Solution to losing date/time in FTA 12-volt receivers!

radio · Aug 17, 2014

I found my holy grail of un expected things today at the Lansing flea market....

On the dollar per item table, this BELKIN battery backup unit sat, and when switched "on" it came to life! It has ONLY an attached 12 volt output, which fits the microHD receiver, (and probably the Amiko miniHD I'm using now! It's designed for residential use, and apparently often used with "uverse" setups. It's PERFECT for holding a steady voltage in to the receiver! Yes, a full UPS would protect all my equipment, but since this showed up for a buck, I'm OVERJOYED! Sick of resetting clocks and timers when someone sneezes near our power lines, and apparently no FTA box has overcome this simple issue yet!

The REALLY good thing is, they go cheap on Ebay! Search 'em down! Many are under $20 and many with free shipping! A perfect "aftermarket" power supply for FTA! Even the plug was correct for my microHD! OH, and the output is 3 amps, plenty of power for the upscaling of the LNB voltage, too! It actually put out a hair MORE voltage when running as backup than when in "normal" operation.

Hope this helps someone else like it has me!
Original mfr's link: http://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-BU3DC001-12V/
Paste that into Ebay and see what I mean!

Cheers!

jorgek · Aug 17, 2014

Great find.
Have you tried it to verify how long it will power the STB with it unplugged?

Lone Gunman · Aug 17, 2014

radio said:
Sick of resetting clocks and timers when someone sneezes near our power lines, and apparently no FTA box has overcome this simple issue yet!

Yeah, I've often wondered why NONE of these FTA receivers have a backup battery in'em for the clock. Computers do this with a 3.3v battery mounted on the motherboard and I'm pretty sure that wouldn't add too much to the price. Hell, I'd pay an extra $10 or so to have the clock stay correct when power is disconnected as I turn off my stuff via the switch on the power strip when not in use to save on my electric bill.

My GI920 has been disconnected for about 4 years now and I fired it up the other day and it's only lost 9 minutes in that time. Park one of these newer receivers on a satellite with no time update and see how long it takes to get that far off! Then again, I haven't paid $400 for a receiver since I bought that 920 either.

radio · Aug 17, 2014

jorgek said:
Great find.
Have you tried it to verify how long it will power the STB with it unplugged?

Testing right now! Glad you asked, I'll know before deployment on the Amiko. For a fair test, I put a C-band LNB on the MicroHD on the bench so the load of an LNB is on it. Will report back. It's "beeping" as we speak to tell me "hey dummy, I'm on battery!" So far 7 minutes, no issues, I expect a much longer time but for me this is fine, as our generator will kick in and run the station and apartment quickly.

radio · Aug 17, 2014

STILL GOING......17 MINUTES......no sign of fatigue. Insert bunny with drum here......

. Raine · Aug 17, 2014

Pretty sweet deal, for a buck!

radio · Aug 17, 2014

Yep, and I didn't know such a box existed! (a 12-volt external UPS)...thought all these cable phone and other things had INternal batteries! Betcha our FTA gang
starts buying em up! You get a stronger power supply and backup all in one. By the way, over an hour now, no issues.

Going to install. Next test is if it "likes" power from a generator or not, some UPS units don't and constantly switch back and forth from battery to "off grid AC" and eventually go dead. Only ones I have for larger equipment that don't do that (110 volt units) are made by APC and actually regulate voltage at all times.

Putting this box IN SERVICE!

radio · Aug 17, 2014

Deployed! And, the first picture with UPS in bottom of rack sure beats the heck out of the ugly "adapted/original" wall wart sticking out so far in the outlet you see to the right of the rack. The plug and polarity are perfect for both the MicroHD and the Amiko MiniHD

Cosmo Blatz · Aug 21, 2014

On a whim, I stopped at the local St. Vincent dePaul Thrift Shop this morning. They had two Belkins on the shelf !!! A grey rev B and a black (rev A ?). Bought the rev B for $10.54. Charged it for a couple of hours. Hooked the Belkin up to my TV sound system, consisting of a pair of Wharfedale speakers and a Lepai LP-2020A amplifier. Normally the Lepai is powered by a 12v wall wart. The Belkin plugged right in to the amp. The TV audio amp, powered by the Belkin, was on for 4 hours at moderate volume. While still under load, after 4 hours, the Belkin's battery voltage was at 11.83 volts. Not bad.

