Playback corruption only on Tuner B after software update.

[UncleCreepy]

I have been having intermittent problems with my box where timer recordings were generating empty files, usually on Saturday night at 10pm. I had been running OpenViX 6.6 for quite a while so decided to do an update on Saturday. Update went badly, crashed during an image backup, failed to download the new image 4 times then eventually it worked from an image copied from USB.

Saturday night 2 recordings failed again but on Sunday I also discovered I have a new problem. Tuner A still works fine, that's connected to my motorised dish. Tuner B now shows corrupted playback after a short while, image breaking up, blocky artifacts etc... that's connected to my Sky dish. If I disable Tuner A, Tuner B seems fine, the picture seems pretty steady but the minute I re-enable Tuner A the problem returns. I tried rolling back to 6.6 from the backup image to see if the update was the problem but the problem remains on 6.6.

I did wonder if it was my LNB but I have a Duo2 connected to the same LNB and that doesn't have the same problem. I can't imagine the software update causing any problems but during the repeated failures, the box hung meaning I had to hard power-off the box to get things working again.

Does this sound like a dying tuner module or has anyone had a similar experience where it turned out to be something else?

The box has been really unstable since I first bought it but I have so many things going on in life I just stuck it out with it but I think that's come back to bite me. Any help is much appreciated, especially if it can help me narrow down the cause of the problem.

 

[abu baniaz]

The LNB ports are independent, although you get a weird faults. Although the port connected to the duo2 is fine, the port to the uno 4k may be faulty. Try swapping wires to tuner A/B and change tuner config to match. This will rule out tuner issues.

Another test is to switch the duo2 and any other receivers off. Deep standby/completely off, not just standby. This deals with one of the weird faults.

Maybe it has not been configured correctly? Please describe the dishes, lnbs, switches, splitters and wiring completely, and then post screenshots of each tuner configuration, not just the overview of all the tuners.

 

[UncleCreepy]

I'll switch the wires over tomorrow when it's daylight, I should have done that already I know. I am just struggling getting behind the back of the box due to problems caused by two abdominal operations recently.

The Duo2 had been powered off completely before I used it for testing on Sunday. It's not connected to a TV so it never needs to be on normally, it is connected to the satellite though. I actually bought the Uno because I thought the Duo2 was faulty but it was the dish, which I only found out after buying the Uno. So the Duo 2 is my reserve dish.

One dish is a 1m motorised that is no longer actually used like a motorised dish, it's always pointing at 28.2E for Sky. The other is a normal Sky dish that was fitted last year when my original Sky dish packed in, the fitter replaced the dish and LNB because the new LNB wouldn't fit on my old dish. I don't know any technical info about the LNB's so I can't tell you much about them.

The cabling is two twin cables with one cable connected to each dish. There are no splitters involved, it's just direct cables from both dishes to both boxes, one upstairs and one downstairs.



Tuners are both configered the same. My Duo2 has the exact same configuration just with different tuners.



This probably doesn't tell you much of any use until I do the wire-swap tomorrow.

 

[abu baniaz]

Sorry to hear about your health issues. I hope recovery goes well.

Thank you for the description and picture. The tuner configuration is fine for a fixed 28.2 dish, with a universal LNB. If you can, check f plugs are connected to the cable properly. It's sounds like the mini dish is giving you issues. You have to check signal quality. Maybe some water damage in cable. If you perform a single satellite scan on 28.2, you should get just over 700 channels.

 

[UncleCreepy]

Well subject to further testing, this looks like it was idiot-user error. I pulled the box out to change over the cables and noticed that on one of the cables I could see copper below the connector, which I thought was strange... so I pulled the cable and it fell out of the connector with very little effort. So I disconnected both cables, unscrewed the connectors on both of them, checked to make sure there was no stray ground wires touching the core and then re-attached the connectors. That seemed pretty firm so I then screwed them back into the box and it looks initially like things are okay.

That's left me in discomfort though so I am just going to take some painkillers and then do more checking later, I can't think straight when my body is acting up.

What I think must have happened is the cable has worked loose (probably me turning the wrong part of the connector when I was screwing it to the box) and then when I was messing with the USB on Saturday, the box must have moved enough to make the connection really unstable. I'll know better later.

Sorry for messing people about like this, being physically restricted is causing me to look in the wrong places for the answers. Checking the cables would have shown me the problem straight away but even just bending over makes it feel like my insides are going to fall out so I try and avoid it.

Thanks again for the help, very much appreciated.

 

[abu baniaz]

Glad you are sorted.

 

[UncleCreepy]

Okay... just wanted to update this. It's been a difficult few days so things got held up.

I set some test recordings and it seems sorting the cables out hasn't sorted the problem after all. Switching the cables around also hasn't solved the problem, Tuner B still fails after a short period of time.

A recording on Sky Mix HD failed after 3 minutes and one on UKEden failed after 24 minutes. This was while there were other recordings active on QuestHD using Tuner A.

So my thoughts are now that this is definitely Tuner related. My concerns are now that recovering from these operations has meant I was unable to test in time and now I am a couple of months beyond 12 months since I purchased the box, so they're probably going to choose to not do anything about it. So I go back to living with a single tuner which is frustrating because I bought this box to solve a problem that was identical to this one, which turned out to be the dish. This has turned into a very expensive solution that I didn't need.

I don't think there's much else I can do diagnostic wise but I just wanted to offer a final update to this thread so people could see the outcome.

