This fix is for those of you with knowledge of electronic repair......
The problem is a bad electrolytic capacitor on in the power supply board. The cap is a 470uf 16v (number C226 on the power supply board). Replace it with a 470uf with a rating of 25v to 50v and it should restore the power fucntion to normal. I have fixed six units this way so far. Hope this helps you all out!
Retro
I tried the solution posted by retrohack and it worked! I wasn't hard. If you can use a soldering iron, you can do it. You need a pointed tip soldering iron to get into the small soldered points. I just removed the case, removed the power supply board by unplugging the white wire plugs and removing the phillips hold-down screws including the ones for the heat shield. (I took a photo of the board before removing it so I would know where to plug in the wire plugs afterwards.) Follow the directions on retrohack's message to find the problem capacitor. Use the soldering iron to melt the old capacitor points out of the board and remove the capacitor, then use the pointed iron to poke the holes clear. Insert the new capacitor ( I ordered mine online for $2.00 including shipping) Heat the capacitor wire where they stick out of the bottom of the board and dab a little solder on it when it is hot enough so it looks like the other soldered stuff. when you get both wires done, clip off the extra wires sticking out.. Voila! done! I don't know if it matters, but I made sure the stripe down the side of the capacitor was facing the same direction as the original. I re-assembled everything and it works fine now. There was a little spring around one of the screws though that I forgot to put back. I don't know what it was for, but my unit still works so I don't care. Oh well.
Big thanks to retrohack. It worked for me as well. I went with a 470uf 50v electrolytic capacitor. The C226 was labled on the front of my board but not the back so it took me a little longer than I anticipated finding the correct cap on the back side of the board. I wanted to be darn sure I was de-soldering C226. Soldered the new cap on, screwed the board back on, put the heat shield back on and powered it up before I put the cover on to make sure it worked. It took a second (I thought I was going to get the Hello across the screen again) but then I heard the DVD start spinning and everything worked.
I didn't do it but you need to make sure and take all the wires/plugs off the board before you replace the cap. I got lazy and took short cuts.
Also, my capacitor is green instead of black like what came with it. If this is the case for you make sure you save the old capacitor incase you have to send it back for some reason you'll have to go back and put the old one back on. If RCA sees there's a different capacitor on it then they'll void warranty.
Thanks again retrohack, you the man!!
We sent our player back about two weeks ago ( at out our expense ) and still waiting for a replacement. If we still have the same problem with the new unit, we are considering initiating a Class Action Lawsuit.....anyone else interested?
Yahoooooooo! Thank you, thank you, thank you ... to whomever came up with finding the faulty component. You saved me
about $22 in shipping and a 2 month delay, plus lots of cussing as I
packaged the unit up.
I too had a "swollen" C226 capacitor (the usual sign of an electrolytic capacitor gone bad.) Replaced it with a 470uf, 35 volt version and viola, it works as intended again. (not great, it is still a POS, slow and "user brutal"). I have a refurbished unit, that just failed 3 weeks into getting it in return for my original ... after a 2 month wait. It is still on warranty (shhhhh!) and I did save the defective cap to replace it if I need to send the unit in again. Turns out, I could tell by the soldering on the defective unit, it had been the cause of the last failure. The solder was a hand done job, not wave soldered. Obviously RCA needs to know at some point that replacing the cap with one of the same voltage rating is not the thing to do. Or maybe they just have a batch of defenctive components.
To be fair to RCA/Thomson, have actually have been caring and honest in their dealings. They have taken care to send back a tape that was stuck in my first unit and been as fair as they can be. They just have a poor product to deal with. I would hope they spend some time fixing it because the unit is still for sale and apparently selling well. I imagine this may be a fix for many other symptoms as well. Not the things involving operations nuances, but lockups and failures. It all depends when the capacitor shorts and stops working, which could lock in tapes and discs etc...
See artistwood- had friend do the soldering and now works great this is the solutiuon!!!change c226 to greater uv(35 in my case much help at radioshk for 1.29) thank you very much
As Mentioned in a previous post, the problem lies with the C226 Cap. The one that RCA used was a 470mf - 16v cap. Way too small. Radio Shack sells one for $1.49. Part number is 272-1030. I personally have fixed over 17 of these units with this fix. It will work. As for the 800 phone number that one guy posted, don't waste your time. They have another 13 units of mine that they "can't find" and won't reimberse me for. I was told "sorry, tough luck". If I heard RCA was giving away free TV's I wouldn't bother.
