[mythtv-users] Re: TV-tuner noise interference problem

[Ray Olszewski]

Just a thought ... a couple of months ago, there was some discussion in the 
trade press about an Asian supplier who had produced a LOT of out-of-spec 
caps that had been used on motherboards. Your comment that "the 4 
capacitors at the same location are swollen and cracked @ the top" makes me 
wonder if you are a victim of this problem.

If so, you should probably pursue this failure with Abit, since I'd expect 
that the mobo manufacturers casre enough about their reputations that they 
will scurry to make things right with the victims of this problem (they 
were doing a lot of spin control at the time the news broke). I know my 
son, who had a mobo with the bad-cap problem, got a quick replacement -- 
not for free, but for cheap -- from their local office. At the moment, I 
cannot recall if his was an Abit or not.

At 07:38 PM 5/3/2003 -0600, Alexander P. Petkov wrote:
>I tried to send mail earlier today, but it bounced. I apologize if it
>shows up twice... Here it is again:
>
>
>I believe I have found what's causing this video signal interference
>with my tv-tuner card.
>
>I am running an Abit BH6 ver 1.0 with an upgradeware slot-t adapter
>that houses a Celeron 1.4 processor.
>
>Anyway, I took the whole machine apart this morning, and inspected
>cards one by one:
>
>1. I changed the video card, the video noise problem was still there.
>2. I changed the processor with an old Celeron 400Mhz, the problem
>almost went away.
>
>Upon closer inspection of the motherboard, I see that the inductor
>coil (between the keyboard and PS/2 mouse ports, and the slot 1) is
>all charred.
>
>Also, the 4 capacitors at the same location are swollen and cracked @
>the top.
>
>What happens is that the Slot-t adapter supplies voltage through the
>molex connector, which is out of spec for the motherboard. People
>suggest using aluminum plate to dissipate heat, but I didn't have
>one. Other than that, the motherboard still works fine.
>
>I tried again the tv-tuner card in another computer, no problem
>whatsoever with the signal.
>
>So , it looks like I will have to look to change/upgrade the
>motherboard, or try to fix it.
>
>Any suggestions for a Tualatin motherboard? Is it possible to replace
>the coil and capacitors on the Abit?