i bought off amazon from the recomended list, had about 4-5 bad sectors at the begining of the drive which caused the Series 3 image i got from DVRUpgrade (instant cake) to just crash and reboot constantly. being i wanted this done now, i went down to the local microcenter and bought a new seagate 1TB drive, imaged it fast, and threw it in. works perfectly!

Everything is now rocking perfectly on the tivo. i took about an hour in my office to fabricate a tagboard template for a hd bracket, which should be easy enough to make with some scrap aluminum, aircraft shears, a bench vice, and a drill. But, i have a friend who fabricates parts for his race car who has some scrap aluminum and owes me a favor for rebuilding his datalogger. I've just been using it with the drive sitting on the cable card slots loose.

The only problem i'm running into now is the sheer incompotence of Mediacom, and their inability to deliver a damn pair of cable cards.

jwelser · 10-20-2009, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by armstrr

so has anyone had a chance to try theirs?

and what solutions to the lack of hard drive tray have people actually used? thanks

I bought 2 and they both worked fine (after putting in a new HD, of course.) I picked up 2 Samsung 1.5 TB HDs from Frys for $80 each a few weeks ago. I used InstantCake and MFSLive to create a new image (using only 1 TB, though -- maybe someday I'll hack the kernel to use more space) and everything is working great.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I used a 9th tee Series 2 DTivo bracket that I had lying around to make a new bracket. I only had to drill 2 holes in the bracket with a dremel, and dig out some PC hard drive mounting screws (the kind with the smaller thread.) All the other necessary hardware was in the kit. My new bracket works perfectly and fits pretty well. I took pics, but don't have them in front of me now. I'll try to remember to post them tomorrow.