Bell 9242 (Dish VIP622 equivalent) rebooting cycle

[6star]

My first 9242 had rebooting issue and was replaced by Bell with this refurbished one 4 years ago. It had worked fine until 2 weeks ago. It won't boot up. The green light comes on and the fan spins up and then the light goes off. In 2 minutes it reboots again. I tried unplugging power and data cables to the hard drive and the receiver still got into the same rebooting cycle with black screen.

I checked the voltage levels at the output of the power supply. Some are out of spec: 25.7V vs 24V spec, 18.4V vs 17V spec, 8.3V vs 7.5V spec. The 12V and 5.1V outputs are on spec. The heatsink for the power rectifier diode MUR1520 gets very hot in like 5 minutes. The power supply does not tick, though.

I also checked all capacitors and only noticed two capacitors bulging underneath the power supply board. They are C394 and C363, both 1200uF. Neither of them are known locations of capacitor failures on 9242 as listed on the other site.

I own this 9242. What should I do? Replace the two bulging caps and/or MUR1520 rectifier diode or look for something else? I appreciate any advise you may have.

 

[waylew]

Replace the two bulging caps

If they're bulged they're bad,replace them,they're producing incorrect voltages and not filtering noise.Even if that isn't the whole problem,it's a good place to start.

 

[6star]

Thank you, waylew.
These two bulged caps are located right underneath the heat sink for the power rectifier diode, and probably got baked because the heat sink gets very hot. I tested the diode still connected in the circuit with my digital multimeter. The voltage drop readings are 396 and 564 (in mV, I guess) in opposite directions. They are not same but also not very different. Is the diode still good?

 

[waylew]

The voltage drop readings are 396 and 564 (in mV, I guess) in opposite

I'm an old and no longer tv repairman,that question is above my paygrade
There should be a diode tester setting in the digital meter,check it with that.Will generally show open in one direction and around 450 in the other,but not always,depending on the diode,circuit it's in and the meter.

 

[6star]

Yes, I tested it in my multimeter's diode test mode. I was wondering if it shorts out because the readings are close to each other in both directions. I also tested it in the resistance mode. It produced similar values (1.18 vs 1.19 k) in both directions. The diode was not removed from the circuit when tested.

I'm going to replace the bulged caps. Bad power rectifier diodes were reported to have caused 9242 receivers to get into endless rebooting cycles. So I want to know if I also need to replace the diode.

 

[waylew]

The only way to be sure is to lift (unsolder) one leg of the diode and check out of circuit.It may be across a transformer winding or a coil or some other low resistance component.

 

[6star]

I got Panasonic 1200 uF capacitors from a local electronics store and replaced the two bulged capacitors below the power supply board. The receiver is still doing the same cycling/rebooting thing and won't boot up. No joy yet...

 

[waylew]

Oh well,like I said it was the place to start.There may be more bad caps,even tho they're not bulged.If you had an oscilloscope you could check them for AC noise but you probably don't have one of those.If you had another known good power supply to swap in,then you'd at least know it's a power supply problem and not some deeper issue on the main board.I don't have or ever worked on one of those units so I don't really know what's in them.

 

[6star]

waylew, your help was highly appreciated. The bulged caps were definitely a good place to start. They were on the main board below the power supply board, though, so I don't know what function they were supposed to do. I don't have an oscilloscope. Next, I think I am going to remove the power rectifier diode from the power supply board and test it to make sure it is still good. My IR thermometer gave the temperature of the heat sink for the diode at 50 Celsius. It must be hotter with the box closed.

 

[Pooka]

There is a forum dedicated to the 9242 recvr. Lots of information on replacing diodes and also the hard drive causes the same problems you mention.
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/58-...ell-tv-9242-hd-pvr-discussion-thread-251.html
Take a look, lots of information, the address above starts at the end of the disscussion, do some searching and you'll find a solution.
I replaced 5 caps and it solved my problems, restarts and poor picture quality. Search my posts this will take you to a place to start. Good Luck.

If your 6star you are aware.

