AZBox Repair Centers

[AcWxRadar]

Has anyone any knowledge of an official AZBox repair facility?

If you have any physical addresses or web addresses and phone numbers or contact names, please list them here. Especially those located in North America.

I have been browsing around, but haven't actually found a site that is listed as an actual "repair" site, only the retailers.

Thanks

RADAR

 

[stogie5150]

Has anyone any knowledge of an official AZBox repair facility?

Walk in your Bathroom. With a camera. Take a pic of the dashing gentleman that is looking at you in the mirror. Then, walk outside and have a look at the receptacle where your mail is received. Take note of the numbers on that receptacle, and also, look for a street name.

Take all that information, put it together, and you will have what you seek.


In all seriousness, as far as I know, we are on our own when it comes to repair. When the people that sell these boxes cannot get in touch with the main office, what are the chances they will answer us?

I'd suggest posting the problem on here, maybe one of our vastly educated and experienced types (that know which end of the soldering iron to use) can help ya.

Good luck. We're all counting on you.

 

[Cadsulfide]

Gordy;

If you can't fix it....it must really be broken.

 

[AcWxRadar]

Gordy;

If you can't fix it....it must really be broken.

Oh yes, it is really broken! I broke it, so I know how broken it is!

I was experiementing and installed a replacement DOM. However, I did not look closely enough at the new DOM and compare it to the original one. The replacement and the original both have a keyway and they both have an external power connector on top. The problem is, the replacement is reversed in regards to which end the power connector is located. When I installed it, not looking closely, I used the power connection as my guide to the orientation of the DOM and was able to plug it into the socket in reverse.

The keyway is so thin and the socket wall is so pliable that it provided no resistance to give me warning of what I was about to do.

It actually damaged my power supply. I can put the DOM back in properly orientated and provide it with an external power supply and it is fine. But, I now have no power for my LNBF and Motor, nor for my HDD and the DOM from the AZBox itself. Everything else is fully operational.

I can detect that component QF3 is blown, but there must be others that are damaged, too. I don't think that OpenSAT will provide these individual components, so I will have to locate cross reference parts and replace them as I find them. Or, I will have to return the unit to OpenSAT and pay for them to refurbish it.

I have another AZBox to play with, but still need to repair this one.

I have done some checking, and coming up with about the same conclusion as what Stogie has stated... That this is going to be a DIY repair.

Next question, where is a really good place to get a set of glasses for my eyes?



RADAR

 

[Crocodile Locke]

Next question, where is a really good place to get a set of glasses for my eyes?



RADAR

This place has complete sets with lenses starting at $8.00, just in case you're really serious.

Zenni Optical - Complete prescription eyeglasses from $8.00

I've heard good things about them, but the downside is they're from Hong Kong. Not surprising for that price of course.

That sucks about your Azbox, I hope you can get it fixed. :

 

[pedrogarcia]

Radar > You are not the first! It really annoys me that in a generally well constructed receiver they use such a cheap and nasty sloppy plastic socket. The one I saw actually blew a track on the underside of the main board and lifted a SM diode . I also have repaired 4 AZbox HD Elite internal power supply boards and interestly there were 2 different versions. I believe the earlier version was not so 240v friendly. No PS faults on the Premium or + yet
I wonder whether AZbox would be prepared to send you a PS board for free as they did for N2bnfunn.
I know exactly what you mean surface mount technology plays havoc with the eyes!

 

[pedrogarcia]

This place has complete sets with lenses starting at $8.00, just in case you're really serious.
Zenni Optical -
I've heard good things about them, but the downside is they're from Hong Kong. Not surprising for that price of course.

Croc - Thanks for that info - I've ordered some - I'm real heavy on glasses so they are a bargain and I suspect most frames from any shop come from china or HK these days.
BTW did you get that stainless dish?

 

[Crocodile Locke]

Croc - Thanks for that info - I've ordered some - I'm real heavy on glasses so they are a bargain and I suspect most frames from any shop come from china or HK these days.
BTW did you get that stainless dish?

Hope they work out well for you, I haven't ordered any myself yet. The thing that makes these cheaper is where the frames come from like you mentioned, but also the fact that the lab where the lenses are made/fitted is in HK too. At least their headquarters is in the US. Let me know what you think of them when you get them.

I did get permission to get the stainless dish and I started taking it down last November (I think), but I ran into some trouble with it. I don't even want to think about it, but I'll tell you this - It would have made a great video for Youtube if someone had been recording my progress. I think most everyone here would have let out a collective groan at one point, had they seen what happened. It's on the ground, but I'm not sure if in the process of getting it there I distorted it to the point of being nothing more than a good dish to go sledding on. I think there may be hope for it, but I'm going to wait until the snow melts and then give it the string test.

 

[zamar23]

Radar

If its still on warranty, may be you can contact the Florida AZBox branch, even if your case is not covered (that a user wouldn't generally know until the STB is tested by the company repair technician). Try anyway, even if you bought it from a European site - the Florida branch should still be responsible for warranty and other repairs for NA customers. Its not an Ebay dealer, as many think, its actual AZBox company branch, official or not, through which these boxes are imported. Warranty is mandatory by law in all states, so you can explain them about the complaint process to a respective Florida state department. To ID your problem, they would need to test your receiver on site first, meaning they would need to have a repair facility locally, and then repair it for free if covered or for a fee if not. You can discuss your case options with them. There is no AZBox model designed for NA, so they can't say we are not responsible for warranty and other repairs since you bought it elsewhere and its not certified or intended to be used and has no warranty here. That would be an admission they're doing illegal business here.

 

[AcWxRadar]

Radar

If its still on warranty, may be you can play a cat and mouse game for a bit with Florida AZBox branch... Try anyway, even if you bought it from a European site - the Florida branch should still be responsible for warranty and other repairs for NA customers. Its not an Ebay dealer, as many think, its actual AZBox company branch, official or not.

