[timckelley]

Oh No! Here's what happened. Over the last month, I've been having a lot of stuttering. I assumed it was a bad hard drive, so a few days ago I replaced it, and the stuttering was 100% cured, and my TiVo was running like a champ, good as new. So I assumed that was my only problem.

Fast forward a few days and I was watching a show in Now Playing, and right in the middle of the show, the signal went blank and the TiVo turned off, just like a switch. Repeated unplugging and replugging in did nothing. (This just happened 5 minutes ago.)

So I took the case off and took a look inside. When I plug the power in, I hear a very faint rhymic clicking sound. What's worse is that the area where the power cord plugs in, on the inside of the box seems slightly warm, but not hot, and I thought there was a very faint smell coming from that area. When I unplug, the clicking stops, but I don't think it stopped instantly; it just kind of slowed down and stopped, kind of like a capaciter was discharging or something.

When I replaced the drive, did I goof something up? I thought was pretty careful not to touch anything else while I worked on it.

Does anybody have advice on what's wrong and how I go about fixing it? Is this something I can't fix myself, and that I need to send in somewhere for repair?



Oh, if it helps I should mention that my model is a HDR212 with two hard drives.

 

[rambler]

Unplug her. Position a pencil or something thin enough into the fan blades so it won't spin. Plug her in. Listen. With the fan ruled out, any noise has to be from the hard drive (that being said, all hard drives make some noise).

I'd verfiy that the fan works, then let it run again, and give it a workout. If it crashes or makes obscene noises again I would bet the farm that it's the hard drive.

 

[timckelley]

Let me clarify: when I plug it in, the fan won't spin (pencil or no pencil), and neither will the hard drive. The faint clicking I'm hearing is coming from the area where the power cord enters the box.

The symptoms seem the same as that of a failed power supply. But I don't see anything inside the TiVo that looks like or resembles the types of power supplies I've seen in PCs. So if I need a new power supply, I'm not sure if I know how to replace it. (I do know how to replace a PC power supply though, if that helps.)

 

[richsadams]

Let me clarify: when I plug it in, the fan won't spin (pencil or no pencil), and neither will the hard drive. The faint clicking I'm hearing is coming from the area where the power cord enters the box.

The symptoms seem the same as that of a failed power supply. But I don't see anything inside the TiVo that looks like or resembles the types of power supplies I've seen in PCs. So if I need a new power supply, I'm not sure if I know how to replace it. (I do know how to replace a PC power supply though, if that helps.)

It does indeed sound like a power supply. Probably nothing you did...they just go bad after a while. We had to replace one in our S1 many years ago, it’s very simple, remove a few screws, pull it out and replace it with the new one. It looks like this:

You can get a replacement here at 9thtee.com for about $25. (I had an extra one laying around that you could have but I just took a look in a couple of places where I thought it might be...it's evaporated. )

Be careful when fooling around with the power supply...it can still carry a high capacity shock. Don't lay your screw driver across any of its parts (or the case) when you're removing it and handle it only by the edges of the mounting bracket.

Let us know how it goes!

 

[timckelley]

Thanks for that tip. Also, I see that your 9thtee link is considerably cheaper than weaknees.

One thing that might worry me at the back of my mind: I once had a power supply go bad on a PC, so I replaced it, and it briefly seemed to work, but then it went out again, and it turned out the motherboard was bad. It's possible the bad motherboard was damaging the power supply. So while replacing the power supply treated the problem on the surface, it wasn't addressing the root cause of the problem.

I hope my series 1 doesn't have a bad motherboard.

 

[richsadams]

Thanks for that tip. Also, I see that your 9thtee link is considerably cheaper than weaknees.

One thing that might worry me at the back of my mind: I once had a power supply go bad on a PC, so I replaced it, and it briefly seemed to work, but then it went out again, and it turned out the motherboard was bad. It's possible the bad motherboard was damaging the power supply. So while replacing the power supply treated the problem on the surface, it wasn't addressing the root cause of the problem.

I hope my series 1 doesn't have a bad motherboard.

Weaknees is good, but the PS's are twice as much.

A bad motherboard is a possibility, but very remote I would think unless it's been physically abused somehow.

The only other variables are the fan and the HDD. (I've never heard of a HDD frying a PS, but I guess you never know.) Perhaps when you replace the PS you might disconnect the power lead to the HDD and fire it up to make sure the fan runs, etc. If the fan doesn't run and/or or the PS starts to smell, it might be the fan, possibly the MB (but again I doubt it). If all looks good, unplug TiVo and plug the HDD back in and listen for proper spin-up, etc.

I still think it's most likely just a failed power supply.

 

[timckelley]

It's hard to tell from 9thTee's picture of the power supply has enough connectors to handle both of my hard drives, but it does say

• Factory Replacement Power Supply for Series 1 Stand Alone TiVo's
• Brand New, Easy to install
• For any Philips HDR or PTV series unit, or the Sony SVR-2000

, so it sounds like it should work for me.

 

[richsadams]

It's hard to tell from 9thTee's picture of the power supply has enough connectors to handle both of my hard drives, but it does say

• Factory Replacement Power Supply for Series 1 Stand Alone TiVo's
• Brand New, Easy to install
• For any Philips HDR or PTV series unit, or the Sony SVR-2000

, so it sounds like it should work for me.

I didn’t realize that you had two HDD’s, but no matter. I see what you mean...the pic only shows one (HDD) lead, but it has to have at least one more that goes to the MB and should have a second HDD lead but if not you could pick up a "Y" connector that allows the power output to be split to both HDD's at any computer supply or CE store like Fry's, Radio Shack, etc. for a couple of dollars. You could probably e-mail them to confirm though.

