[Articles] How to repair your SageTV HD100 extender

[CT Droid]

The SageTV HD100 extenders seem to be dropping like flies. Some people report a whistling/hissing sound while other don’t. In most cases when the extender dies you are left with a power LED that blinks once every 5 seconds or so. If you have an HD100 that exhibits this behavior then there is a good chance you can repair your extender yourself following this how-to. See this video for a clear visual of the problem.

 



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[mustangcoupe]

Great Tutorial Steve!

 

[SnyperBob]

Thank you for posting this! I don't have any problems with my hd100 yet, but this may come in handy in the future. Thanks again

 

[nick_l]

:lol: Thanks for the writeup. I used it today to help me with my HD100 repair. Worked just fine. Thanks again.

Nick

 

[waynedunham]

I am not sure whether to thank you or not. Just kidding!! The only reason I am torn is that 2 days after reading the article/instructions on how to repair your HD100 one of mine died right in the middle of watching a SageTv recording.

Seriously though, I have to thank you for 2 reasons. 1) The great explanation of the symptoms of an HD100 suffering from the leaking/blown caps. Mine exhibited the flashing power light so right away I had a good idea what it was. As soon as I removed the cover I could see one of the caps was definitely bulging and leaking and another bulging and just starting to leak. The 3rd looked ok. And 2) most importantly the great step by step instructions on what to look for, the part(s) needed and the pictures/video.

The first Radio Shack I went to had exactly 3 of the capacitors. It's almost like they knew I was coming or something. In reality though I was going to pick up 6 of the capacitors since I have 2 HD100's. The older one is the one that needed repair, but the newer one is only newer by a couple months and gets used more than the one I repaired so I figure it will probably go soon.
So I'll be calling a couple other Radio Shack's close by see if they have any on hand. If not I'll just order them online.

Again, thanks for allowing me to rescue my beloved HD100! Great job!!

 

[reggie14]

By the way, Sage decided to lock the thread on their forum where people were discussing HD100 failures. Apparently they aren't too happy people are still discussing the issue. They thought reducing their out-of-warranty repair fee to $39 would quiet everyone down. That worked for a while, until more reports trickled in and people realized the 1% failure rate that Sage cited on the HD100 was only the failure rate for HD100s that were in warranty. Most of the capacitor failures were happening to out-of-warranty HD100s (12-18 month old units).

 

[Steve]

It looks like SageTV took one from another nameless forums playbook. That is, when they don't like what is being said. just close or remove the thread. It's really a shame to have to censor like that. It really makes you wonder what they are trying to hide. I still firmly believe this problem is a 'capacitor plague' issue and the problem will continue and Sage just doesn't want to hear about it any more. Sure, its nice they have a good $39 repair program, but why try to silence people and sweep it under the rug? Anyway, usually stuff like that just backfires, people will still continue to discuss the problem by starting another thread or coming to places like this. And the truth is, its not even really their 'fault'. Sure, it's their product and they are responsible, but people understand it was nothing malicious or poorly designed or anything. Was totally out of their control but they still want to make it go away.

 

[TXFlatLander]

One word (maybe three) for them wanting it to go away and not acknowledge it....class action lawsuit. They hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil. All start failing and they don't repair it for free or recall, some lawyer will have a field day. Besides $39 covers their costs of repair so they aren't losing any money.

 

[shadeblue]

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
Came home last night to a dead HD100 replaced the three caps today and all is working great. You saved me $$$, time, and headaches!

Thanks again!

 

[Steve]

Welcome to CocoonTech and I'm glad it helped you. You should hang around here, there is always something interesting or useful being discussed.

 

[shadeblue]

Just dropping another note of appreciation for this article. Yesterday my second HD100 died ... same issue - burned caps. Picked up the parts today and about 15 minutes later, back up and running. Sage really should be handling this issue as a manufacturer design defect and should offer to fix these units for free or for the cost of shipping. This problem is way to common and too predictable and I personally think it is bad taste to saddle the repair cost on the end users (and presumable continued customer) for a design defect even if the unit is out of warranty. Don't get me wrong, I love my SageTV and I love my HD100s, but is is disappointing to hear they charge a repair fee for repairing their own manufacturing mistakes.

Thanks again!

 

[shadeblue]

Oh, by the way, one note on Step #7

The new capacitors fit in the marked locations C205, C 206 and C207. They are all the same so it does not matter which one goes where. Just pay special attention to the polarity. The new cap has a black stripe with a – sign on it, it is also longer.

I believe the (+) lead is longer and the (-) negative lead is the shorter one.

Thanks.

 

[bikerbeej1]

Bought My HD1000 July 08, sent it back in April 09 for repair, almost a year to the day failed again. Emailed Sage, they offer to repair for $39, they also sent me a link to this site. Not counting the trip down the road to radio shack, it took maybe 15 minutes to fix, cost me $4. Sitting here with it cranked up right now and enjoying life. Thanx.

 

[Steve]

Wow, SageTV sent you here. huh - cool. Glad it worked for you and welcome to CocoonTech. Stick around, lots of great info and people on these forums.

 

[sic0048]

It is unfortunate that SageTV is still using defective capacitors to repair units that are sent in for this power supply issue. Perhaps they want the reoccuring income But it seems like they would at least make repairs with capacitors that are not going to fail due to the bulging issue. I have not doubt that every single HD-100 will fail at some point due to this capacitor issue. SageTV is at least willing to fix them even outside of the warranty period (for a small fee) which is a plus in my book. But to use the same capacitors that failed the first time is just plain silly.