Humax hdr fox tr freezes after 30 seconds

[Nico]

Hi all. Wonder if anyone can help.
When I switch on my box, it boots and the TV picture and sound comes on, 30 seconds later the picture disappears and the box becomes unresponsive.. So, I have to switch it off and on again and the same thing happens. I have swapped over hdd and it's just the same, have changed the firmware, same results... Anyone have a clue what's going on

 

[Black Hole]

30 seconds seems too long for this to be an electronic component failure. Does it behave for longer if you leave it turned off for a long period first? Is it in a warm location?

The things people should check, and need to tell us about to make any progress for a diagnosis and potential correction or repair, are these:

1. Is it hot?
   
   
2. Does it continue to misbehave with no Ethernet / WiFi dongle / USB drive connected, and/or no aerial connected? (See note 1.)
   
   
3. Does it continue to misbehave with the HDD disconnected? (See note 2.)

Notes:

1. With no aerial, a lack-of-signal message should be displayed on the TV screen.
   
   
2. With no HDD, the HDR-FOX continues to operate as a tuner but with no recording or time-shifting ability. Disconnecting the HDD requires the removal of only three screws from the back panel which hold on the cover, and breaking the warranty seal (warranty on HDR-FOXes has long run out anyway). There will then be sufficient access to unplug the two cables leading to the HDD (disconnect both of them). For more details see HDR-FOX Commissioning, Disassembly, Repair (click).
   
   
3. For a more extensive diagnostic procedure see Steps for Resolving HDR-FOX Crash/Reboot Issues (click).

 

[Nico]

30 seconds seems too long for this to be an electronic component failure. Does it behave for longer if you leave it turned off for a long period first? Is it in a warm location?

The things people should check, and need to tell us about to make any progress for a diagnosis and potential correction or repair, are these:

1. Is it hot?
   
   
2. Does it continue to misbehave with no Ethernet / WiFi dongle / USB drive connected, and/or no aerial connected? (See note 1.)
   
   
3. Does it continue to misbehave with the HDD disconnected? (See note 2.)

Notes:

1. With no aerial, a lack-of-signal message should be displayed on the TV screen.
   
   
2. With no HDD, the HDR-FOX continues to operate as a tuner but with no recording or time-shifting ability. Disconnecting the HDD requires the removal of only three screws from the back panel which hold on the cover, and breaking the warranty seal (warranty on HDR-FOXes has long run out anyway). There will then be sufficient access to unplug the two cables leading to the HDD (disconnect both of them). For more details see HDR-FOX Commissioning, Disassembly, Repair (click).
   
   
3. For a more extensive diagnostic procedure see Steps for Resolving HDR-FOX Crash/Reboot Issues (click).

Thanks for your reply. If I leave it off for longer, yes, it seems to work for a few minutes, then as soon as I switch it over, or try and get access to the menu, it loses the picture and becomes unresponsive. It's not in a warm place, just sitting on a unit with nothing near it, the fan in the unit is running too, the unit is not hot. Have tried no ethernet, and changed the hdmi cable to no effect. Same when I disconnect the hdd.... Have tried switching it on tv first then box, turning box on first then tv and still the same results

 

[Black Hole]

Clutching at straws: are the insides covered in a thick layer of dust?

Maybe replace the PSU.

Other than that, I'm out of ideas.

 

[Nico]

Clutching at straws: are the insides covered in a thick layer of dust?

Maybe replace the PSU.

Other than that, I'm out of ideas.

The unit is spotless inside, however, I ran some more tests.. I unplugged the box from the TV connections, so the box was sitting alone with nothing plugged into it. It's been on for 3 hours with me switching the channels over on the box, pressing the menu button, the volume button and no freezes at all... Then I reconnect it to the TV and it starts to freeze and becomes unresponsive again.

 

[Black Hole]

Then I reconnect it to the TV and it starts to freeze and becomes unresponsive again.

There's a control channel through HDMI called CEC (Consumer Electronics Control), and I suspect input from the TV is upsetting the HDR-FOX. We used to talk about this years ago, but it disappeared as an issue.

There should be a way to turn this on and off in the TV menus. What it's called depends on the manufacturer:

• AOC: E-link
• Hitachi: HDMI-CEC
• LG: SimpLink (will not work with Highfive on all models)
• Mitsubishi: NetCommand for HDMI
• Onkyo: RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI)
• Panasonic: HDAVI Control, EZ-Sync, or VIERA Link
• Philips: EasyLink
• Pioneer: Kuro Link
• Runco International: RuncoLink
• Samsung: Anynet+
• Sharp: Aquos Link
• Sony: BRAVIA Sync
• Toshiba: CE-Link or Regza Link
• Vizio: CEC

Alternatively, it might be possible to obtain an HDMI lead without the CEC connection.