HDR-FOX-T2 not seeing firmware file on the flash stick, and a "Russ Andrews upgraded" unit with fake boards added

I paid about £150 for it on Ebay.

Looking again at the squiggle on the sticker it says Russ Andrews.

The only visual difference I see is the IEC mains connector. IIRC, there were other claimed changes.

One can buy high grade caps for relative peanuts; there is nothing special about any used in the "gold plated mains plug" HiFi business whose bottom fell out when the CD arrived :)
 
peterh337 said:
One can buy high grade caps for relative peanuts; there is nothing special about any used in the "gold plated mains plug" HiFi business whose bottom fell out when the CD arrived :)
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Don't you believe it. There are still plenty of audiophools chasing the finest possible sound using deoxygenated speaker cable @ £1000 per metre (or whatever other snake-oil it might be).
 
peterh337 said:
I paid about £150 for it on Ebay.
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I looked a few months ago and found several HDR Fox T2s for around £50. Admittedly I was only looking for 500GB drives, I'm not interested in anything larger. And then with the help of this forum I fixed my broken one (flash reads of code during boot unreliable, fixed by reprogramming it) so I'm back to 2 spares for my fleet of 4 in use among myself and family.
 
Sure people pay silly money for OFC cable, and £500 interconnects (ex China for $2) but it's been like that since the hifi business got crashed by the CD with its 16 bit linear PCM, since the 1980s...
 
Good God, it's hardly impressive is it? Bodgery seems a more appropriate word than upgrade. Flux, excess solder and gunge everywhere and it's not entirely clear what those extra boards actually do that's useful. The electrical safety seems compromised, but it's hard to tell from those pictures.
I would be interested to hear what @Newcoppiceman thinks of it.
 
Yes; bodged. That "silencer" is a mains filter which will do nothing useful.
There is a fan in the HD enclosure but the HD was still pretty warm when removed. I will make sure the fan is running; most PC fans fail after a few years (I've built many PCs and now use the Sanyo fans at £25 each).
IIRC they claimed improved RF receiver and transmitter so I got a close-up pic.202602023720035310.jpg
 
What is it supposed to be, even? My guess is a mains filter, because there's not enough room to fit a connector with built-in filtering. As if it needs it. I don't like the lack of insulating boots on the mains connector terminals, and so far as I can see those exposed traces on the "copyright" board (I wouldn't put my name to it!) are at mains potential. The creep distance to the chassis looks iffy, at least.

Update: posts crossed.

Owen Smith said:
I find it a complete pain in the neck that of all my hifi gear, the HDR Fox T2 is the only thing without a detachable mains lead.
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  1. Buy the length you would need if it were an ordinary mains lead, to get from the HDR-FOX to the mains socket;
  2. Cut the new lead about 8" from the male connector (pins);
  3. Fit that to the HDR-FOX in place of the existing mains lead;
  4. Fit a mains plug on the end of the remainder (trim to length if required);
  5. Connect and enjoy. The lead is now detachable, albeit with a short stub on the HDR-FOX.
 
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peterh337 said:
IIRC they claimed improved RF receiver and transmitter so I got a close-up pic.
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What transmitter?? There is no modulation involved, the only thing the RF OUT socket does is pass through the signal from the RF IN socket.

Whether the receiver is "improved" or not I don't know, but I can't believe they've altered the tuner cans – certainly not within the price! All I think they've done is add that screening around the point where the RF connectors go through the rear panel. Pointless, IMO. The worst bit about the tuners is how fragile the centre pin in the connectors is.
 
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peterh337 said:
There is a fan in the HD enclosure but the HD was still pretty warm when removed. I will make sure the fan is running; most PC fans fail after a few years (I've built many PCs and now use the Sanyo fans at £25 each).
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Install the fan package in the web UI and set the fan speed to about 50%, this sets a minimum and keeps air moving nicely. Without this the fan stays off until the disc gets far too hot and then the Humax firmware turns the fan on full blast such that it sounds like Concorde taking off.
 
peterh337 said:
Some photos of the Russ Andrews box:
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Sadly neither the capacitor that fails causing the hard disc to not start (that Newcoppiceman diagnosed) nor the capacitor in the power supply that tends to fail have been replaced. Those would have been worthwhile, though require hindsight.
 
Owen Smith said:
neither the capacitor that fails causing the hard disc to not start (that Newcoppiceman diagnosed) nor the capacitor in the power supply that tends to fail have been replaced.
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One wonders what the capacitors they did replace actually did and how they 'knew' to replace them, doing who knows what damage in the process.

And what is that circuit board next to the PSU board? The picture is too small/fuzzy to see anything.
 
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