ES15 picture occasionally gets gray and static-y

[maldata]

I have an ES15 that I bought based on some of the feedback I got from this site. It behaved as advertised and definitely improved the quality of my captures. One night the power went out while it was plugged in, and since then, the device has been acting a little flaky.

Specifically, there are two things I've noticed since:

1. It takes a lot longer for the machine to power up or power down. It might flash "please wait" on the front panel for several minutes before actually powering on or off.
2. Occasionally, at random, for maybe 5 to 10 minutes in a two-hour long capture, the image will suddenly lose color and become kind of a static-y gray-scale image.

I know it's not the rest of my setup or the VHS tapes I'm capturing because I got a second ES15 and it doesn't happen.

So, I opened it up and checked out the capacitors, because this definitely seems like it might be a power issue. None of the capacitors appear to be leaking or bulging. That doesn't necessarily mean they're all fine, but there's nothing obvious.

Is there anything else I should try? If not, I might just scrap it. Thanks!

[hodgey]

Do you know if the gray/staticy thing happens with both S-Video and composite?

One thing that can be an issue on the panasonic dvrs, at least the earlier ones like the es10/15 is that the chip that switches between video/audio inputs and outputs can go bad. E.g On the ES10 I have S-Video doesn't work properly at all, I just get b/w and some color noise, while composite input looks normal. Replacing a chip is a fair bit more difficult than power supply capacitors (if you can even find one) so if that's whats wrong it may be easier to get another one.

Being slow does sound more like a problem that could be caused by bad power supply capacitors however, they can be bad even though they haven't started bulging and leaking yet, though it could also be some other issue.

[maldata]

Quote:

Do you know if the gray/staticy thing happens with both S-Video and composite?

Ah, yes, I forgot to mention that. It does happen on both the s-video and composite outputs.

[maldata]

I took another stab at it... opened it up, took a more critical look at the components, etc., but still couldn't see anything wrong in there. I figured before I drop it off to be recycled, I'd see if anyone here wants it. It still works most of the time, and there's a chance someone else can fix it.

I'll post it in the marketplace, but just to close out this thread, if you want it, let me know. If you're in the Chicago area, I'm happy to arrange a pick up. Otherwise, if you pay the postage, I'll ship it to you.

Thanks, all.

[latreche34]

You can always sell it on eBay describing exactly what it does, I don't mind paying shipping but I have no need to such a device.

[lordsmurf]

eBay will hammer you with fees, and you'll have to deal with buyers that can't read. Sometimes it's not a wise idea to sell "for parts" units. It really depends on the problems, and whether it actually has useful parts. In this specific case, the DVD burner may marry the board, so that's often out. The board has issues. So you're essentially left with the shell here.

I see this far too often with TBCs. Even the "working/tested" units are often bad now. I've seen dozens of bad TBC-1000s, now green AVT-8710s. But fools are parted with their money, and the post-sales is something you never see (refunds, hassles, bad feelings all around).

How much is your time and sanity worth to you?

[hodgey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by maldata

Ah, yes, I forgot to mention that. It does happen on both the s-video and composite outputs.

On the inputs I mean.

[latreche34]

The way he described the problem this happened after a power surge so most likely some bad capacitors have gotten worse in the power section, If he is familiar with replacing electronic components and soldering he might be lucky to fix it himself.