T3 doing very weird things-help!

[BlahWiz]

For the past few days my T3 has been repeatedly going into standby mode after about 10 minutes. It’s also sometimes changing to different channels on its own and sometimes seems to adjust the volume.

I thought it might be a dodgy remote sending funny signals, so I removed the batteries from the remote altogether, but it kept happening.

Tried rebooting, no effect. Tried updating firmware, no effect. Tried restoring to factory settings with and then without reinstalling my previous settings. Still no improvement.

I’ve previously had the power failure problem common to T3s (complete shutdown) and had that fixed, but that was about a year ago.

Any ideas?

[prl]

Hi, BlahWiz, welcome to the forum.

Two things come to mind. One is that the power supply is acting up again. If Warkus fixed it that may be less likely than if Beyonwiz fixed it, because Warkus's power supply repairs seem to be more thorough than Beyonwiz (replacing components that may cause future problems as well ad replacing the ones causing the current problem).

Another possibility is that there's a problem with the front panel "switch" sensors, possibly a cable near them on the back of the front panel circuit board, loose screws (that serve as the sensor electrodes) that are only making intermittent contact with theit pads on the circuit board, or another device causing interference on the sensor electrodes.

[MrQuade]

I agree, I'm thinking front panel is the most likely cause.

[prl]

I agree, I'm thinking front panel is the most likely cause.

I agree. The channel and volume changes point that way.

[prl]

BlahWiz, I think I inadvertently disapproved your last post. My apologies.

In answer to your questions, no soldering is required, but there are high voltages (nearly 340V) present on the T3 power supply for a time after it has been disconnected from the mains.

Leave it disconnected from the mains for at least 15min before opening it.

Then to look for potential problems with the front panel sensor switches, open the case top (3 screws on the rear, 2 on the sides) and look at the back of the front panel circuit board. There are 6 chrome-plates screw heads on the circuit board corresponding to each of the sensor buttons. The black screws in the circuit board are just fastenings. They aren't part of the sensors.

Make sure that none of the internal cabling is touching or near the screw heads, and move it away from them if it is. Then get a screwdriver and gently tighten each of the screws, making sure they make firm contact with the pads on the circuit board.

That's it, really. put the case top back on and give it a go.

[BlahWiz]

Great, I’ll give that a go tomorrow. Thanks

[BlahWiz]

Just had a go. There was nothing touching the screws and they were all nice and tight. There was a little dust I cleaned out but otherwise no issues.
Unfortunately it’s just as bad now, if not worse. Keeps changing channels spontaneously. Thanks for the suggestions anyway.

Anyone know of a good repairman in the Northern Sydney region? I went to NASA electronics last time because they were the officially recommended Beyonwiz repairers, but they’re a long drive away.

I’d be happy to buy a T4 or one of the new U4s, but I gather they won’t be obtainable for a month or two...

[MrQuade]

Just had a go. There was nothing touching the screws and they were all nice and tight. There was a little dust I cleaned out but otherwise no issues.

It's not just if a cable is touching the screws. Even if the cables, power or otherwise, run near the front panel, you can have problems. Best to run them well away from the panel circuit board if possible.

Also check for any new devices installed nearby the T3. Sometimes an especially "EM noisy" device can set of the front panel touch sensors. Try moving the T3 to a slightly different location.

[sub3R]

... Also check for any new devices installed nearby the T3. Sometimes an especially "EM noisy" device can set of the front panel touch sensors. Try moving the T3 to a slightly different location.

If the T3 is that prone to interference I’m guessing that cheap & nasty LED light fittings anywhere in the house could cause enough interference.

Try switching everything electrical off (240V mains & battery powered) except the T3/TV & see if the problem still exists.

Were any new electrical/electronic devices purchased/installed at the same time the problem started?

[BlahWiz]

I tried turning off all electronics within 3-4m other than the TV and the beyonwiz today and still had the same issues after a reboot, so if it’s interference from something, it’s a further distance away and I can’t do anything about it. The only new (ish) device was an Apple TV but I turned that off and put the remote in a distant room and still had the same problem.

Since the front panel is the popular theory, is there a way to disable that? I don’t use the front panel buttons anyway so unless that stops the remote working I’d be happy to give that a try.

Alternatively, as mentioned, anyone know a good repairer in North Sydney area?

Or anywhere I can buy a T4?

[prl]

... Since the front panel is the popular theory, is there a way to disable that? ...

You could disable the sensors for the front panel touch switches by removing those 6 chrome-plated screws, but if the interference isn't coming in through them, that won't help.

You can't disable the front panel entirely, because the front panel microcomputer manages the remote control signals and the power supply for startup/shutdown.

[directrix]

I have had the exact same problem with my T3 recently and tried removing the screws, but no luck.
The power supply had been replaced as a changeover by warkus/Mark from Decisive Computer Solutions in Perth.

After a few weeks , the front panel played up and we spent a lot time switching out front panels and testing out possible interference.
We now suspect mainboard issues and he has the T3 for testing.