Ok... at first when I saw these posts, I got my hopes up. I haven't called RCA yet and with all the hassle that they put other people through, I chosen not to call them and attempt to fix it myself. It was also about 1 yr ago when I bought it. I removed the power board and unsoldered the old capacitor. The bottom of the capacitor was blown out. The color strip on the old capacitor was towards the center of the board. I placed the new one on in the same direction. put it together and IT WORKS! I used Radio Shack part 272-1030 and replaced C226. It is a different color and a little bigger but works fine. Instead of buying a new dvd recorder ($150-$200)... I spent $1,39 (tax included) and 30 minutes of my time.... I actually spent more time reading this post then me fixing it. :) Besides, the only bad thing that could have happened is it would smoke, spark, not do anything, or it being over friendly and telling me "HELLO" forever, which would have resulted in throwing it out.
Thanks everyone...
I found C226 on power board, it looked like the top was pushed up a bit, and the bottom black rubber was pushed out a bit. I replaced it, and now IT WORKS. No more HELLO in my face. Wow thank you very much. Impressive.
I replaced the capacitor mentioned earlier and it did nothing. Still is telling me Hello...........
This is my response from Thomson
We no longer have a network of authorized servicers. I suggest you check your local yellow pages or do an internet search for a nearby electronics repair facility.
The symptoms you describe are indicative of a power supply problem within the unit. My understanding is the most common failure of this nature is related to low voltage filter capacitors. These are C216, C218, C219, C226 & C228.
Regards,
Bob
Thomson Service Network
As stated above several times, C226 Capacitor on the Power Supply Board was the issue and the part listed from Radio Shack fixed it in under an hour w/ me going to get the part, drink a Miller Lite, and put it back together. Be careful not to bump the connectors on the other boards (like me). I also called them and they notified me that it will cost $22 shipping cost for warranty work. The hell with that, I'll pay Radio Shack!
Took them 3 months to send the replacement unit today the same issue the *hello* message and the standard lockup , called thompson, that proved to be a waste of time ;even was told they would call back but they never did, when the supervisor actually did get on the phone he too gave me the runaround. RCA SUCKS and to be honest their customer service is really shady i will never buy this brand again....ever.By the way, when they sent me the 1st replacement unit 6months ago i recieved 9 total (i have pictures of them FOR proof ) they can't send you a replacement because they ***** ** and sent everyone 9 units LOL..
However the fix is easy check cap c226 as stated above all works fine now cost me 5 minutes and $1.29 RS usually has that part in stock or check mouser electronics if you can't locate it... G
My unit displays the hello and wont respond to any comands from manual controls or remote same as feb 23 2008's comment
This is not a solution, just my experience with with the DRC8335. Good luck to anyone trying to return these messed up units to RCA. I bought mine in March, returned it July 24th, have called them twice and I still have not gotten the darn thing back. I was told in my e-mail that I would have it returned in 7-10 business days and if the item was no longer available they would send a new one. When I call them, they just say the part is not available at this time. When I asked why they don't send a new unit, I get ignored. This is not the only RCA product that I have had break down in under 18 months. I have been telling everyone I can- I will NEVER buy another RCA product. I guess my next step is going to have to be contacting a consumer reports agency or something. GOOD LUCK to the rest of you!
I hooked up my DRC8335 to a Stereo reciever that has a remote power on off plug on the back and when my deck locks up/wont tune in stations I shut off the power for a few seconds to the unit by using the stereo's remote; It has always rebooted and went back to normal just have a tape stuck problem now. The logic/mechanism for the VCR is non-convential as there are ways to manually release tapes from most decks I have had experience with over the las 20+years. Dang thing needs to be recalled eh?
Hi there!...
This lockdown problem cannot be fixed!
The only solution is to call RCA (Thomson Co.) and ask for replacement.
They have replaced one of my units with another new unit and I'm waiting for the issue to occur again!
Bottom line: I will NOT buy anything from RCA again!
