Pioneer DVR-225 burnout?

[physdave]

Came back from vacation, unit's LED display dark and wont' turn on.
Is not the power outlet. Have found a few posts via Google that suggest
this is a somewhat common problem. Anybody have a solution? (Other
than paying out the nose to ship it back to Pioneer for out-of-warranty
repair... :)

[orsetto]

If you're VERY lucky, its just a fuse that blew during a power surge. Open the cabinet and look for a small fuse near the transformer. If its blown, go to Radio Shack and buy a pack of 4 spares for $3.99. Problem solved.

Otherwise, this is a not-uncommon problem with North America-spec Pioneer models 220, 225 and 520 (usually the 225). Like many other electronics products made circa 2004, they are cursed with below-grade poor quality capacitors and other bits in the power supply section. This was the tail end of a period when many consumer electronics were unintentionally contaminated by incredibly shoddy Chinese-sourced components. China flooded the market at that time with millions of truly bogus parts, especially power supply caps. Before mfrs like Pioneer, Apple, Dell and JVC discovered this hidden issue and cracked down on their suppliers, hundreds of thousands of units had shipped. Most products lasted a couple years before crapping out prematurely, and this went largely unnoticed except by a few trade groups and computer techs. Certain items like Apple iMacs quietly received extended warranties or recalls, but for most products you're kinda stuck when they die.

If you are handy with a soldering iron and board-level electronics repair, the parts cost is minimal. There is a pretty detailed power-supply repair page at the Pioneer site run by our good friend Hakan in Sweden. Go to www.pioneer.faq and click on the page icons with British flags to read English versions. Or, you could buy another Pioneer 225 for parts scavenging off eBay, a lot of people sell these dirt-cheap once the laser in the disc drive wears out. More often than not, the power supply is OK in those units- you could just ask the seller if it powers on and the display lights up before you bid. The boards can be swapped between units fairly easily with no soldering or serious tinkering necessary. Good luck!

[physdave]

Thanks much for the tips, they were VERY helpful. Fuse is ok, but one of the capacitors
on the power supply board is bulging and _looks_ split open on top. I can wield a soldering
iron so I'll give Radio Shack a couple bucks and try it. Otherwise, off to ebay as you
suggested.

[Wondra]

I had the same problem. The fuse was okay, but two capacitors were blown. One was at location C23 and I think the other at C17. I took it to a local electronics shop and they replaced and soldered the new capacitors on for me. It only cost $16.22. They were a 3300 µF and a 1000 µF.

Thanks so much for the helpful information!

[psymaster]

I had the same problem. The fuse was okay, but two capacitors were blown. One was at location C23 and I think the other at C17. I took it to a local electronics shop and they replaced and soldered the new capacitors on for me. It only cost $16.22. They were a 3300 µF and a 1000 µF.

Thanks so much for the helpful information!

I bought a Pioneer dvr-225 for $20 off ebay, description said it did not power on. After receiving the unit and confirming the unit did not power on I opened the case and found C23 and C17 were burnt. 3300µF & 1000µF both 10vdc. I soldered in the replacement capacitors and then plugged the unit in and powered it up. Everything works, burns and finalizes discs too!

I have extra capacitors if anybody wants to buy some.

Psy