 

[6star]

There is a forum dedicated to the 9242 recvr. Lots of information on replacing diodes and also the hard drive causes the same problems you mention.
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/58-...ell-tv-9242-hd-pvr-discussion-thread-251.html

Pooka, thank you. I indeed had searched that forum and narrowed down possible culprits to bad caps and diodes before I posted there and in this forum as well. In my experience, this forum is just as helpful, if not more. A few years ago I posted the red light flashing issue of my last 9242 in both of the forums. A member of this forum replied promptly, saying his Dish ViP622 had the same issue and it indicated that the receiver was in boot recovery mode. The solution was simply leave the receiver alone for quite a few hours to download and reinstall firmware. On the other hand, someone in the other forum pmed me and wanted $60 plus shipping to "fix" my receiver. I checked his previous postings and found that he had had the same issue with his receiver before and a good member had told him the exact same solution, which was to leave it alone. This forum has good experienced members, like waylew, who are also willing to help other members.

Back to the topic, as I mentioned in my previous post, my current 9242 was still doing the same cycling/rebooting thing and wouldn't complete the boot up process after I replaced two bulged caps. However, it booted up successfully after being unplugged for a few days. I cleared NVRAM and managed to transfer recorded shows to the EHD. I didn't reformat the internal drive as it played recordings without problem. As always, I powered the receiver down at night and back on in the morning with a wall switch. It booted up every morning and rebooted at 3 pm as scheduled for updates for 4 days until it failed to boot up one morning and went back to the same cycling behavior. I even used its dual tuners without an issue in the Super Bowl weekend.

I read somewhere that these receivers are sensitive to static electricity so they require clean power and good grounding of the dish system. I don't think power or grounding is the culprit in my case. It is most likely the receiver itself. But the static electricity theory can probably explain why the receiver needed a vacation before starting up again. Like caps the static electricity in the circuit will discharge over time. I don't think memory will evaporate. So clearing NVRAM may not have helped. I am not very familiar with electronics. What does the fact that the receiver booted up again after vacation tell you?

I removed the power rectifier diode from the power supply board and tested it again. The voltage drop was 434 when it was forward-biased. It displayed open in the other direction. waylew you were totally right! So it is confirmed that the diode is good. All other caps on the main board and power supply board have no visible sign of bulging. I don't know what else to check. Any ideas?

 

[rthurlow]

So it is confirmed that the diode is good. All other caps on the main board and power supply board have no visible sign of bulging. I don't know what else to check. Any ideas?

Are you running the 9242 atop a laptop cooler? My thoughts turn to heat. I lost Bell functionality awhile back when the guide was pulled from 82, but got my receiver out to capture a few shows (in HD, yay!). It rebooted a couple of times before I got the laptop cooler out again.

 

[Claude Greiner]

Typical Dish garbage. That's the root of the issue here

 

[miguelaqui]

My first 9242 had rebooting issue and was replaced by Bell with this refurbished one 4 years ago. It had worked fine until 2 weeks ago. It won't boot up. The green light comes on and the fan spins up and then the light goes off. In 2 minutes it reboots again. I tried unplugging power and data cables to the hard drive and the receiver still got into the same rebooting cycle with black screen.

I checked the voltage levels at the output of the power supply. Some are out of spec: 25.7V vs 24V spec, 18.4V vs 17V spec, 8.3V vs 7.5V spec. The 12V and 5.1V outputs are on spec. The heatsink for the power rectifier diode MUR1520 gets very hot in like 5 minutes. The power supply does not tick, though.

I also checked all capacitors and only noticed two capacitors bulging underneath the power supply board. They are C394 and C363, both 1200uF. Neither of them are known locations of capacitor failures on 9242 as listed on the other site.

I own this 9242. What should I do? Replace the two bulging caps and/or MUR1520 rectifier diode or look for something else? I appreciate any advise you may have.

The 9242 is a 722, not a 622. You can always buy a 722, make sure that it is not a 722k, from somewhere and start swapping parts. That is what I have had to do. You can find a 722 used in good working order online for around $50. It makes no difference if a balance is owed on it to Dish because you will just be swapping parts, such as the little panel right where the power comes in, which was what was wrong with mine.

 

[Kraven]

Typical Dish garbage. That's the root of the issue here

Don't hold back.. tell us how you really feel

 

[The Fat Man]

Although I've had better luck with the Dish Hooper and VIP211K, Claude is more inclined to be anti-Dish. To each their own. If it's rebooting on am endless cycle, it's more than likely dead. I suggest contacting Bell.