As a workaround, I bought a T2 with the T3 hard drive used as an external drive.

[sub3R]

I tried turning off all electronics within 3-4m other than the TV and the beyonwiz today and still had the same issues after a reboot, so if it’s interference from something, it’s a further distance away and I can’t do anything about it. The only new (ish) device was an Apple TV but I turned that off and put the remote in a distant room and still had the same problem. ...

Cheap, poor quality LED fittings can cause interference at a greater distance than that. I assume you switched off all electrical devices as well as all electronic devices, & not just relocated some.

If NASA electronics repaired the power supply about 12 months ago, I wonder if they used quality capacitors & replaced the ones that Mark (warkus) recommends replacing. Is the T3 in an enclosed cabinet? If so it could degrade the power supply quicker than if not.

One thing you could try; depending on what feedback you get from the front display on the T3 (I don’t own one), disconnect the antenna coax feeding the T3 at the T3 & switch off the TV at the 240V GPO. I’m thinking your antenna could be picking up something that is causing interference. I was getting some interference from 4G on our old VHF/UHF antenna that was causing different issues, but I don’t know if a 4G signal could cause your issues.

[BlahWiz]

I’m thinking interference from other devices isn’t the issue, since this has only very recently happened in the last few days without anything else changing in terms of buying new devices, and since turning everything else off didn’t work and no other of my gadgets have similar issues.

Also, if it had something to do with our light fittings, it isn’t practical to rewire our entire place to make one device happy.

Sounds like directrix has the same problem.

Might be forced to buy a T2 or maybe some other brand of PVR if I can’t find a nearby repairer and can’t buy a T4 or a U4.

[prl]

... [if I] can’t buy a T4 ...

It's not possible to buy a new T4 any more. There aren't even any refurbished ones on the Beyonwiz web site at the moment.

Also, the T4 has front panel touch sensor buttons that are susceptible to the same problems as the T3. The U4 has a touch sensor, too, but only for the power button.

The suggested problems with LED lighting are generic to IR remote control sensors.

[BlahWiz]

Yes, it’s bad timing for this to happen right when it isn’t possible to buy a replacement. I’d get a T2, but it feels like a step backwards.

I don’t have LED lighting, so I doubt that can be the issue.

[prl]

...
I don’t have LED lighting, so I doubt that can be the issue.

In Google searches for interference with IR remotes, I've seen reports of interference for compact fluoro lighting (and in general for fluoro lighting with electronic ballasts) as well as for LED lighting.

The common link between them all seems to be electronic ballasts operating at around 40kHz, where a lot of the common modulation frequencies for IR remotes lie.

[peteru]

Might be forced to buy a T2 or maybe some other brand of PVR if I can’t find a nearby repairer and can’t buy a T4 or a U4.

Why are you insisting on a local repairer? Wouldn't you be better off with an expert repairer?

[directrix]

Yes, it’s bad timing for this to happen right when it isn’t possible to buy a replacement. I’d get a T2, but it feels like a step backwards.

My T3 was still recording OK in standby. Live operation was a no go.
I networked the T3 to an old DP-H1and played files back that way for awhile but that machine could only handle SD files.


The T2 is a solid fast no frills machine. If my T3 does not come back to life, I have a great replacement.

[BlahWiz]

Good to hear the T2 is a solid option, thanks.

I’m after a local repairer because this will be the second repair within about 12 months and the last time was one hours’ drive each way, plus a 45 min wait for the repair itself. Having the expert repairer last time didn’t prevent this episode (nor would I expect it to necessarily) and I’m not a fan of wasting a day driving around, possibly with the end result that it isn’t fixable.

[peteru]

Then don't drive around. Box it and send it to Perth.

Read here for a reason why you should do that.

[prl]

Also, if Warkus can diagnose the problem as being the power supply without seeing the PVR, and you're willing to do the installation, he can usually do a power supply exchange, with him sending you the replacement and you sending back the old power supply.

I did this with him for a DP-S1 power supply and it's a very good arrangement (and quite reasonably priced).

Changing the power supply board on the T3 doesn't require any soldering, though you still need to be wary of the capacitors on the mains side of the supply you're taking out.

[BlahWiz]

Yes, maybe I will post it. It’s about $30 each way by the looks of it, but that’s probably worth it

[directrix]

You can do it one way for $17 - $20 here: https://au.interparcel.com/quote/parcel
Send Mark an email and he can give you the details: support@decisivecomputersolutions.com.au

[prl]

The best way to contact Warkus these days seems to be via either the email address or the phone number on his company's website: http://decisivecomputersolutions.com.au/contact.html

[BlahWiz]

Awesome. Thanks for the advice. I’ve contacted Beyonwiz so we’ll see what they say. If not, I’ll contact Warkus directly.

[directrix]

Hey Blahwiz,
Did you get yours sorted? My T3 is back with a clean bill of health after Warkus diagnosed the problem.
Apparently the front panel cable to the mainboard can be physically too close to the power supply.
Cable was rerouted and now, no weird front panel symptoms.