[mythtv-users] Debugging hdhomerun - can I record the same show from multiple tuners in duplicate?

[Stephen Worthington]

On Sun, 26 Feb 2023 21:47:39 -0600, you wrote:

>Yes, original hdhomerun power supply is new, but quatro is not. I am 
>sure it is, at least, 4 years old. However I can watch live TV with it, 
>and I do not notice any glitches or bad behavior. Is there a better way 
>to diagnose the problem? Can we measure something at the outputs of PS? 
>Or is it load dependent that it is best to check by swapping PS? I think 
>it is 5V, 1.0A PS. Hopefully, I can get one from Amazon.

Cheap switch mode power packs often fail in a way that the voltage
reading is fine unless they are under load, so you can not just check
the voltage on a meter.  Sometimes, the device they power will be able
to boot but will not be able to do much more than minimal operations
before it draws more power than the power pack can now provide.  Or if
it is a multi-device unit, one of the devices will work OK, but using
another at the same time will trigger failure.

When replacing power packs, it is rarely a good idea to buy an
identical replacement.  The ones originally provided are often lowest
price units that are never going to be reliable.  So you should choose
a much better device with similar or better specifications.  Here in
New Zealand, I usually buy from Jaycar as I have never yet had one of
their power packs fail.  But the price is much higher, typically
NZ$20-40, where I could get the same specifications from AliExpress
for NZ$2.  But the AliExpress ones would be illegal to use in NZ, as
they are not certified properly, and they would inevitably fail sooner
rather than later and have a relatively high probability of failing
dangerously, such as starting a fire or electrocuting me.

In the USA, buying from a reputable place such as RadioShack is what I
would recommend - they seem to be a similar sort of shop to Jaycar. So
I would recommend getting a good power supply from a place like that,
preferably one with multiple connectors and selectable polarity so
that it can be used on different devices.  This is the current Jaycar
one that would be what I would buy here in NZ for the specifications
you gave:

https://www.jaycar.co.nz/5v-dc-1a-ultra-slim-power-supply-7dc-plugs/p/MP3144

Of course, you will need one that works from your mains supply.  As
well as the output voltage and ampage, you also need to check that one
of the connectors provided will match the socket on the HDHR.