Two PCI TV Tuners no longer working

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33coupe

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#180784 21-Sep-2015 23:02

After my first HTPC build (mobo gigabyte f2a88xm hd3) I was able to watch Freeview via my Pinnacle (Blackgold) 7010i tuner.

It only worked for two weeks (bought second hand), and seemed to die. So I thought I should try again and get another card.

I was using a Wintv 500 PCI tuner last night, and today it no longer works. I am unable to find it in the device manager.
As per an extensive google search I am still unable to fix it (limited knowledge / abilities).

It seems possible for one card to fail, but two seems like a coincidence. It must be software (Windows 7) related but I have run out of ideas (also tried system restore).

Anyone know of a solution?

Cheers

rlevis

347 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1391598 22-Sep-2015 01:23

Perhaps a badly designed antenna which is not earthed. This can cause static build-up and destroy components on the board.

33coupe

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#1391648 22-Sep-2015 07:49

rlevis: Perhaps a badly designed antenna which is not earthed. This can cause static build-up and destroy components on the board.

Oh really, never even thought that was possible.

How can I check that the antenna is earthed?

33coupe

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#1391660 22-Sep-2015 09:06

Of any use?

After that the cable goes directly into the house (under the floor) to the TV

mm1352000

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#1392244 22-Sep-2015 21:30

Static can be a problem, as can short-circuiting the card's signal amplifier (and for satellite tuners: their power supply). However, I'd be more inclined to suspect other problems first.

I own 2 7010ix cards, and also a DigitalNow DNTV Live! QuattroS. Both card designs are based on the Phillips/Conexant/NXP/Trident/Entropic SAA7162 chipset, which has known "disappearing" issues. By this I mean: the card can disappear from device manager after resume from standby or hibernate, or sometimes not be present after cold boot up. Other similar cards based on the same chipset (eg. Blackgold BGT3540) also suffer the same problems. Cards usually re-appear after power cycling the PC. Note, when I say power cycling I mean shutting down... then powering on again. Rebooting will not work due to the nature of the problem (hardware design I think).

The WinTV NOVA-T 500 driver is known to take significant time to start/resume after boot/resume. That might be why you don't see it in device manager.

In general my advice would be to:

Power off the PC.
Unplug from the power socket (important!!!).
Wait at least 30 seconds.
Ensure card(s) are "seated" (plugged in) properly. The 7010ix can be tricky to get right in certain motherboards, because it is such a long card and only a PCIe x1.
Plug in power.
Boot Windows.

If the card(s) still aren't appearing, I'd try power cycling again several times just in case.

33coupe

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#1392560 23-Sep-2015 10:18

Thanks for the post, really good info.

I will try power cycling tonight, and a few more times if need be.

Fingers crossed that's all it is.

33coupe

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#1393640 24-Sep-2015 15:02

Well low and behold it worked. Well for one of the tuners anyway (wintv). I will try a few more times with the pinnacle but won't get my hopes up.

Just need to sort the epg and I'll (Inc WAF) will be happy!

Thanks mm1352000!

surfisup1000

5288 posts

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#1393658 24-Sep-2015 15:20

Ever considered the HDHomeRun? Works well for me.

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33coupe

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#1393672 24-Sep-2015 15:41

surfisup1000: Ever considered the HDHomeRun? Works well for me.

Yes I did. Well after I thought my tuner had died.

They do seem quite a lot of money though, and my main reason to build the Htpc was to get rid of a freeview stb and cut the cord.

Might have to consider it more if the TV card gives me more grief.

mm1352000

1149 posts

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#1393778 24-Sep-2015 19:07

I wonder if there may be a driver or hardware conflict between the 2 cards. I managed to kill the satellite tuner power supplies on my DNTV Live! QuttroS, but the DVB-T tuners still work and seem very resilient. I'd be very surprised if you've managed to kill the card completely.

33coupe

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#1394600 25-Sep-2015 21:40

mm1352000: I wonder if there may be a driver or hardware conflict between the 2 cards. I managed to kill the satellite tuner power supplies on my DNTV Live! QuttroS, but the DVB-T tuners still work and seem very resilient. I'd be very surprised if you've managed to kill the card completely.

I'm not sure if it's a conflict issue. I originally had just one card, the pinnacle. I only got the wintv because they pinnacle no longer worked.
I know the card doesnt fit 100% perfectly in the slot due to the sata block on the mobo, but I am pretty confident it is seated ok. Especially as it used to work.

I may try and power cycle the pinnacle on it's own again. Although a friend has given me his graphics card (which also doesnt show up in device manager lol), and that covers the pinnacle pci slot

Huntakillaz

268 posts

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#1396777 29-Sep-2015 19:23

try swap the slot and have just pinnicle plugged into the working wintv slot

33coupe

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#1396779 29-Sep-2015 19:33

Huntakillaz: try swap the slot and have just pinnicle plugged into the working wintv slot

It doesn't fit, think it's a pci express,. Have tried a couple of power cycles, doesn't seem to work.

The wintv does though, so not a total disaster.