power surge wrecked Sky box or TV through HDMI splitter?

[Calvados]

i realise this is very specific but I'm hoping someine here knows what might have happened...

long story short, a lamp blew up in the lounge tripping some electrics in the house.

Power restored but no picture on lounge TV (although the screen does function because it shows HDMI1 and other standard mesages) but not showing pitcures from Sky box. Sound is fine but that is through the amp.

Funny thing is the lounge TV was not on at the time of the possible surge(?). The TV in the kitchen was on and it takes its picture via HDMI splitter from the lounge TV.

Could there have been a surge from the TV in the kitchen to the TV in the lounge (via HDMI splitter cable or the magic eye connection) or the Sky box causing this loss of picture to lounge TV?

Any ideas?

Addendum: just about to post this and the TV has twice cut out before turning itslef back on and now theres no sound coming from Sky box (via amp)...eeek

thanks for any advice, Cal

 

[Johnmelad]

Switch all of at the sockets, remove sky card, wait a few minutes insert card switch on sockets and report back.

 

[Iggifer]

not really in the right section,

but strip out all the extra bumf, just connect the tv to the sky box with an HDMI lead, get rid of the amp, magic eye, splitter etc

Simplest way, then if these don't work you've narrowed it to these, if it works, it's one of the other devices, and add them in one at a time until something breaks the chain

Very unlikely a lamp blowing would have damaged anything, as it's likely on a different circuit.

What tripped out? The MCB or the RCD?

 

[AdrianUK]

There is a problem at the moment with alot of bad capacitors in consumer electronics. Over a period of time, inside a nice warm box, they dry out and change in value. Some of these caps are in parts of the circuit which are not used all the time, but are only required during startup when the box is powering up. If these caps have gone bad the result can be that the unit works fine while powered but cannot restart after being powered down.


It would seem that your problem may not be due to a surge, but most likely triggered by the fact that the power went off. Sky boxes are notorious for it. Not a particuarly difficiult problem to fix if you can handle a soldering iron (plenty of suppliers do a kit with all the correct caps).

 

[Lectrician]

When you get a power cut, a tripped circuit, or other power loss, often items of equipment that have been working perfectly for weeks will suddenly decide not to work when the power is restored (in one way or another).

A PC can sit working fine for months. The sparky turns the power off, the PC reboots and no longer works. The sparky gets the blame, but the PC has simply been sitting waiting for a reboot, for it to fail when it re-starts.

The same can happen to a Sky Box.

Not saying this is what has happened - try unplugging from the mains for a minute or so, and then re-powering.

Unplug and reconnect all HDMI and scart connections.

 

[Calvados]

thanks for quick replies folks.

I tried the easiest thing of unplugging everything and taking out Sky card etc.

Switched Sky on first, then amp, then Sky..

The TV came on but flashed once with every pixel seemingly in a differnt colour and then it went off.

Sky - sound is on (through amp) and I can change Sky channel but still no picture and I've now turned off TV for fear of blowing it up (its a 50" Panasonic).

I'll now try the direct HDMI link to TV but I think I'm about to cry.

PS the lamp was a major pop with the fuse going. It tripped 2 switches (one that commands most of the downstairs lights and half the power sockets) and another switch which could be a spur - sorry don't know my RCDs etc.

 

[Calvados]

Iggfer - looks like you win the diagnositc prize.
I have connected the Sky box directly to the TV via HDMI and it seems to be working (touch wood). I guess that means the splitter is defunct (although I noticed the red lights were still working).

Does this sound right now? that I need a new splitter? or could the cables or connections in and out of the splitter have gone too? The HDMI cable going out from the splitter is about 20m long to the kitchen so that wwuld be a nightmare to change.

would a bust splitter have caused the TV to become twitchy and turn itself on and off standby?

thanks, Cal

 

[Calvados]

UPDATE 11mins LATER:

I thought everything was OK but the TV flicked off momentarily and then came back on (with normal Sky picture). This is after leaving the direct connection ffrom Sky box to TV!!!!