See the big list of complains here:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/searchresults.asp?q1=ALL&q2=&q3=&q4=&q5=&q7=&q6=thomson%20consumer&searchtype=0
Call this number. 1 877 805 0519 This is Customer service. This must be a known problem with this unit. We are having the same problem and they are sending a return label to send the player back. The company is taking care of it.
We are having the same exact problem. I am sending it to the company and they are forwarding me a replacement.
You may press and hold the on/standy by button and stop /eject buton at the same time for 10 seconds, when the time comes on, release the button, and press the stop/eject button again of the VCR part , and then try to check if you can take out the VHS tape from the unit ,,,
if not ,, unplug the power cord and all the cables connected to the unit , including the RCA cables ( red, white and yellow cables)m, leave it for 30 minutes ,and after that , reconnect everything , turn the unit back on, and firmly press the stop/eject button again to take the tape out from the unit ..
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Usually answered in minutes!
I am having the same poblems as Xerion. I cannot get the remote to help me in any way. When I try to turn on the product with the remote, I get incomplete lights to come on in the display. It looks like a mess! I shut it off manually and turn it on and all I get is "HELLO" scrolling all the way across the display. The tv has the blue screen, minus the menu. I have only had it for 6 months and this is very frustrating. Just after the warranty, it breaks, go figure. Help!!!!
Frustrated
I've plugged it in and unplugged several times.. no response
I put in a vcr tape --- it doesn't play or eject
Exact same problem as everyone else. I'm a school teacher and our district bought these DVD players and they've malfunctioned all year. There is nothing like 26 students staring at you waiting for "Planet Earth" to begin and you can't even eject the disc to take it to another room...JUNK!
Having same problem others have reported. Unit is locked up with VHS and DVD stuck in the unit. Unit is < 1 yr. old. Tried resetting by holding down On/Standby button for 10 sec. and also turned off power for 30 sec. No luck with both recommended solutions. Very disappointing..............
ditto - having same exact problem.......
I have hardly used this unit and it is totally locked up. It will simply display hello but will do nothing else. I have recorded fewer than 10 movies and now this. This is a replacement unit from a previous model that stopped working as well. Hopefully the service center will make this good again.
I have the very same problem. Very embarrassing to try showing a video to someone and nothing working. Unplugged several times and also tried the resetting, but nothing working so far. Have watched DVD's on this player about four to five times and am VERY disappointed!
Same problem, what can I do?
this is junk returned twice still problem.
Having the same problem. A flashing "HELLO" like the unit is in standby mode but cannot apply power. TV displays just a blue screen. Tried resetting and checking the fuse. No changes.
I have the sane problem. I went to play a particular DVD nd the unit just locked up. Haven't been able to use it ever since. The "Hello" screen just scrolls back and forth on the player. KWDCajun
We have had the same problem nearly ever since we bought this unit. We are disgusted, but would really like to get the until working as at the very start, it worked fine---bout the first month. It keeps showing the wrong time (can't get the correct time in), we now have a VHS stuck in the unit too. Cannot seem to do anything with it anymore.
DCR8335 locked up. Disc inside. Keeps displaying help. Can't use. Tried resetting to no avail
I can't use the VCR it will not accept or eject any tapes any more, not it is locked up and cannot use the DVD player either. I have reset numerous times to no avail. Planning to get rid of this junk.
my unit keeps locking up. i tried to reset and also unplugged the unit. the hello message is locked in and cannot access the menu.
This problem is the same as mine. Thanks...Bob
I have had nothing but trouble from my unit from the start. Didn't return to store (kept thinking I wasn't doing something right) and didn't purchase store's warranty ( figured if it was a good product, it should work). Now the "Hello" keeps repeating, tried resetting, but it continues to go to repeating "Hello". Won't respond to any eject, remote, power off, nothing. Finally unplugged it, bought a less expensive DVD player only, which is working fine, but now I can't watch Videos. I'm not an electrician and it is difficult to find repair shops anymore.
I am having the exact same problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now on the second EXACT unit in hopes the first was a lemon however, now I have a VCR AND DVD stuck in the unit. I keep holding on/standby button, the time appears as if it wants to turn on but then flashes off almost as quickly as it appears. What a piece of junk. Very disappointing to know the company is aware of the quality yet not willing to even help consumers via recalling the product.
