Reliable Power Supply for HDPVR

[Narflex]

I've seen at least one post about this but wanted people's general opinion.

Is there a high quality power supply that people use for their HDPVRs? I'm getting tired of replacing them every year or so when they die (and the associated recording issues that occur before that event happens), and would rather just spring for something that should last a long time.


--------------------------------------------
Update: instead of buying small power supplies and having them repeatedly fail, power it from your PC.

Here's a link to basic instructions for connecting the HD-PR to your PC's power supply.

[Skirge01]

The Netgear ones I was buying as replacements only lasted a year or so. As a result, I wound up going back to the originals from Hauppauge.

[Taddeusz]

The one I ordered from Digi-Key is still going strong after several years of continuous use.

[Narflex]

Originally Posted by Taddeusz

The one I ordered from Digi-Key is still going strong after several years of continuous use.

Do you have a link to the one you bought?

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by Taddeusz

The one I ordered from Digi-Key is still going strong after several years of continuous use.

Could you point out which model it is on their site? My to-do list also contains "order extra HD-PVR power supplies"... I had a couple from Hauppuage, but I used them to replace the power supplies on my home energy usage monitor, because apparently lots of those types of power supplies go bad.

Andy

[Taddeusz]

No, sorry, looked in my email and I couldn't find it.

[Narflex]

Originally Posted by Taddeusz

No, sorry, looked in my email and I couldn't find it.

Can you go look on it when you're home to see if there's a model number or something?

[wayner]

Any idea why we still have these issues? At first it was due to with capacitor plague - but surely those bad capacitors are now all gone?

Here is a blog entry on the subject from four years ago: https://valkyriemt.wordpress.com/201...-fail-for-all/

[Taddeusz]

Originally Posted by wayner

Any idea why we still have these issues? At first it was due to with capacitor plague - but surely those bad capacitors are now all gone?

Here is a blog entry on the subject from four years ago: https://valkyriemt.wordpress.com/201...-fail-for-all/

You'd think. But I believe there are still cheap capacitors coming out of East Asia. They work and last long enough for the thing attached to exit warranty. People just dig out another power supply and move on. I've even had a cheap HP printer that I had to toss because the power supply went south. Wasn't worth replacing and it wasn't any kind of standard power supply.

[ThePaladinTech]

http://badcaps.net/

[wayner]

These discussions remind me of those announcements made at Woodstock "The brown acid is bad, man!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKoLlKmQSHU

[dstanley]

I ended up adding two molex power brackets to the back of my server and made up cables to power my four HD-PVR's.

http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=29342

Over time I must have bought about six replacement transformers and this mod should be the last time I have to mess with the power for these things.

Been rock solid since doing this mod.

Dwight

[mgpaulus]

Originally Posted by dstanley

I ended up adding two molex power brackets to the back of my server and made up cables to power my four HD-PVR's.

http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=29342

Over time I must have bought about six replacement transformers and this mod should be the last time I have to mess with the power for these things.

Been rock solid since doing this mod.

Dwight

Reg. Price: $4.22 USD On-Hand Availability:
This Product is Not Available
This item is no longer available. Notify me if this product is available again.
- See more at: http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=....w26bNCNw.dpuf

Nice idea, but not very good if we can't get one....

[KryptoNyte]

You can find something similar with a quick search.

http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Powe...dp/B003KQ3RSS/

Dwight, do you have any fine detail on how you wired in the HD-PVR's? How long have you been running like this? Curious.

[dstanley]

Originally Posted by KryptoNyte

Dwight, do you have any fine detail on how you wired in the HD-PVR's? How long have you been running like this? Curious.

I actually bought my brackets from eBay but I wanted to find a reliable link to show what they looked like. I followed this guide here:
https://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Mounting...PVR_Internally

I have Molex tools and used cut off cables from dead power supply's that I had from old HD-PVR's

Dwight

[KryptoNyte]

Very good. Thank you.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by Narflex

I've seen at least one post about this but wanted people's general opinion.

Is there a high quality power supply that people use for their HDPVRs? I'm getting tired of replacing them every year or so when they die (and the associated recording issues that occur before that event happens), and would rather just spring for something that should last a long time.

I use one purchased from Radio Shack, going on three years now. I'm out of town...will post the make/model when I return.

EDIT: turns out I had a reference on my ipad: http://www.amazon.com/Enercell-5VDC-...ct_top?ie=UTF8

it's a radio shack house brand, but doesn't seem to be available at their web site. interchangeable tips are purchased separately I believe. even though it's not listed on RS's site, quite often they have things in the back. 2730411 is the RS skew.
PS - I run my system thru a Furman line conditioner to minimize voltage fluctuations.

[Narflex]

Ohhh...that's an awesome idea to just use the PC's power supply to power the HPDVRs. I shall be doing that sometime in the near future.

[wayner]

And don't even worry about getting a bracket. If most Sage users are like me they will have some old molex Y connectors around - and they are pretty much obsolete since SATA hard drives don't use that type of connection. Just cut off one of those, twist the wire onto the barrel connector from a failed HD-PVR power supply, apply a bit of solder, or use a crimped butt connector, and you will be good to go as long as the HD-PVR isn't too far from the PC. You can just feed the cord out the back of the PC where the PCI cards would go.

[Narflex]

Originally Posted by wayner

And don't even worry about getting a bracket. If most Sage users are like me they will have some old molex Y connectors around - and they are pretty much obsolete since SATA hard drives don't use that type of connection. Just cut off one of those, twist the wire onto the barrel connector from a failed HD-PVR power supply, apply a bit of solder, or use a crimped butt connector, and you will be good to go as long as the HD-PVR isn't too far from the PC. You can just feed the cord out the back of the PC where the PCI cards would go.

That was exactly my plan. :-)