Topfield 2100 pvr query

[satellite hobby]

My failing Topfield 2100 pvr is no longer outputting picture/sound via scart or rca,since I removed the failing hard drive.
Is this normal?
Thanks

 

[Channel Hopper]

What happens if you put it back in ?

 

[Topper]

What are the capacitors like, are they bulging on top of the canister?

 

[satellite hobby]

What happens if you put it back in ?

I haven’t tried putting it back in,as when it started failing,the pvr was taking longer and longer to turn on,sometimes up to twenty minutes
Read that removing the hard drive would result in it starting up straight away,which it did,but then realised that it was no longer outputting via scart,as I normally transferred recordings to dvd recorder via start,both connected to a manual switch box
I assumed the manual switch box had failed or the scart cable had become faulty
Replaced the scart cable,but no change
Realised the manual scart switch box wasn’t faulty as other equipment connected to it was working fine
Then connected a rca cable to see if that was working,but again no change ie no picture/sound

 

[satellite hobby]

What are the capacitors like, are they bulging on top of the canister?

The capacitors seemed fine,when I removed the hard drive

 

[Channel Hopper]

So, put the drive back in, go down the pub and when you return it will be fine.

Or buy a new drive.

 

[satellite hobby]

So, put the drive back in, go down the pub and when you return it will be fine.

Or buy a new drive.

I tried another drive(used),but there was no change,it was taking an age to start up,so removed it

 

[Channel Hopper]

Then it is probably not the drive that is causing the loss of connection, or start up times.

 

[jeallen01]

Sounds like it may be time to - with the drive removed - do a full Factory Reset (although I don't know how you would do that on the Topfield.)

 

[satellite hobby]

Sounds like it may be time to - with the drive removed - do a full Factory Reset (although I don't know how you would do that on the Topfield.)

Thanks,will try that.

 

[satellite hobby]

I have carried out a factory reset,and it booted up straight away
I then installed the original hard drive,it booted up straight away however it is stated hdd is not detected error
I then installed a brand new hard drive,booted up straight away again,so far so good
However again same hdd error ie not detected
could the Sata cable to the hard drive be faulty?

 

[Channel Hopper]

You may need to format the hard drive once installed, in order the receiver can partition it in a certain way.

 

[satellite hobby]

You may need to format the hard drive once installed, in order the receiver can partition it in a certain way.

Thanks
You get prompted to do that,once a hard drive is detected
Also once a hard drive is detected,then the hard drive menu becomes available and you are prompted to format or ”initialise“ the hard drive
However due to the hard drive(s),not being detected,the hard drive menu is greyed out,which means the hard drive cannot be formatted

 

[Channel Hopper]

OK, have you replaced new for old ?

Try swapping the SATA lead (end to end) as well as the power lead.

 

[Analoguesat]

What rotation speed is the replacement drive? If it spins up too slowly it can miss the detection routines. A older 5400rpm disc is probably going to be more prone to this than a new 7200rpm one

 

[satellite hobby]

What rotation speed is the replacement drive? If it spins up too slowly it can miss the detection routines. A older 5400rpm disc is probably going to be more prone to this than a new 7200rpm one

7200 rpm

 

[satellite hobby]

Aside from this problem
Can this failing receiver cause other equipment’s remote control problems ie stop it working?
A new receiver has been placed on top of this failing Topfield,with both receivers front fascia parallel to each other and the remote control stopped working on the new receiver
I then moved the new receiver back so it was sitting back from the Topfield below and the remote control is working again

 

[Channel Hopper]

If a PSU is giving problems (switch mode ) then this can give out all sorts of harmonics as radio waves and mess with electronic circuitry, inside and out.

 

[satellite hobby]

If a PSU is giving problems (switch mode ) then this can give out all sorts of harmonics as radio waves and mess with electronic circuitry, inside and out.

Thanks Channel Hopper