Fix for spuriously rebooting Transporter

[Fizbin]

Just curious... What's the make and model number of that PSU?

[arkadi58]

Just curious... What's the make and model number of that PSU?

Mean Well PS-15-5, 2.8A@5V; I got it from Distrelec. As the terminals are different, I got a couple of crimp contacts, SVH-21T-P1.1, which I soldered onto the wire ends.

[arnyk]

I got a comparable PS from a local source; the size is different, so the result is not that pretty, but an immediate success.
Attachment 22124
Here is a picture of the old PS; there are some signs of heat damage, right opposite the voltage regulator.
Attachment 22125

Glad it was the fix. The symptoms were classic.

Point of interest is that in switchmode power supplies like this, there is usually no single voltage regulator. Most of the active parts are inside a feedback loop that couples back to the power line side with an opto-isolator.

The slippery slope to failure usually starts with a slowly partially failing electrolytic cap or transistor. its internal resistance increases a little at a time. The power supply may still measure OK with no load, but in use, some voltage output is well below spec.

For example, the spec for 5 volts is on the order of 4.75 volts minimum. So the 3-ish volts that was observed was solidly in failure territory. Given the low costs and possibility of multiple degraded components, a total replace makes a ton of sense.

[A&W]

I don't know if anyone is still looking at this thread but I just want to thank mkbrucetx and all the others who posted about this issue. You can add me to the list of success stories. This was such a easy fix and I am very happy to have my Transporter back in action.
For those who wish to know, the part was ordered from eBay and a company called Blue Sky Components Limited. Its description was: PowerPax UK SW3376 Mini Open Frame PSU 5VDC 2.3A It came from the UK just like the one mkbrucetx ordered and was about the
same price. Anyway, thanks again everyone for posting about this. It really made the fix very easy. Hopefully the part will still be available if my other Transporter decides it wants to retire.

For a couple of months, my Transporter would spuriously reboot itself as if it had lost power completely - relays clicking, logo scrolling, etc.

Not finding anything directly relevant through Google searches other than a vague reference to the DC power supply being a cheap Chinese switcher, I opened the cover and measured the PSU output - 5.1 V unloaded, exactly what one might expect. However, plug in the front panel, and the voltage dropped to 4.6 and wandered around between there and 4.8-4.9 - the DC power supply was obviously hosed.

Searching around some more, I found a UK company that sells a rebranded version of the exact same board from Unifive. I'll post a link in a follow-on message (since this is my first post to this forum, I can't post it here)

Confident in the fix, I ordered two ($8 each, but $31 shipping from the UK to US). A few days later, the new supplies arrived at my door. Put one in and checked voltage - 5.1V unloaded and 5.1V with the front panel plugged in.

The Transporter is back in the rack and I'm hoping to not hear the dreaded clicking of a reboot.

Hopefully this will help someone with a similar problem or a completely dead front panel - check the DC supply between the front panel and the main board in the back, but be careful. The back connector is 110VAC when plugged in. The front connector is 4 pins but only the outer two are used.

[sebp]

I'd also like to express my gratitude to the wonderful Squeezebox community.
My Transporter died last week, and thanks to the instructions found in this thread, I was able to get it back in service this evening.

A thousand thanks!

[JG Naum]

Lo
I also had one reboot last week and an over one this morning, 1st day of the new lockdown in France... I just purchased one new psu. Hope it will hold on until I receive it !
Here a link which explain how to repair the PSU :
https://joes-tech-blog.blogspot.com/...er-repair.html