EDIT: Obligatory proof of purchase photo. Price tag still on.

Yes, THOSE speakers are powered by THAT amp (and have been for the last 5 years). I highly recommend the Lepai if you have efficient speakers. The amp is rated at 20 watts but that is B.S. It puts out a VERY CLEAN 6 watts rms per channel. With efficient speakers that's more than enough.

http://www.parts-express.com/lepai-...dio-mini-amplifier-with-power-supply--310-300

These Belkin's have many uses. Thank you for starting this thread Radio! Never would have given that Belkin box a second look otherwise.

Still probably going to buy a UPS for the whole FTA system out in Nevada. Had 4 power outages in one day! That's hard on electronics.

primestar31 · Aug 21, 2014

Ok, so let me get this straight: You are now powering your FTA receiver with this Belkin 12 volt UPS instead of the original 120 volt to 12 volt power wart, correct?

radio · Aug 21, 2014

That is correct! It puts out an available 3 amps, well above the original wall wart of either the microHD or the Amiko mini unit, and runs a LONG time! NO more setting the clock and timer over...and over...and over! The Belkins we're discussing were meant to power AT&T Uverse stuff or VOIP phone and are designed wit attached cord
to work only on 12 volt equipment. It's a PERFECT match for the needs of FTA enthusiasts, and apparently these boxes go cheap! (well, until we all drive demand up.)

radio · Aug 24, 2014

Funny, how (the same as when you buy a certain car of a certain type) you notice MORE of something AFTER you buy one...A local thrift shop has another one of these Belkin backups available but it is missing its battery compartment cover...If they'll deal on the price, maybe having another (for the next owner of my microHD??) around wouldn't be a bad idea....I also noticed today someone sells these on Ebay but modifies them to have a cigarette lighter (oops, "power outlet) for charging of cellphones. VERY creative uses for this little box! Maybe the local shop will deal...maybe I can find a back to this UPS somewhere, too, given they seem to "show up" now that I know they exist.

radio · Aug 25, 2014

SO HAPPY! Because of this little "find" my FTA setup is properly recording tonight, after a daytime noticeable "glitch" in the power enough to upset our AM transmitter for a moment. These were the kind of moments that used to cost me recordings and some "old favorite shows" which are my reward for maintaining my own private FTA system! HIGHLY recommend if you can find these belkins to GRAB ONE. (if you don't have your whole FTA system on a big backup.

FTA4PA · Aug 25, 2014

radio said:
HIGHLY recommend if you can find these belkins to GRAB ONE.

Just did! Thanks for the tip!

Cosmo Blatz · Aug 25, 2014

radio said:
but it is missing its battery compartment cover...

Don't let the missing rear cover stop anyone from buying. The cover is just for looks. Cooling is probably enhanced with the cover off anyway. The battery is held in place by the plastic tabs on the bottom of the case and not by the rear cover.

radio · Aug 25, 2014

THANKS! Only got a quick look at it. Knew it held a charge. I really LIKE the fact these are meant to run 12 volt items up to 3 amps and marry so nicely to
our equipment. Will probably grab it and ask for a package deal with some other "gems" in the store.

radio · Aug 26, 2014

Got the DEAL! $5 for the black version with it missing the back. Will be fine for "first" FTA install at a a friend's place soon, given that none of these receivers
think we need to keep accurate time. That would be the ONE thing of FTA that would really upset me as a first-timer if someone convinced me to go to it,
and I liked timers! A $5 investment here at thrift store for happy FTA new user!! Also wireless keyboard/mouse (name brand) and Zenith stereo clock radio for a client....all for $14. Not a bad afternoon after work!

KE4EST · Aug 26, 2014

Way to go Jim!

radio · Aug 26, 2014

By the way, went to dinner tonight, came home 3 hours later. This "not fully charged" UPS is still running the microHD! This time without LNB, but still darn respectable.

radio · Sep 4, 2014

Well, to "record" when it happens, I had to reset the clock AND date on my Amiko MiniHD, even with NO interruption in power, and NO automatic
setting of time (if that's even available on this box)....and I have NO idea why. I don't know of any reboots.....but it's possible that browsing the 'net
apps may have rebooted the box. That seems to be an issue with these.

Solution to losing date/time in FTA 12-volt receivers!

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