VBox Woes - Switch to GBox?????

[phpinfo]

I purchased a Vbox 6 about a month ago and I thought it was great. It worked great with the Coolsat and held all the sat positions right on.

I was playing with the BUD today, adjusting the worm gear so the dish could move easier to the West, as it was having some resistance and moving slowly. While I was doing this, the VBox died.

I called DMS Int and they said the transformer is toast and/or the whole box is toast. They said the older Ajax motor will draw higher current in resistance situations and can kill the VBox.

I never saw a disclaimer of this anywhere on their website.

They said previous Vbox's have a fuse that will blow first and save the Vbox, but could cause component damage.

So now I have a dead VBox, and apparently shouldn't order another one because it can or will happen again, from what DMS said.

Will the GBox have these issues? - Has anyone come across these issues with a Vbox?

 

[stogie5150]

Wow...that thing must really draw some juice....my Gbox moves my 12' Paraclipse H-to-H no problem.....

V Boxes have had trouble since they were brought here...everyone I know that has had one either has had problems, or they killed them like you did, for various reasons.

Sadoun might have to answer the Gbox current draw issue.... what size wire are you running and how much of a run is it to the dish? That may be it too, may need a bigger wire.

I'd also make real sure the mount was adjusted and greased very well to move as easily as possible, too.

 

[Sadoun]

Sadoun might have to answer the Gbox current draw issue.... what size wire are you running and how much of a run is it to the dish? That may be it too, may need a bigger wire.

GBox: Max 3 Amps.

Recommended wires:
* Two 12 or 14 gauge stranded wires are used to power the motor and
* Two color-coded 18 or 22 gauge shielded wires connect to the sensor.

 

[phpinfo]

I think the VBox is 2.2 Amp. Has anyone had any issues with a Gbox dieing?

 

[Anole]

- here's a thought:

If you want to try fixing it, open the thing up and take some decent quality pictures of the board.
If you have some basic electrical tools, we can determine if the transformer really croaked or just the rectifier diodes.
You may be able to replace blown rectifiers with parts from Radio Shack for $5.

Worst case, we get to see the guts of another box...
... and we can bitch about DMSI support. -

edit: and as long as you buy before the end of the month, Sadoun may give you a good discount on that Gbox, too!

 

[phpinfo]

If you want to try fixing it, open the thing up and take some decent quality pictures of the board.
If you have some basic electrical tools, we can determine if the transformer really croaked or just the rectifier diodes.
You may be able to replace blown rectifiers with parts from Radio Shack for $5.

Worst case, we get to see the guts of another box...
... and we can bitch about DMSI support. -

edit: and as long as you buy before the end of the month, Sadoun may give you a good discount on that Gbox, too!

Free Image Hosting by ImageBam.com

 

[Anole]

pretty good pix:

I didn't really see any obvious signs of burnout.
The rectifiers, both low voltage and 36 volt units appear fine in the picture.
The electrolytic filter capacitors don't show any outward signs of fatigue.
The transformer looks okay; are there any marks on it or am I seeing shadows?
Does the transformer or the board smell like it's burned? (some odd smells are normal)
The two yellow wires from the transformer, appear to be twisted and shorted where they go into the board.
However, I'll assume that happened when you disassembled it.

If you're very competent with electrical tools, you might measure the transformer voltage output while connected to the PC board.
The two blue wires are probably somewhere between 8-18 volts, AC.
The two yellow wires are probably somewhere in the 40-50 volt range, AC.
Should you find the voltages significantly lower, you might try disconnecting the transformer from the board, and remeasuring.

The two voltage regulators are mounted facing each other.
I won't guess what voltages they put out, without knowing how they are marked.
If one is a 7805 or 7812, then it would put out +5 or +12 volts.
And one of the outside pins would be higher (the input) while the other pin would be the given voltage.
Center pin is ground (if they are what I think they are).

It's possible one of the relays froze or the contacts burned.
While they are hard to replace, they're not particularly expensive.
The probability of such a failure is low, but possible.

Guess that covers the most likely 80%.
Give us some feedback, and maybe another person will have an insightful suggestion.
Ya got nothing to lose, if DMSI has blown you off. -

 

[phpinfo]

I didn't really see any obvious signs of burnout.
The rectifiers, both low voltage and 36 volt units appear fine in the picture.
The electrolytic filter capacitors don't show any outward signs of fatigue.
The transformer looks okay; are there any marks on it or am I seeing shadows?
Does the transformer or the board smell like it's burned? (some odd smells are normal)
The two yellow wires from the transformer, appear to be twisted and shorted where they go into the board.
However, I'll assume that happened when you disassembled it.

If you're very competent with electrical tools, you might measure the transformer voltage output while connected to the PC board.
The two blue wires are probably somewhere between 8-18 volts, AC.
The two yellow wires are probably somewhere in the 40-50 volt range, AC.
Should you find the voltages significantly lower, you might try disconnecting the transformer from the board, and remeasuring.

The two voltage regulators are mounted facing each other.
I won't guess what voltages they put out, without knowing how they are marked.
If one is a 7805 or 7812, then it would put out +5 or +12 volts.
And one of the outside pins would be higher (the input) while the other pin would be the given voltage.
Center pin is ground (if they are what I think they are).

It's possible one of the relays froze or the contacts burned.
While they are hard to replace, they're not particularly expensive.
The probability of such a failure is low, but possible.

Guess that covers the most likely 80%.
Give us some feedback, and maybe another person will have an insightful suggestion.
Ya got nothing to lose, if DMSI has blown you off. -

Thanks for all the info!!

