Openbox S10 went *pop*

[Orias]

Hi all,

I think my S10 finally gave up the ghost. Woke up this morning, fired up the TV, and got the "No Signal Detected" message on the TV. I noticed that the display on the front of the S10 was also very dim. I turned it off and back on again from the rear switch, and after that .. nothing. No display, no signal and a feint *fizzing* noise with an electrical burning smell. Needless to say, I unplugged everything and tried it in another socket in the house .. still nothing. I will try a recovery with the RS232 socket as soon as I get my cable back from a friend ... but in the meantime I feel it's prudent to research alternatives.

Does anyone have any advice for a good S10 upgrade? I have done some reading around, but there seem to be a lot of options, and I get confused easily. The S10 does everything I need, but I would like something a little more "user-friendly". I find the S10 interface, favourites list, channel lists etc to be really ugly and annoying to navigate ... but I guess you get what you pay for. Is there something out there that has an interface closer to the normal Sky box?

Essentially, I just want something that can do everything the S10 does (specifically with CCcam support), just a little bit more "usable". Obviously the cheaper the better, but I am willing to pay a bit more for a more convenient box!

Cheers, Ori

[ramjet]

buy a VU box, definitely miles better with 7 day epg download and customised channel lists

[Orias]

Hey Ramjet,

Thanks for the reply. That does look like a much nicer piece of kit than the S10. Pricey though! Are there any other comparable, but cheaper, ones?
There seem to be quite a few models too. I don't think I need anything with multiple tuners etc. The setup I have is literally a single dish into the back of the Openbox S10, pointed at Hotbird for Sky Italia .. and that's it. No motors, no other inputs or satellites required.

Thanks again,
Cheers, Orias

[Orias]

I just cracked the S10 open and I found this capacitor (see the image). I think this might be the problem because you can see that the large capacitor in the centre of the image has expanded on the top, and is slightly split (where you can see a slight brown mark) .. it should be totally flat.

I guess I could probably replace it if I can find out what capacitor it is .. but still no guarantee and not sure I trust myself! So, still looking at replacements for now!

[ramjet]

should be labelled on the can itself , easy enough to change although other damage could have occurred too

spiderbox 6000 is fine and cheap if you dont need 24/7 epg

otherwise a vu like the solo maybe ? (dont buy clones or imitations , plus I wont be recommending any cheap rubbish either)

[Orias]

Thanks Ramjet, this is really helpful

The Spiderbox looks pretty good actually, I hadn't heard of it before! Seems to have quite a nice interface compared to the "early 90's style" of the Openbox S10. I couldn't find anywhere that clearly states that is supports CCcam files, but I assume it does? My only worry would be about finding the channel lists as it's a box I haven't really seen talked about that much, so I don't know what support is out there for it. As I mentioned, I am living in Spain, but watching Italian TV .. so it's Italian channel lists that I am after. Looks like the Spiderbox is around ?55-?70 or so?

The VU+ Solo looks like a good option for sure. That seems to be around ?150, does that sound about right? The VU+ Solo 2 seems to be around ?250, but I am not sure I need the additional features there.

Do both of these units also suffer from the "clone" box problem? I want to make sure that, if I get either of them, it's going to be a genuine upgradable version!

Thanks again,
Ori

[ramjet]

if you buy a VU make sure its a reputable supplier like goldwafers or w.o.s. or similar , their sites list the prices

you will have no problems with what you need to "do" but we cannot talk about that

plenty of channel lists for the spider (all flavours) but the 6000 is the only one on sale now

plenty of support for VU boxes as they are enigma 2 so similar to dreambox 800 but better

[Orias]

Thanks again Ramjet,

Looks like the VU is the better/more advanced of the two options, but obviously the more expensive. However, it's something I use for many hours each day, so it's not wasted money

I think there are 2 options that suit my needs on the sites you mentioned:
1. VU+ Solo SE (which seems to be new this year)
2. VU+ Solo (which seems to be the original model)

I would imagine that the SE is the better option as the newest one of the two (and at about ?30 more expensive)? There also seems to be an option to have an image installed before they ship it out. I have no real experience about that, but I see "Blackhole" mentioned a lot. Any advice on that front?

Thanks again, appreciate all the help,
Cheers, Ori

[ramjet]

good questions but I have neither , mine is the duo with an internal sata hdd I fitted myself

I am sure they will all do the job though, plus there is a dedicated VU forum here too

[Orias]

Perfect, I'll go ask the chaps over in that forum before I make any rash decisions!

Thanks again, appreciate it!

[cactikid]

plus vu boxes are not fire hazards like openboxes clones and they work.

[Orias]

Heheh, yah the Openbox does tend to get pretty hot!
And mine isn't a clone, so if those are worse then they must run REALLY hot!!!

[AlanDogg]

The caps goes in these causing that issue. Normally a 1000uf 16v tin is the culprit. Replace it with a 1000uf 25v tin stops it from happening again. On the psu you normally seethe tin swollen

[vorlon2257]

Or replace it with the same spec cap but a better make like panasonic or nichicon(probably the best you can buy).

[Orias]

The caps goes in these causing that issue. Normally a 1000uf 16v tin is the culprit. Replace it with a 1000uf 25v tin stops it from happening again. On the psu you normally seethe tin swollen

Yep, that appears to be exactly the one that's gone (check my picture in the first post). I think I do have a 1000uF 25v lying around from a monitor upgrade that I did, so I can try that. I was looking at it yesterday, but I was a bit worried about trying it with a different voltage. I ordered a new power board anyway, just in case!

Cheers!