Problem Digiboxes - some suggestions.
This information is ONLY applicable to Sky Digiboxes.
This page has information on the following topics:
PIN Number no longer being recognised.
Sky Digiboxes normally update their software automatically overnight, but occasionally you may need to do a Forced Software Download. This may be required if your digibox hasnt been used for a while, and it's missed an update, or if the software gets scrambled for any reason.
The first thing to do is to note your operating
system software details (SERVICES, 4, 5)
Below is the recommended procedure for a Forced Software Download:
(1) Put box into Standby.
(2) Remove the viewing card and put it back in the same slot UPSIDE DOWN (remember
which way up/round it was!).
(3) Press and hold the Back-up button on the Digibox, not the remote control.
(4) Whilst holding the Back-up Button, switch off the power to the box at the mains -
either with the switch on the socket or by removing the plug.
(5) Count to ten slowly.
(6) Keep pressing that Back-up button and put the power back on to the box;
(7) When all four lights appear on the Digibox, release the Back-up button If your
Digibox is connected by SCART, there will be a message on the screen stating an update is
taking place and that it can take 10 minutes. However, it can take longer.
(8) When the box goes back to a single red light, leave it at least a full minute
before taking it out of Standby using the Sky button on your remote control.
(9) Remove the upside down viewing card and replace it the right way up.
(10) The box will switch to channel 998 - the Sky demo channel (it may say Searching for
Listings - if so just wait until it finishes).
(11) When that clears, do a Services, 4, 5 to check to see the Operating System Version
and/or EPG Software Version numbers have updated (the Model Number may also have changed)
Step 4 is neccessary because if you power off first and then press "Back-up", it does not clear all the old software so follow the above exactly for the most reliable results.
A word of warning - if things go wrong with a Forced Software Download, you could potentially ruin your digibox. I take no responsibility for any damage you might cause to your receiver.... DO NOT TRY A FSD IF YOU DON'T HAVE A GOOD SATELLITE SIGNAL.
PIN number not being recognised.
Occasionally, a software upgrade to the Digibox resets a PIN number you have set up back to its default value. If your PIN number suddenly starts being rejected for any reason, try using the last 4 digits on your Sky card instead.
UPDATE March 2004: Since Sky has sent out replacement cards to everybody in the last 6 months, you might find your pin number is the last 4 digits of your original Sky subscription card. If you no longer have this number available, you will have to contact the Sky Call Centre to get your pin number reset.
Sky Digiboxes normally work very well, but they sometimes have problems. A digibox is just a computer, so the first thing to try when the box crashes is a reboot. Pull the digibox power lead out of the wall, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in again. The box will "Search for Listings". This is the process of searching the EPG data, and setting up the Sky channels.
Just rebooting the box solves 80 - 90% of digibox problems.
TV Link suddenly stops responding.
If you are using a TV Link device, it will get its 12v power supply from the second RF outlet on the back of the Digibox. Sometimes, the power to RF 2 gets turned off for no good reason. Its easy enough to turn the power back on again, but you need to delve into the hidden Installers Menu. To access this use the following sequence of commands on your remote control.
SERVICES, 4, 0, 1, SELECT, 4 (RF OUTLETS).
If you are not using a TV Link, its worth turning this setting to OFF. Then if you connect a second tv to the RF 2 outlet, you wont be squirting 12v into the aerial socket of the second tv!
BE CAREFUL what you change in here, potentially you could stop your your
Digibox working!
There are quite a few other problems that can stop a Digibox working properly.
Amstrad DX100 receivers are notorious for tuner failures.
Some early Pace units have the reputation for running hot, fitting an extra cooling fan solves this problems.
The dish may be slightly off line, and the slight drop in signal can cause pixellations and picture freezes. You could try tweaking the alignment of the dish. You only need to move the dish SLIGHTLY. No more than quarter of an inch in any direction to begin with. Do not try re-aligning your dish unless you know exactly what you are doing, and are confident you can get your signal back if you lose it.
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