Anyone????

Read more: //www.diynot.com/forums/electr...v-through-hdmi-splitter.356130/#ixzz2LfXMhmn9

 

[dannyboi2003]

What about if you just connect the tv in the kitchen directly to the sky box, does everything work ok then? If it does then it's looking like your 50" is defunct

 

[kai]

That's why I don't leave my sky box, TV, etc on standby, I just flick off the wall switch after use - had no problems with that for 15 years, so this must be a better solution for everyone else - at least it's safer, as the components get a rest from time to time, and you are not wasting electricity when you are out at work etc...

 

[Lectrician]

That's why I don't leave my sky box, TV, etc on standby, I just flick off the wall switch after use - had no problems with that for 15 years, so this must be a better solution for everyone else - at least it's safer, as the components get a rest from time to time, and you are not wasting electricity when you are out at work etc...

That's no good these days with sky+ recordings and remote record etc!

 

[Calvados]

Here's an update:

Before:
- Fuse blew, electrics tripped.
- Plasma TV in kitchen was on. SkyHD box in lounge was on. [TV in kitchen is connected to the HD box via HDMI splitter and TVlink]

- Plasma TV in lounge was OFF (though to connected to splitter).

After the power went back:

- TV in lounge turning itself off after a couple of minutes (and then turning itsself back on). [Sky box and amp appear to continue to function]. The splitter was flashing its red light and I can't remember if that was constant beofre this episode.

- Tried to isolate cause by connecting Sky box direct to lounge TV.
Result is the same although it cuts off after about 10mins. When it does cut out it usally goes to a bright colour almost like a test card of pixels.
The last time it cut out it the screen stayed 'off' but the green light remained on. The sound from the amp/Sky also went off (until I turned off the TV altogether).

So I hoped it might be the splitter casuing the problem but the problem continues when HDMI is connected directly to TV. I haven't tried a different HDMI cable yet.

Could it still be the Sky box? even though it doesn't go off itslef?
As I said, the TV in the lounge was off at the time to its bizarre.

I have a Sky+ upstairs so I can bring that down next but I only have a scart connection for that...

Any ideas, the thought of it being the TV is a bit sickening....

 

[Lectrician]

You havn't said if the kitchen TV works if you connect just that and leave that on for a while.

What about blueray HDMI to the TV? Is that working? Or DVD via Scart? What about terrestrial on the TV? Can you watch that?

 

[Calvados]

You havn't said if the kitchen TV works if you connect just that and leave that on for a while.

What about blueray HDMI to the TV? Is that working? Or DVD via Scart? What about terrestrial on the TV? Can you watch that?

more detail following further tests:

Sky --> Test TV works via both HDMI and Scart connections
Sky --> Splitter ---> Test TV = does not work
Sky --> Kitchen TV - does not work
Lounge TV shuts off after a few minutes whatever input is used
Kitchen TV can't test directly as its built in to a unit but Freeview is OK so I'm assuming the HDMI cable is not working (all 20m of it!)

So it looks like the 'power surge' (if that's what it was) has gone down the HDMI from the Kitchen TV (which was on at the time) and taken out the HDMI cable it uses to connect to the splitter, the splitter itself and the Lounge TV (which was the other TV connected via the splitter).

Does all this sound plausible? Ie the HDMI carrying the surge and it also taking out the Lounge TV (especially as this was actually turned off at the time)?

The plugs for all these devices were on an anti-surge socket but I guess it doesn't matter if the HDMI cable can carry the surge.

And finally, can I claim against the Splitter manufacturer if it helped to blew my Plasma?

as I'm drawing to a painful conclusion I'd appreciate your thoughts of possible/plausible causes and fixes.

regards,

 

[ban-all-sheds]

So it looks like the 'power surge' (if that's what it was) has gone down the HDMI from the Kitchen TV (which was on at the time) and taken out the HDMI cable it uses to connect to the splitter, the splitter itself and the Lounge TV (which was the other TV connected via the splitter).

Does all this sound plausible?

No.