EPG causing lock-up

Gordon B

New Member
Can anyone help with this problem.
I recently purchased a second-hand Foxsat PVR for use in France - I have been using a Foxsat HD box (without the hard disk) with great success but wanted the ability to record programmes to get round the time difference.
Everything seemed to be working OK until I tried to setup a recording. As soon as I selected the HD channels from the Guide options, the box locked up and would not respond to either remote or box commands - the only option was to power down the machine from the rear switch. I tried several times but with the same result. I did notice that the message about loading programme info was displayed so I waited to see if this would disappear but it stayed on.
I brought the box home with me fearing that it may have been due to low mains voltage (French supply is only 226 volts) but the problem persisted. I tried doing a Factory Restore but this made no difference.
On a whim, I tried the All Channels option instead of the HD option and the problem did not occur - odd?
After much experimentation I found that the problem only occurs if I select the HD option BEFORE the programme information has finished loading.
I can live with this but it is frustrating having to remember to wait.
Can anyone suggest a possible cure for this?
The Loader is U7.53
and the Software version is 1.00.17 with a date of 20/9/11.

Gordon
 
Thank you Graham, this does seem to bypass the 'Receiving programme information...' stage which seems to be the culprit.
Not sure if I will be able to remember the 'Schedule' + 'Red Button' + 'Opt' steps to get to the HD channels (especially after several glasses of wine!) but I'll give it a go.
 
Thank you Graham, this does seem to bypass the 'Receiving programme information...' stage which seems to be the culprit.
Not sure if I will be able to remember the 'Schedule' + 'Red Button' + 'Opt' steps to get to the HD channels (especially after several glasses of wine!) but I'll give it a go.

It uses the cached epg version rather than downloading a whole new one. If the box happens to be recording, then guide does the same thing as tuner 1 is tied up. If after guide the downloading info seems to get stuck, do a freesat tune but do not save the results.
 
I brought the box home with me fearing that it may have been due to low mains voltage (French supply is only 226 volts)
That's not low and should be well within the capability of the box. I've recorded a range from 178 to 249V in the last couple of weeks or so and nothing's been bothered by it.
 
Is that true? Or do the PSUs in modern devices adjust the supply-side current draw appropriately to supply the device-side with the required voltage/amperage (eg 5V / 2A for a USB charger)? And a kettle will take less time to boil.
 
...but incandescent light bulbs, electric heaters, motors, etc (which all take far more power than a typical device containing a switch mode PSU) will not be regulated, and will consume more power at a higher RMS voltage. You do not have the option to regulate a light bulb - either you have light, or stay in the dark.

I agree that such examples are gradually being phased out though.
 
...but incandescent light bulbs, electric heaters, motors, etc (which all take far more power than a typical device containing a switch mode PSU) will not be regulated, and will consume more power at a higher RMS voltage. You do not have the option to regulate a light bulb - either you have light, or stay in the dark.

I agree that such examples are gradually being phased out though.

Electrical heating equipment connected to a thermosat will not overall consume more power - ovens, immersion heaters etc. Neither will fixed speed synchronous motors as the applied load is fixed so at the higher voltage the current drawn is less (and so is the copper loss in the interconnecting cable).

However a national reduction in voltage of 6% would temporarily reduce the national demand by around 10% at least in the early 2000's. A fact regulary used by National Grid to reduce the winter peak demand at times of generation shortage and avoid load shedding by disconnection. I don't know what effect the widespread implementation of switch mode power supplies has had on this figure in recent years.

The reason that voltage wasn't reduced overall is simply that at the 11Kv/415V distribution transformer the transformation ratio is set internally by taps on the winding. Unlike large transformers which have on load tap changers controlled by automatic voltage regulating relays. This would mean that every transformer would need to be drained of oil to reset the links. It's in the interest of all of us that the high voltage network is maintained at the higher end of the voltage range, both to reduce transmission power losses but more importantly to maintain voltage stability. The voltage levels on the high voltage system are a balance between the inductive series mvar requirement arising from the line inductance against the capacitive leading mvar gain of the circuit. All overhead lines have a natural load for a given voltage, at this load the gain matches the losses, at this point the line becomes neutral in mvar loading. If the line voltage is allowed to go too low, a condition is eventually reached where the receiving end voltage collapses to zero unless expensive mvar generating capacitors are connected to compensate. The natural load of high voltage cables is a lot higher than the thermal current limiting, this is one of the major issues of operating a high voltage cable grid at times of light loading.
 
Last edited:
Electrical heating equipment connected to a thermosat will not overall consume more power
It will actually, seeing as power is proportional to voltage squared. Perhaps you meant to write "energy" instead of "power", in which case I would agree (higher power will be consumed but for shorter time, thus using the same amount of energy for any given amount of heat output).
 
Is that true? Or do the PSUs in modern devices adjust the supply-side current draw appropriately to supply the device-side with the required voltage/amperage (eg 5V / 2A for a USB charger)? And a kettle will take less time to boil.
It will actually, seeing as power is proportional to voltage squared. Perhaps you meant to write "energy" instead of "power", in which case I would agree (higher power will be consumed but for shorter time, thus using the same amount of energy for any given amount of heat output).

I stand corrected but overall indicates power consumption over time (ie energy), or average power if you prefer.

To be strictly accurate Power in a ac circuit is not proportional to voltage squared. At a power factor of zero power is zero whatever the voltage.
 
Would you use "overall speed consumption" to mean "distance"? Just use the correct term. It's much less confusing, and Joe Public is confused enough about this as it is, mainly because people use the wrong terms.
 
At a power factor of zero power is zero whatever the voltage.
I have always found this unintuitive. OK, so shift the current sinusoid by 90 degrees relative to the voltage sinusoid, multiply the two and integrate, and you get "zero" energy... but does that really mean no energy is consumed, and does your lecky meter really stop going round?
 
@ BH Yes, providing it is measuring power not VA. That's how these 'energy savers' are purported to work, by shifting the current to be a bit out of phase with the voltage or, put another way, decrease the Power Factor.
 
It's still proportional. Just via "Cos theta" as well as "1/R".

How can it be proportional if the pf is zero (Cos 90 is zero) ? The angle is phi not theta.

Strictly speaking only a pure resistive load will maintain the same PF as the voltage varies. Capacitive gain rises as the square of the Voltage and Inductive as the square of the current.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top