Zamar,

Yes, my AZBox is still under warranty, all AZBoxes have a 2 year warranty and mine is only 6 or so months old. The problem here is that I was responsible for the damage and they won't warranty that (normally). If I could speak to someone and explain the situation, they might offer me a discount on a repair, but they won't send me a replacement free of charge.

I could just send it in and say nothing and they might replace it for free as if it were a component failure, but I don't think that any of us could do that. That would be against our grain and I know that it would bother my conscience. But, for the money, I kinda wish I didn't have one of those... A Conscience.

It will be fun to fix it myself anyway, if I can find the parts that I need. That's the hobby.

RADAR

 

[zamar23]

You can buy another box "for parts" just in case you'll need a repair. That seems to be the second best choice under the circumstances.

 

[AcWxRadar]

You can buy another box "for parts" just in case you'll need a repair. That seems to be the second best choice under the circumstances.

Zamar,

Yeah, I did purchase another "box", but not for parts. I bought a replacement AZBox Premium just to keep up with experimentations. But, I don't intend to use it for salvage parts to fix the other one. It would be nice if I could convince OpenSAT to send me some scrap boxes and parts just to play with. I like doing that, I mean fixing things on the component level. But, most companies today don't do that or support that. They just scrap the whole dang thing and replace it.

Personally, as an old Aircraft Weather RADAR technician, I find no fun in that. That is part of my joy in this as a hobby, if you understand what I mean.

I do have a Premium PLUS on order (for the past 6 months). Hopefully it will arrive in the next few weeks (according to my supplier). It has been a long wait and I was just about to give up on that, but he said a week ago that he should get a shipment in two weeks, so maybe I will see mine in about two weeks from now. Yippee! Oh, please pardon me for being excited!

RADAR

 

[zamar23]

Radar

May be someone who bought AZBox from the Florida dealer on EBay (I didn't), can give you their phone number, as the seller's address and phone are usually given in one of Paypal earlier messages, and should also be provided in the receipt that accompanies the parcel.

Another choice is to setup EBay to notify you each time when AZBox is offered on auction, and some of these may be sold "as is" for parts only, it happen with all kind of technical stuff sold on EBay.

 

[zamar23]

Radar

This seems to be AZBox NA Branch office, and/or the main AZBox NA dealer & exclusive distributor, and there is a phone right there:

Calyani Electronics - AZBox America

 

[Cadsulfide]

Radar

If its still on warranty, may be you can contact the Florida AZBox branch, even if your case is not covered (that a user wouldn't generally know until the STB is tested by the company repair technician). Try anyway, even if you bought it from a European site - the Florida branch should still be responsible for warranty and other repairs for NA customers. Its not an Ebay dealer, as many think, its actual AZBox company branch, official or not, through which these boxes are imported. Warranty is mandatory by law in all states, so you can explain them about the complaint process to a respective Florida state department. To ID your problem, they would need to test your receiver on site first, meaning they would need to have a repair facility locally, and then repair it for free if covered or for a fee if not. You can discuss your case options with them. There is no AZBox model designed for NA, so they can't say we are not responsible for warranty and other repairs since you bought it elsewhere and its not certified or intended to be used and has no warranty here. That would be an admission they're doing illegal business here.

Tsk,Tsk,Tsk ...........what would your mother say to that suggestion?

 

[guapoharry]

:yikes Sheesh....

 

[zamar23]

Cadsulfide

If you're asking me, as far as I know most of electronics importers offer warranty repairs if the product falls under warranty and was not tampered with, which is easy to determine. If it's warranty has expired or it was tampered with, the manufacturer or importer would usually still offer a repair for a fee. That's exactly what I suggest to do with any product - contact the manufacturer and see, if they can help you, and for how much. Of course, one should not lie when contacting the manufacturer. AZBox is no exception here. And btw, most manufacturers have warranty, extended and after warranty repair contracts locally with repair companies in every state. Please read my above post again, may be its too detail to catch what I ment.

"To ID your problem, they would need to test your receiver on site first, meaning they would need to have a repair facility locally, and then repair it for free if covered or for a fee if not."

As far as AZBox goes, it seems they sell it illegally without safety certification, and I don't know if they actually offer any warranty or other repairs in NA, when they should. That's why its even more important to contact them about any repairs as the only source of spare parts. Doesn't mean, one should lie about the cause of failure, in fact one should NOT.

 

[zamar23]

In all seriousness, as far as I know, we are on our own when it comes to repair. When the people that sell these boxes cannot get in touch with the main office, what are the chances they will answer us?

Just found this on another forum :

"Dear Sir! We have received a formal complaint from the offices of the Attorney General regarding the repair of your ... receiver. We have determined that the level of service from our technician was not up to our standards so I have taken it upon myself to make this matter right.
We have FedExed a package containing the motherboard for the receiver. This will surely fix any problem you are having with the unit. Please reply to this email with any other concerns or comments."

 

[frank90]

Azbox elite noise when on s2 channels

any time im on a s2 signal i get this whine on my tv or when using modulator does any one here use componet cables here and see wavy lines going at a 50 degree angle very faint though on there tv. The noise is heard on the rt side of the tuner I can hear it if i put my ear to the box it happens when the box is cold or hot. I contacted azbox got no response, it also comes through other box when it slaved
and shows up as horizontal lines on second box connected via dc block from sat input of azbox

 

[pedrogarcia]

Sounds somewhat like an AC60 cycle striation lines on the tv screen from the Elite's power supply board.
I am assuming you have no baby alarm, intercoms or network lan extentions that plug into the recepticles and use the power cables for transmission as these can induce some effects on tv screens