I plugged in the VBox and voltage across the blue wires is only 0.037 VAC and voltage across the yellow is 0.032 VAC. I think the transformer is toast.

It does appear to have any issues or was smelling burnt though.

Voltage across the regulators appears to be the same as above.

 

[phpinfo]

The two blue wires are probably somewhere between 8-18 volts, AC. The two yellow wires are probably somewhere in the 40-50 volt range, AC. Should you find the voltages significantly lower, you might try disconnecting the transformer from the board, and remeasuring.

Quick follow up. Would this be an acceptable transformer replacement: Digi-Key - A41-43-36L-ND (Manufacturer - A41-43-36L)

 

[Anole]

The two blue wires are probably somewhere between 8-18 volts, AC.
The two yellow wires are probably somewhere in the 40-50 volt range, AC.
Should you find the voltages significantly lower, you might try disconnecting the transformer from the board, and remeasuring.

Quick follow up. Would this be an acceptable transformer replacement:

I was only giving an educated guess.
Those voltages are not numbers to live by.

You could also try a resistance check across the primary windings of the transformer (the AC plug).
If it's an open circuit, it is possible that a fuse in the windings of transformer popped.
There has to be some fuse or protection device, or the unit would be unsafe ( and never meet UL approval ).

I've seen discussions on the web where someone opened his transformer and replaced an internal fuse/breaker.
(not on a Vbox, but on some other device)
Haven't done it myself, so that would be an exercise for the reader.

 

[phpinfo]

I was only giving an educated guess.
Those voltages are not numbers to live by.

You could also try a resistance check across the primary windings of the transformer (the AC plug).
If it's an open circuit, it is possible that a fuse in the windings of transformer popped.
There has to be some fuse or protection device, or the unit would be unsafe ( and never meet UL approval ).

I've seen discussions on the web where someone opened his transformer and replaced an internal fuse/breaker.
(not on a Vbox, but on some other device)
Haven't done it myself, so that would be an exercise for the reader.

Well the AJAX motor is 36V and I would imagine you are correct on the voltage for the board being between 5V and 18V.

I will look into it some more, but would like to find a transformer to replace this one.

If anyone has any information on the VBox and a replacement transformer suggestion, that would be great.

 

[phpinfo]

Can anyone assist or provide some feedback, in regards to a replacement transformer? Will the one I linked from DigiKey work?

 

[capned]

phpinfo,
Without knowing the specs of the original transformer, it would be tough to suggest a suitable replacement. The Digi-Key item you posted: Digi-Key - A41-43-36L-ND (Manufacturer - A41-43-36L) will likely be too small. The V-Box is rated at 90W peak, so you should need a tranformer rated around 90VA, with the correct secondary voltages.
If you checked the primary as Anole suggested, and you have a resistance reading of (around) 130 Ohms, that should rule out the primary windings. To check the secondary windings you will have to remove one of both the yellow, and blue wires from the board and check the AC voltages accross like colors again. This is due to the fact that if you have any shorted component on the board it could pull down the transformer voltage if not isolated during your test. The voltages you should be getting, as suggested by others, seem reasonable. (between 5, and 40 VAC, yellow should probably be the higher reading)
If the transformer checks OK, then on to the bridge rectifiers diodes, voltage regulators, and relays. I would start by checking for open/shorted bridge diodes. If your meter has a diode check feature, use that. Otherwise just check for low resistance one way, high the other way. If diodes are good check for a stuck/burnt relay since you indicated that you were using the unit when it failed, especially if you were "bumping" to position. Check for resistance accross the contacts. Both relays Normally Open contacts should give a very high or infinity reading. You can also carefully cut the top plastic off the relays for a visual, and maybe un-stick.
Most of the voltage regulator chips have on-board over current/temp protection. They still fail sometimes, but usually due to a voltage spike rather than an overload, so I would check them last.

Good luck,
Greg

 

[phpinfo]

Thanks for the info. The transformer is definitely toast. At this point I need to replace it, but have no idea what to replace it with. There is nothing on the DMSI website either.

Perhaps someone with a VBox 6 could check the transformer.

 

[Sadoun]

phpinfo

I don't know if this would be any console to you, but I have an open box used once VBox II (original, not imitation) That I will let go for $25 plus S/H. No remote included.

If interested, PM me your email address and zip code and I will send you a paypal invoice:

Here is the specs on it:
Moteck Digipower V-Box II DisEqC 1.2 POSITIONER VBOX VBOXII

 

[phpinfo]

phpinfo

I don't know if this would be any console to you, but I have an open box used once VBox II (original, not imitation) That I will let go for $25 plus S/H. No remote included.

If interested, PM me your email address and zip code and I will send you a paypal invoice:

Here is the specs on it:
Moteck Digipower V-Box II DisEqC 1.2 POSITIONER VBOX VBOXII

Thanks Sadoun. FYI, your PM box is currently full.

Does anyone have a Vbox 6 where they can check their transformer?

 

[Pismire]

Not wanting to take away business from Sadoun but yes I have 2 vbox 6's and a digital multimeter and the know how. What are you looking for?

 

[phpinfo]

Not wanting to take away business from Sadoun but yes I have 2 vbox 6's and a digital multimeter and the know how. What are you looking for?

I am basically looking to replace the transformer, so I am looking for the specs and the current transformer. Could you measure what the output voltage is?

Also are there any markings on the transformer? The one I have doesn't have any markings.

 

[Pismire]

I'll take a look tomorrow and let you know what I find.


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[phpinfo]

I'll take a look tomorrow and let you know what I find.


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

Awesome! Thanks!