TBC-1000 not powering on?

[koberulz]

Haven't used it in a couple of months. Wasn't getting a picture out of it, had a look, no power LED. Jiggled the power plug, LED came on, but still no picture. Unplugged it from the wall, plugged it back in, LED blinked a few times then went solid. Still no picture. Turned it off at the back of the box, turned it back on, no LED. Now I just plain can't get the LED to come on at all. Not getting a picture either.

[aramkolt]

Would first check the power adapter itself if you have a multimeter to verify the voltage is correct, or try with another 12VDC power supply to see if you get a different result.

If your TBC-1000 hasn't been fully recapped, then would do that next. Something like 80% of the caps in mine were out of spec before replacing, so I assume that's relatively representative of those that haven't been recapped yet after 20 years.

[koberulz]

Not sure if I have a multimeter, but even if I do I don't know how to check the power supply with it.

I have no idea what your second paragraph means.

[Haunted_TBC]

In the second paragraph, aramkolt is referring to the capacitors, which are the canister-like charge-holding objects soldered inside the device. Many of them have gone bad over the years, so “Recapping” is essentially tech-speak for replacing the capacitors.

[lordsmurf]

That TBC-1000 can hopefully/probably/maybe be fixed, but you may have limited non-DIY repair options available in Australia.

There is one member here (that I recall off-hand) who's in Australia, that can maybe do that sort of work? Perhaps timtape can help?

In USA, Diopter_Doctor is your man.

I can't do recap work anymore, MS stole my dexterity for it, tremors, contracture, stiffness.
I have to outsource my caps work to others now.

[koberulz]

The power supply was indeed dead, but replacing it has succeeded only in giving me a power LED, I still can't get a picture out of the box.

[mrmuy97]

Personally I'd end the plugging in/ unplugging/ jiggling/ no LED/ blinking LED/ switch on/ switch off/ old power supply/ new power supply stuff right away if that were my own unit. Due to their age and rarity it's a massive risk to continue doing any of that unnecessarily and without doing any real troubleshooting or testing during it. The unit almost certainly needs to be recapped, and any troubleshooting is best done by someone who has disassembled the unit and is running real testing on it prior to electrical repair work being performed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordsmurf

That TBC-1000 can hopefully/probably/maybe be fixed, but you may have limited non-DIY repair options available in Australia.

There is one member here (that I recall off-hand) who's in Australia, that can maybe do that sort of work? Perhaps timtape can help?

In USA, Diopter_Doctor is your man.

I usually look at it simplified to 3 main scenarios:

1. Leave as-is, unit is ruined, previous money spent on it is lost as unrepaired unit has minimal value
2. Have unit properly repaired, low additional cost $$, likely works for many more years, unit returns to full value + you continue to use it, sell if not keeping
3. Leave as-is, unit is ruined, want/need replacement, high replacement cost $$$$$$ + lost value of original unit (aka "the cheap man always pays twice")

Personally I'd arrange to spend some money and send it to one of the known pros here to be properly repaired and restored to perfect working condition.

[timtape]

Quote:

Originally Posted by koberulz

Haven't used it in a couple of months. Wasn't getting a picture out of it, had a look, no power LED. Jiggled the power plug, LED came on, but still no picture. Unplugged it from the wall, plugged it back in, LED blinked a few times then went solid. Still no picture. Turned it off at the back of the box, turned it back on, no LED. Now I just plain can't get the LED to come on at all. Not getting a picture either.

. As mentioned, I'm a tech in Perth. Can check the unit for you. PM me if you wish. Tim.

[koberulz]

Well, I opened it up to have a look, and a bit of plastic fell out. One of the shafts holding the screws to the input plate had sheared off. Nothing meaningful, but there was a bit of plastic bouncing around...gave it another whirl and it works fine now. Whether the bit of plastic had somehow come into contact with exactly the wrong thing, or it was just a coincidence, I cannot be sure.

I can't actually get any software to interface with my capture card, but that's for a different thread in a different subforum.