 

[philly]

One thing for everyone to be aware of is lnb local oscillator drift. I have seen this many times recently where it drifts off and some receivers afc can take care of it. My old unaohm field strength analyzer had a very handy feature which would show the frequency offset when locked to a transponder. It might be worth swapping the lnb to rule this out.
Good luck

 

[Tururu]

One piece of information you'll need is to know the tuner configuration.
The VU+DUO2 can have single or dual tuners, but the VU+Uno4K SE has FBC tuners, and these have more problems.
There are 8 tuners with two external ports for connecting the antenna cables, A and B, and the rest of the "virtual" tuners CDEFGH.

Aside from that, they have a nasty habit of the connector protruding slightly from the connection slot/socket. Not from the beginning, as it's held in place by the screw, but at the end. It would be a good idea to turn it off and check that it's firmly seated at the end of the board, pushing it in with your finger.
-------
Una información necesaria seria saber la configuración de los sintonizadores.
El VU+DUO2 los puede tener simples o dobles, pero el VU+Uno4K SE los tiene FBC y estos ya tienen mas problemas.
Son 8 sintonizadores con 2 bocas externas para conectar los cables de las antenas, el A y B y el resto de tuner "virtuales" CDEFGH.

Aparte, tienen la mala costumbre de salirse el conector un poco del slot/zocalo de conexión, no del principio al estar sujeto por el tornillo, pero si al final, seria bueno apagar y revisar que están bien apretado al final de la placa, empujando con el dedo.
.

 

[abu baniaz]

If you can get someone to do the bending over, anther option is to:

Option 1.
Wire currently Tuner A, connect that to Tuner B. In software, disable tuner A. If the problems occur in live viewing and also recording, that will definitely be a tuner fault.

Option 2.
Swap wires between tuner A and B.
If live viewing has issues and tuner B when used as recording is fine, then it will be lnb/cabling.

Option 3
Remove the Uno 4K and replace it with the Duo2.
This was the old setup and had issues. If the issues continue, then it cannot be the Uno 4K.

Option 4
Swap the Uno 4K with the Duo2.
If the issues continue downstairs, then it's the wiring

If it is indeed a tuner/wiring fault, I suppose that the cheaper option is to get a unicable LNB.

 

[Eurobuff]

I don’t want to send you barking up the wrong tree, but have you checked the power supply? I had a very similar issue (with Technomate though). Tuner one would come up with “no or bad signal” after about 30 minutes or so but tuner 2 was fine. But I could switch to another satellite and it would record for 4 hours seamlessly on tuner one. I then just started to use tuner 2. It was fine for a couple of years, then I got the same error. Thinking it was the tuner and not able to get a replacement. I bought another satellite receiver. But then such as is my luck my other satellite recover (I had 2 technomates different models), the other one started to go in a constant rebooting scenario. Then when I finally got it to switch on it said no signal tuner failed. As I could get hold of a power supply but not tuners, I took a gamble. The new power supply has restored back as new. Just thinking that if it was saying the tuner was failed when in fact it was the power supply that’s at fault, maybe that could be your issue. I now think that that’s the issue with my other receiver of mine.

 

[UncleCreepy]

Sorry for the late reply, I didn't expect there to be more replies after my last post. I actually came here to research another problem but spotted these replies.

I did try switching the cables round and the problem persisted with Tuner B. Tuner A would record fine, Tuner B would record and then gradually get corrupted. Sometimes after 2 or 3 minutes, sometimes slightly longer.

I sent an email to WoS support as I bought the box from here and it's going back under RMA for them to check. If nothing else it will give me the knowledge of knowing exactly where the problem lies. They'll either find the same fault and repair/replace the faulty part or they'll find no fault, charge me £10 (probably) and I will get someone to look at the dish/lnb. I just can't afford to make an expensive wrong choice again so I am hoping they find a fault. Worst case is it costs me £10 + postage which would be cheaper than an engineer call out to check the dish/lnb.

The only viable solution was to get the box into the hands of someone who knew what they were dealing with, computers are my thing, not satellites so I wasn't the right person for the job from the start. I'll update this post with the end results purely because I am a strong believer in following through to the solution, so that it acts as reference for anyone else who might have the same problem.

The other issue I am dealing with isn't Uno specific, it has just happened on my Duo2, it's not the same thing though so I will have to make a separate post for that in the general area. I need to get some transponder info for that though which I will do tomorrow (or later seeing as it's past 12)

 

[UncleCreepy]

I don’t want to send you barking up the wrong tree, but have you checked the power supply? I had a very similar issue (with Technomate though). Tuner one would come up with “no or bad signal” after about 30 minutes or so but tuner 2 was fine. But I could switch to another satellite and it would record for 4 hours seamlessly on tuner one. I then just started to use tuner 2. It was fine for a couple of years, then I got the same error. Thinking it was the tuner and not able to get a replacement. I bought another satellite receiver. But then such as is my luck my other satellite recover (I had 2 technomates different models), the other one started to go in a constant rebooting scenario. Then when I finally got it to switch on it said no signal tuner failed. As I could get hold of a power supply but not tuners, I took a gamble. The new power supply has restored back as new. Just thinking that if it was saying the tuner was failed when in fact it was the power supply that’s at fault, maybe that could be your issue. I now think that that’s the issue with my other receiver of mine.

This was actually what caused me to buy the Uno in the first place. My Duo2 had the same kind of problem and I read about faulty power supplies and duff capacitors. I lived with a single tuner for a while but then decided to buy a new box as I missed having two tuners. I connected the new box (the Uno) and the problem persisted. I got an engineer out, he checked the dish, replaced the whole dish and the problem was fine and has been fine for quite a while. It is only recently that the problem has started on the Uno but my Duo2 is fine so I knew it wasn't the dish this time.

But they will have the PSU as well as part of the RMA process so they will be able to check that as well if they need to do so.