Recent content by RichFX

I had another look at T2 no.2 after studying the LDO reg data sheet again, and the feedback pin 5 is doing the right thing because the control pin 1 is low. I'm not going to be able to find where this signal comes from without a circuit. Even without HDD this signal never appears. The T2...

Maybe. But I think a lot depends on how thick the wires are and how messy cutting through the cap might be. Here's s pic of two twisted off SM caps and their bases (less tabs) next to a couple of junk-box mini-caps I had tagged on previously. You can see how thin the wires are, and a couple...

I fear I may not find enough time or enthusiasm to fix T2 no.2 as a total dismanling is needed to remove the HDD power plug, not a quick fix. However this evening's exercise was not entirely futile. Taking off the 4.7uF capacitor was very much easier than I expected. I fiddled about for a...

It looks like this one needs a new 5V chip. Input supply is 5.81V, but the feedback control pin is only 0.77V when it would be 1.25V if regulating correctly. It looks tricky to remove without also removing the plastic HDD power plug so close. I need to buy more gas for my pyropen. I may be...

I agree. I can see that if the SM cap is leaking a tiny bit of current then the FET might not have enough gate volts to turn on fully, and then higher peak demand on the FET by a busy HD could cause a problem. I don't have the right tools to hand to guarantee success and just tagging it...

I've applied Newcoppiceman's capacitor fix to a third HDR-FOX-T2 that had begun to occasionally sulk. Freezer spray in the relevant area woke it again every time, so this was a positive pointer. As with the other T2s I merely tagged another C across the existing 4.7uF. It now keeps working...

Hmm, decoding of compressed video is spread across quite a few fields, remember the I, P and B frames? The PC might need to buffer a sequence of up to a second or two long between I frames while modifying each field appropriately. Which is why I mentioned hardware support with the custom...

Which is precisely the problem. 60Hz desktop field rate, 50Hz TV field rate. Interlaced TV adds significant interest and conversion difficulty level for showing motion seamlessly on a progressive scan screen, and then a different field rate adds a lot more bat's blood to the cauldron...

Hmm, sorry to butt into an interesting thread, with what might be an obvious comment you might have already considered, but frame rates can be significant; PC screen probably at 60Hz and UK video source at 50Hz, so you often get staggering motion rendering, unless you can set display rate the...

The solder failure between 500mm segments is because of thermal movement of the mounting surface they are stuck to expanding and contracting, but this is different from the LED ageing. When it's hot in there, LEDs are Off as its already bright enough, so even in hot summer they are actually at...

Payback time was about a year considering how long the LEDS last compared with incandescent or CFL. The house was properly rewired soon after I bought it in 1971 (Previously lead covered rubberised cloth insulation or VIR! Meter was going round with nothing plugged in!) and we added lots of...

Hmm, they are as fragile as old tungsten filament bulbs, and cast an unpleasant patterned light. We tried some in reading lamps, but SWMBO soon gave them all to the Charity shop where they used them as part of a window display "designer effect" lighting!

Hmm, LEDs. Volatile. Beware which LEDs you buy, and from who. They can be superb. I've been using them throughout the house since 2011 for a massive saving in electricity, with a step reduction in the bill! I'm also always on the look out for a better LED and trying samples as they appear...

Since 25th Sept last year much of TV broadcast in UK has been cobbled together from backup locations following the smoke detector incident in the Red Bee play-out centre. Subtitles and audio-description were the main casualties. I'm not sure when full normal service will resume. Apparently...

Hmm, an off-the-wall obvious thought, I assume you have tried a few nice, clean, shiny new HDMI leads? And blown the fluff out of the sockets? The year before lockdown I was asked to look at a brand-new audio extractor box that refused to pass the HDMI from the CD/Blu-ray (no analogue output)...