New Digibox - problems DIY troubleshooting?

[mich]

Ok I bought my special other a digibox for Christmas ( Audioline - came from Asda .... got it back in early November and kept it hidden).

Had a cold , so fixed it up yesterday. It worked perfectly. Installed itself, found 75 channels, great picture. Watched it all night. other half switched it off when he went to bed.

This morning it wont work!

The problem appears to e that the box is in standby mode and wont switch to power mode ( green light wont come on). The picture is snowy and poor. Remote control ( only mode of switching or turning on at all) doesnt seem to work. ( Remote is not "blocked" I have bee right up close and shot it right at the power box and still no joy)

This problem is not in the " problems list"

Anyone come across this? Suggest possible problems?

Is it the box? Is it the remote? Is there something else wrong?

I tried taking it all apart and re connecting but still wont change to power on light.

Have taken it off and put it back on the old UHF and tele now works fine and signal good. But p*ssed off box isnt working.

[Bert Coules]

Mich,

Have you tried completely unplugging the box from the mains for a few minutes then plugging it in again? That can sometimes clear the sort of freezing you're experiencing.

Bert

[Malcolm Stewart]

Sounds similar to the problems I had with my first digibox. Could it have been a "return" ?

[simon beer]

sounds very much like the goodmans model that we had. I think the same model comes with several different badges on the front. Try pushing the reset button on the back panel. If this works then fine but it also means there is trouble ahead as this was the slippery slope for our box! Can you get it exchanged or refunded?

[Autolycus]

I bought my first digibox (Goodmans, Argos) a few weeks ago. Same symptoms. Checked batteries in remote - flat. Put in a pair I'd got kicking around (checked at >1.5V no load). Couple of days later - flat. Put two brand new alkaline cells in - few days, down to 1.3V /cell.

Gave up and had flu.

As soon as the prospect of living long enough to watch a TV programme seems reasonable, I'll investigate properly, but meanwhile, has anyone else had problems with battery-eating remote controls?

[Steve Firth]

Yes, and that was my first thought about the OPs problem. I think I've traced the battery eating problem to wife's habit of sticking the remote down the side of the sofa after use. Where it sits with several buttons pressed at once. Ugliest remote I've ever had BTW, for a Thomson STB. I also have a Bush STB for the bedroom, works fine, much better than the Thomson.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The el cheapo Thomson that Curry sell hasn't even got RGB output.

[Steve Firth]

Oh righto, this one does have RGB, which is just as well because the composite output is s**te.

[mich]

Ive tried this. It just switches itself back into standby mode and the remote control ( the only means of switching it on ) either isnt sending the message or the box isnt receiving it. I dont know which.

have put TV back on arial and all is fine. Its the digibox that seems to be the problem. What I cant get behind is that it was working .

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Interesting. I wanted a cheap one for the workshop where RGB wasn't really necessary (old 14" TV), and both the Thomsons I tried had flicker on the composite output. So I gave up on them and 'upgraded' to a Philips.

[mich]

Funny that. My gut reaction ( which could be flu related and therefore totally wrong) is that its the battery in the remote. Problem is I dont have a battery and its a lithium battery ( like the ones you get in watches) and I dont keep them handy. But a new battery shouldnt be flat should it?

[mich]

I have to say that I was quite impressed with this audio line . The picture was very good , that is until it refused to work altogether after simply being on for five hours total time.

[Dave Stanton]

Most electronics do...until they fail.

Dave

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Working remote controls will often make the tally light flash on other things they're not actually operating. This is the case with two of my TVs

- they flash with just about any remote, just saying they are receiving an IR signal.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

It's not impossible. Boots should have one. Worth a punt if they're closer than the place you bought it from.

[Malcolm Stewart]

Do you have a digicam or camcorder ? You can often see the infra-red signals from working remote controls by pointing the camera at the business end of the remote when it's pressed.

[Steve Firth]

Yup, not just flicker but the output is very fuzzy, much worse than composite has any right to be. The Bush OTOH gives decent composite output, but the RGB is noticeably clearer.

Sadly Thomson seem to be the only ones widely available that have a CAM slot.

[Steve Firth]

Or if the OP has a PocketPC they could try using Nevo to check that it's not a remote problem. Or simply whack some batteries into the existing remote, just to be sure.

I'd say if the batteries in the remote are the ones that came with the digibox I would suspect them first. Since the tightarses often supply a pair of really cheap zinc-carbon batteries.

[MatSav]

If the battery was installed without careful handling, it could easily have been discharged by short-circuiting (between thumb and forefinger, for example). cf. watch batteries. You may also need to check the battery type, I believe it should be "HD" (High Drain [Current]).