Here are the replacement instructions:

INSTRUCTIONS FOR REPLACING A TiVo POWER SUPPLY:​

TOOLS REQUIRED:
Torx T10 screwdriver
Needle-nosed pliers

1) Pull the plug on your TiVo and wait 5 minutes or so for it to discharge. Remove the four or five screws on the back of your TiVo, which hold the lid in place. Slide the lid back and up/off the TiVo.
2) Remove the flat cable that connects the power supply to the motherboard. This pulls straight out from both the connector to the power supply and the connector to the motherboard. Then remove the power cable from the hard drive(s) in your TiVo.
3 ) Using a T10 screwdriver, remove the screws that are holding the power supply to the case. There should be between 2-4 screws, depending on your power supply.
4 ) Using needle-nosed pliers, twist the metal prongs through the slats in the power supply. Twist them until they are straight and parallel with the slats. NOTE: Some power supplies use plastic connectors to hold the power supply in place. These connectors are easy to remove as well--simply squeeze them with your pliers and pull the power supply up.
5 ) Simply pull the power supply up and out of the TiVo. Note: In some units (those with metal prongs rather than white posts), you will have to slide the power supply toward the front of the unit before lifting it up and out of the TiVo.
6) Reverse these steps to install the new power supply.​

 

[mick66]

Thanks for that tip. Also, I see that your 9thtee link is considerably cheaper than weaknees.

and it's $20 cheaper on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/SA-TiVo-Power-S...ryZ11725QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

 

[timckelley]

That's actually $17 cheaper on ebay than 9thTee, once you factor in shipping on both sites. Still $17 cheaper is a good deal. So that's why I'm experiencing buyer's regret, as I've already ordered off for 9thTee's power supply. Oh well. At least in the scheme of things, it's not costing a lot to get my lifetimed TiVo repaired.

I looked by the way, and I can only see one screw on my power supply. But according to the instructions, I must be overlooking at least one screw, but I just don't see it. I guess I'll wait for the new power supply to arrive and I'll look at it closely for hints on where the other screws are.

 

[richsadams]

That's actually $17 cheaper on ebay than 9thTee, once you factor in shipping on both sites. Still $17 cheaper is a good deal. So that's why I'm experiencing buyer's regret, as I've already ordered off for 9thTee's power supply. Oh well. At least in the scheme of things, it's not costing a lot to get my lifetimed TiVo repaired.

I looked by the way, and I can only see one screw on my power supply. But according to the instructions, I must be overlooking at least one screw, but I just don't see it. I guess I'll wait for the new power supply to arrive and I'll look at it closely for hints on where the other screws are.

Well...at least if it's DOA (not likely) you'll have an easy return with 9thTee. IMO it's always "iffy" with ebay purchases.

Let us know how it goes!

 

[timckelley]

I just got the UPS tracking info on my new power supply, and it's scheduled to arrive at my house this Friday. And none too soon either, because the only other TiVo in the house is a single tuner series 2, and my wife's To Do List is taking up a lot of the time slots on that tuner.

 

[BobCamp1]

(I've never heard of a HDD frying a PS, but I guess you never know.)

...

I still think it's most likely just a failed power supply.

I think it's both. The new HD may have put too much strain on an aging power supply.

Hopefully, the new HD won't blow up the new power supply as well. Tivo power supplies are not designed very well, and modern hard drives take up an enormous amount of power to run. Did you put the old HD back in to see what happens? (you'll probably have to remove both existing HDs, restore the backup image onto an older HD, and run the Tivo with just the older HD to see what happens).

 

[timckelley]

I think it's both. The new HD may have put too much strain on an aging power supply.

Hopefully, the new HD won't blow up the new power supply as well. Tivo power supplies are not designed very well, and modern hard drives take up an enormous amount of power to run. Did you put the old HD back in to see what happens? (you'll probably have to remove both existing HDs, restore the backup image onto an older HD, and run the Tivo with just the older HD to see what happens).

I didn't do that, but do you think it would help if I convert to a single drive system, instead of dual drive? Maybe that would lessen the load on the power supply.

By the way, the two drives I have in there are pretty old. One's a WD 20 GB from an old computer I had years ago, and the other is the original 80 GB that came in my series 2 TiVo that I bought around 2003, IIRC.

 

[timckelley]

Here's a question. (BTW, I'm still waiting for delivery on the new power supply.)

I could do a quick test where I just disconnect the power connector off the slave drive, but leave the primary drive connected, then turn on the power (using my old, supposedly broken power supply, which is still installed). If the problem is that my drives are demanding too much power, maybe the one drive will start up, and I'll hear it spinning, and see the fan spinning. This would possibly confirm the theory as to what's causing my problem.

My question is: Is this dangerous? My two drives are currently configured as a married pair. If I cut power to one, what would happen if I tried to turn on the TiVo? If error messages is all that would happen, that's fine - the idea is just to see if the one drive will spin or not. Would doing this cause some kind of damage I'm not aware of?

 

[murgatroyd]

You might try posting this query in the Upgrade Center forum.

And I'd say, it couldn't hurt to switch to a single-drive system. Whether it reduces wear-and-tear on the power supply, I can't say, but it will certainly reduce wear-and-tear on you, if you need to do another upgrade in the future.

Jan

 

[timckelley]

You might try posting this query in the Upgrade Center forum.

And I'd say, it couldn't hurt to switch to a single-drive system. Whether it reduces wear-and-tear on the power supply, I can't say, but it will certainly reduce wear-and-tear on you, if you need to do another upgrade in the future.

Jan

I guess I put this in the Help Forum because it's a repair, not an upgrade, but I guess you're right that choosing between single vs dual drive might be a good question for the Upgrade people to answer.