[mythtv-users] Ceton InfiniTV 6 ETH Dying?

[Stephen Worthington]

On Mon, 28 Oct 2019 15:27:47 -0500, you wrote:

>I have an InfiniTV 6 that has been working fine since I bought it used a
>few years ago, but it looks like it's dying.  Ethernet access to it, even
>with a web browser has suddenly gotten very erratic.  When I can get to it
>with a browser, I can (usually/eventually) get to the various status pages
>and I can even reboot it remotely, but at other times I can't even get it
>to respond to ping.
>
>I'm wondering if others who have/had one experienced  a similar problem and
>whether they were able to come up with a fix (short of replacing it with
>other hardware)?
>
>Could it just be a failing wall wart, or is it common for the ethernet
>interface to give up the ghost?
>
>Since Ceton is long gone from the market, should I look for another used
>replacement or go with a used SiliconDust HDHomeRun HDHR3-CC three tuner
>replacement while I wait with bated breath for the SiliconDust HDHomeRun
>Prime six tuner to finally get released (long gestation reportedly still on
>target for release this calendar year, maybe, sorta, hopefully...)?

Replacing the wall wart is your best bet.  Virtually all wall warts
are notorious for failing well before they should, and my experience
with them is that the failure mode is often similar to what you are
seeing.  The device will power up, but just does not work properly.
The wall wart's voltage will read OK when you unplug it from the
device to read the voltage, but it simply does not supply enough
current any more and when the device does anything requiring a bit
more power, it does not work.  My recollection is that there is a post
on this mailing list about a previous problem with a Ceton similar to
yours that turned out to be the wall wart.

So find the specifications for the wall wart (they are usually on it
somewhere), and get yourself one that has the same voltage and
polarity and the same connector.  It should have the same current
output or slightly higher.  I usually first look around at my other
devices to see if I have a matching one to test with, before I go out
and buy a new one.  I have one wart now that is selectable voltage and
enough current to run most of my devices, so I can use it with
anything for testing purposes.

When buying a new wall wart, do not buy the cheapest you can find - it
is much better to pay more to buy one that will not need to be
replaced again in a year or two.  And replacing with exactly the same
type as the one that failed (from the device manufacturer) is not a
good idea - the new one will also fail in the same way at a later
date.  Here in New Zealand, I normally go to my local Jaycar shop for
wall warts - they have a range to choose from and I have yet to have
one of theirs fail.  This sort of thing with changeable connectors is
a good idea:

https://www.jaycar.co.nz/5vdc-1000ma-ultra-slim-switchmode-power-adaptors/p/MP3144

At NZ$21.90 (US$13.69) it is significantly more than the cheapest
available, but likely worth the extra (that particular one is a new
slimmer model since I last bought from them, so I do not have any
experience with it yet).