I've had problems with this model locking up but unplugging usually reset everything although it seemed to be happening more and more frequently and I've had to update the date/time whenever this happened. Now I get 'HELLO' running across non-stop no matter what I do. Any assistance with this will be greatly appreciated.
Same problem here. I tried the holding down of the power button to reset, unplugging, everything I can think of except throwing the whole thing in the garbage. I'm going to try the solution retrohack suggested. That is, if I can find the capacitor he's talking about. I have no idea where to look. Guess I'll Google it and see what I find.
Same here ) :
my unit is locked up and wont respond to remope. only displays hello. can only turn off by holding power button for 10 seconds
I had the same problem. The unit was stuck on "hello" and would not do anything else. I followed the solution posted by retrohack and it worked. I bought a 470 microfarad 35 watt capacitor from Radio Shack for a couple of dollars - part number 272-1030.
I too had the same problem;The unit was displaying "hello" and would not do anything else. The solution posted by retrohack works; I bought the 470 microfarad 35 watt capacitor from Radio Shack (part number 272-1030) and replaced C226 on the power supply PCB. I would suggest using a desoldering braid (part number 64-2090) to help remove the bad capacitor and clean the connection area. Thanks again retrohack!!!
We are a multimedia projection company. Bought 24 units for a school installation project. Within 6 months units started to lock up with tapes being stuck and the famous "HELLO". Just before the warranty end date we had to replace all 24 units because every one locked up. 24 UNITS! RCA/Thompson did replace the units because they were under warranty but not even 4 months now and half the units they sent us are starting to do the same thing. Junk....thats all I have to say.
I found C226 on power board, it looked like the top was pushed up a bit, and the bottom black rubber was pushed out a bit. I replaced it, and now IT WORKS. No more HELLO in my face. Wow thank you very much. Impressive.
wow this is amazing. i opened it up and found C226 on the power board, it looked like the top had swelled and the bottom rubber was blown open a bit. I removed, replaced, and HEY IT WORKS!
I have the same problem, cannot get tape out of the tape player
I just wanted to write and thank Retrohack and Artistwood for their wonderful explanation to solve this problem!!!! This was exactly what we needed. As an administrator of a public school in Georgia we need every way possible to save money and this did the trick. We have over 50 of these units in my school alone and I repaired 2 of them this morning.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!
Marc Dastous
API, Perry High School
Perry, GA
My unit keeps displaying the "HELLO" message on the unit's display and
does not respond to any buttons on the unit or on the remote.
tried standby button for 10 sec now time is displayed as in off position but wont unlock
I have the same problem, it occurred soon after we brought the unit.
I have had problems with rca drc8335 for some time, replaced caps, some times it works , some not. I have been trying to locate a service and parts manual for this thing. RCA is no good as they will not help. thanks Cats8487
Same problem here, need to find a schematic or repair manual.
Trying to determine what the zener {?} diode is on the VCR board as mine is too scorched to read.
I "Had" the same problem with the DRC8335 locked up with a tape stuck in the unit. Followed the guide here and all is well now.
Took the old **** 16v capacitor out and installed the new 35v capacitor.
Here's a pic of the old blown capacitor.
http://webpages.charter.net/dpinch/Bing/...
I WON'T PLAY OR JUST FLASH HELLO
Flashes scrolling Hello. Unit locked up
starting flashing hello 1 week after purchase.my dvd and a favorite vhs tape are now prisoner to the machine.help!!! were these just made badly???ive tried to get it fixed through the rca website and got the runaround so now i have to try to get it fixed through my 2 year plan with walmart.
My RCA DRC8355 unit is also not fixed by depressing the button to reset it. The word "Hello" constantly scrolls across the screen on the unit. I tried unplugging it too, but it still did not fix my unit. Now what?
I had the same problem. retrohacks solution worked like a charm... and I am electronically challenged! Some people around family could not believe I had actually fixed the problem. Shame on RCA ... their tech advisors suggested buying a new machine (because the 1 yr garantee was off); by now they should now the capacitor is under-dimensioned. Thanks.
ElectronicallyChallenged
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