Recovering recordings when no longer powering up

dublet

New Member
Hello,

My Humax HDR FOX T2 is no longer powering up. One day it just failed to start up, none of the lights come on, nothing. I've already replaced it with a 2000T as I was looking to upgrade the HDD anyway. However, I'd like to be able to recover the numerous recordings that are on the old HDD.

It's come to my attention that the FOX encrypts all of the recordings on the HDD but that a custom firmware allows it to decrypt it. Unfortunately given that the machine no longer powers up, I obviously can't put that firmware on it to decrypt the recordings and put them on the new box.

The Encryption wiki page says that the encryption key is stored on some kind of chip, so I'm assuming that unless the machine powers up, this is impossible to recover, right?

I couldn't see any issues relating to the power supply PCB on the forum and I don't really want to buy another FOX just to steal it's power supply, assuming that is indeed the problem.

Thanks for any insight anyone might be able to give.

W
 
The Encryption wiki page says that the encryption key is stored on some kind of chip, so I'm assuming that unless the machine powers up, this is impossible to recover, right?
Correct.
I couldn't see any issues relating to the power supply PCB on the forum and I don't really want to buy another FOX just to steal it's power supply, assuming that is indeed the problem.
There have been a few reports of power supply problems but without measuring the voltages being output by the power supply there is no certainty that is the problem; do you know anybody with a multimeter? There are companies that will repair the power supply or it has been reported that Humax can supply new power supplies at reasonable prices,
 
I do have a multimeter and I'll make it one of my jobs at the weekend to measure the outputs of the power supply.
 
The fault you describe is similar to one that is quite common on the DTR-T1000 Youview box. This is caused by a failing main board. The DTR-T1000 has a different main board, but has the same front panel board and power supply as a HDR-FOX (revised hardware version). Do the network lights on the ethernet port illuminate when it is switched on? You could try leaving the unit switched off completely for a couple of hours and then turn it back on using the switch on the back. With a bit of luck it might boot up. If it does I would make sure that automatic power down is off, FTP into the box and use Raydon's Foxy programme to deprotect the HMT files of any high def. recordings you want to keep (see details on this forum). Then use the remote control to copy any programmes you want onto a USB hard drive (if you have an empty drive it would be easiest to let the HDR-FOX format it as EXT3). You will then be able to play the recordings another machine.
 
The machine is really quite dead, no lights of any kind come on, not even the Ethernet port. The box has been left without power connection for a few days to no avail (it died last Thursday, was disconnected, got the replacement 2000T on Saturday and it's been left unpowered since).

If I were to get it powered up, I'd have to do more than simply remove the protection flag, as it would still keep it encrypted, as far as I understand. And for that I'd need to be able to load the custom firmware to start that process according to the encryption wiki page.
 
If I were to get it powered up, I'd have to do more than simply remove the protection flag, as it would still keep it encrypted, as far as I understand. And for that I'd need to be able to load the custom firmware to start that process according to the encryption wiki page.
Copying to USB will remove the encryption on SD recordings and HD recordings that have had Foxy applied to them.
 
So I put the PSU to the multimeter test. The 2 12V pins are outputting 12-14V and the 2 5.8V outputs are between 3.5-8V. The ground pins are happily 0V. Not great or terribly stable but it seems it's alive.

Sadly I don't have an oscilloscope to show the wave form. One thing I can try is to solder a temporary connection from a spare ATX PSU that I have using the molex connectors. However, with the outputs given above, I have this inclination that the mainboard may be at fault.
 
@dublet. Can you detect power on the main board? There is a 4-pin ATX type socket to which the hard drive is connected (not wired as standard ATX though). Is power being supplied to the hard drive?
 
The hard drive ATX plug delivers 0V, no matter which way I connect the multimeter. There is a little socket for the HDD fan, which is delivering 1V though.
 
It sounds like the main board isn't sending power to the hard drive. It should still boot up though without a hard drive connected. The power to the hard drive isn't switched on until late in the boot procedure so that could be why there is no reading. It could be the main board or the front panel board. You could try disconnecting and reconnecting the front panel (connector with many green wires by the hard drive caddy) in case the connection has gone dry. You could also try independently powering the hard drive using your ATX power supply.
 
The 2 12V pins are outputting 12-14V and the 2 5.8V outputs are between 3.5-8V. The ground pins are happily 0V. Not great or terribly stable but it seems it's alive.
It shouldn't be varying like that. Your power supply has had it IMHO. I would be seeing about repair or replacement.
 
Is the PSU repair kit detailed in #14 suitable for the OP's HDR-Fox T2?, I can only find this reference :-

Foxsat HD Freesat (single tuner) and Humax fox-T2 terrestrial HD Freeview receiver (non PVR version).

If the kit does not contain the correct value capacitors for the HDR-Fox T2 the same site does supply quite a few other values on their capacitors page here :-
http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/low_ESR_capacitors.htm
 
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