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  • #1

    Philips DSR704 dead

    I have a DSR704 that my family and I have always enjoyed. Recently small glitches (ocassionally losing color, fixed by pausing and unpausing) became bigger glitches (severe pixelation and stuttering) until finally after resetting the system a couple of times, it won't power up at all any more (no lights in front, only the fan seems to have power).

    This was a "virgin" system that was never modified, everything is original. I've taken out the hard drive and put it in a PC and it spins up. Also when disconnecting the white motherboard power ribbon cable, the drive will spin up in the Tivo box. Through all of this, no lights in front and no type of response to the remote.

    I realize that it's either the power supply (I hope) or the motherboard (I pray not). I was just wondering if there is anything else I can try to narrow it down other than going ahead and ordering the PS from Weaknees. Also, am I right to assume that if I order the PS and swapping it does nothing to fix it, with an approved RMA, I'll be out $15 restocking plus shipping?

    One last thing, my wife told me that her cousin has a generic Tivo box just sitting around that she's not using. I have no idea what series it is. My question is, if it also turns out to be a series 2 Tivo, will its power supply work in my DSR704?

    Thanks!
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  • #2
    This sounds most like a power supply issue. You're right about the RMA.

    If the other TiVo isn't a DirecTV unit, the power supply won't work in yours.
    Been here a long time . . .

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    • #3
      Status

      Turns out the Tivo unit was a DirecTV unit. However, it was a DVR-R10. I tried to put the power supply from the R10 into my dead DSR704 but not even the fan powered on. Also, since the cousin's DirecTV account was in collections, DirecTV wouldn't activate it for me. So now I guess I'll either A) order the power supply from WK and see if it fixes my problem or B) Make the call to Dish Network and get their super-duper HD DVR for free... I know this is the Tivo forum, but I think I have to look at all my options.

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      • #4
        Sounds reasonable. I have DTV, but I just got a standalone HD TiVo for cable/antenna to use alongside my DTV equipment, and you should check that out also - it's pretty amazing.
        Been here a long time . . .

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        • #5
          Dead DirecTivo Fixed!

          This thread is way old, but for others searching out this problem I just fixed it today in about 20 minutes (not including disassembly/reassembly).

          Standard Warning: never touch the power board when it is plugged in - it carries 110V AC on exposed metal leads! If in doubt of your abilities, do not attempt this repair.

          Philips DSR704 DirecTivo won't power up.

          Symptoms: "it won't power up at all any more (no lights in front, only the fan seems to have power)... Also when disconnecting the white motherboard power ribbon cable, the drive will spin up in the Tivo box. Through all of this, no lights in front and no type of response to the remote." Also, the optical port on the back flashes red.

          This is a common failure of a 25-cent capacitor on the power board. The capacitor is a 2200uF 10V electrolytic which provides filtering for one of the low voltage levels to the motherboard. I assume that as the cap fails it causes that voltage to be too low and the motherboard refuses to boot.

          On my unit it was easy to spot the bad cap as the top was "bulging". Subsequent ESR testing revealed it to be way out of spec. It is the hard-to-reach one under the copper-colored heatsink, right next to the silver heatsink.

          Replacement requires basic soldering skills (or a capable friend). The board is marked with + and -, make sure the negative leg of the new cap goes in the right hole.

          After replacement, and replugging, I was greeted with the "Starting up, just a few more minutes..." screen and shortly thereafter all my saved recordings. Still running after 6 hours.

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          • #6
            Or, if soldering and playing with damaged power supplies isn't your thing, get yourself a replacement TiVo power supply.

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            • #7
              Jeff, I agree. Replacing the power supply board with a new one is much easier/safer for most people.

              At least others with this set of symptoms can know that it is caused by the power supply, and not the drive or main board.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by RobD View Post
                Jeff, I agree. Replacing the power supply board with a new one is much easier/safer for most people.

                At least others with this set of symptoms can know that it is caused by the power supply, and not the drive or main board.
                Actually, I would say that the initial symptoms (heavy pixellations, rebooting) are equally, if not more, likely to be caused by a defective tuner on the motherboard. I can't tell you how many people have called us saying that they had heavy pixellation, saw instructions online for fixing a power supply, but that it didn't fix the problem. Your advice for inspecting the power supply is good advice for sure...but if you don't see any evidence of problems, or if you do and replacing does not help, then there are other (fixable) issues involved.

                All of this said, if the unit "goes dark" (no lights on the front, as opposed to the Jack Bauer meaning of the term), then the power supply is the first place to start. For more info, see:

                TiVo Troubleshooting and Repair Guide

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