Digital Cable box refurb with finest corrosion, dust, hair, and mystery liquid - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: dan-tron
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 03:57:21 am
content: I took my old COX Digital Cable box in to their storefront today to trade it in for the newer model. Old one had standard definition 4:3 guide. New one has Full HD guide. It came heat shrink wrapped for my protection. As soon as I looked through the top grill I decided not to turn it on, but take it apart of course. The board is DISGUSTING! You can see a liquid stain on the board when you hold the light at the right angle. One chip has corroded pins. There's dust and hair all over the place. I haven't even powered it up yet. Part of me wants to clean it up and use it (assuming it boots, which it probably will). But part of me says, take it back and demand a BNIB unit. What are your thoughts or experiences with this sort of thing? I realize nearly all customers will get refurbished units, but this is really bad looking for a refurb in my opinion. Here's some pics.

author: Vgkid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 04:04:05 am
content: That looks like it survived a flood.

author: Cubdriver
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 04:45:35 am
content: Yike!!That's pretty nasty looking.-Pat

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 05:00:55 am
content: I didn't even know crystal oscillators could rust until now. That thing is trash.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 05:50:50 am
content: After just looking at the first photo, my immediate reaction was - Good grief that thing is crusty!My opinion then went down after that.I would be afraid to plug it in....

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 05:56:45 am
content: Take it back.

author: dan-tron
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 06:06:51 am
content: I went and hooked it up as is. Amazingly it seems to work fine. When it releases the magic smoke in a week, I supose I can trade it in for a slightly less rusty model.

author: RobertoLG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 06:27:11 am
content: you should listen to these folks

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 06:44:39 am
content: Don't use it. Don't forget there is a liquid damaged PSU, which have the insulation from the mains you cannot trust. Also it could just blow up at some moment and burn.

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 06:48:29 am
content: I've seen something similar - a power amplifier which a cat took fancy to, since it was a nice warm place to lay about (and shed fur and apparently cat fluids). The board state was worse than your, but it might just have been a matter of time and enough cats.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 06:54:05 am
content: I was about to say "cat fluids" but 'daqq' already beat me to it! Seems like it's a common occurrence. This is why I prefer dogs. It's hard to get angry at a puppy face.

author: RobertoLG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 07:06:34 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on March 09, 2016, 06:54:05 amme too, <----my buddybut if thinks it's worth taking the risk, better not

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 12:24:36 pm
content: Refurb = plug it in and test if it works, if it does then it's good to go.They probably ran some self-test and it passed, whatever it looks like is of no importance unless it's obvious physical damage that would make it inoperable.

author: AlxDroidDev
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 01:13:56 pm
content: Quote from: amyk on March 09, 2016, 12:24:36 pmI think it is just a matter of time until corrosion sets in and damages the board irreversibly. IMO, it is better to exchange the unit right away, while it is still probably under warranty.

author: Augustus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 01:31:44 pm
content: Clearly re-fur-bished. Call in an Hazmat Team for immediate decontamination. This is an emergency

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 02:25:36 pm
content: Serious question: How long do you think this will last:WHEN it fails, will it go quietly into the night - or take up the challenge for a viking burial?I would NOT trust that thing.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 05:23:18 pm
content: I would guess older Siamese which was a little incontinent ( they get that way when they get older and have kidney stones) that lived on top of the nice warm decoder, as it was near ground level, and easy to climb on. Add to that the dust from the weekly carpet dusting, and there you have the board. Probably went in as a return with a fried PSU, and the cowboy simply took out the PSU, put in another from a dead unit with a blown tuner and declared it working when it did not blow up on power on.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2016, 02:24:40 am
content: If you don't take it back right away, all they have to say is "Well you spilled something in it and your dog shed all over it".

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 10, 2016, 11:10:25 am
content: Toss that garbage back in their faceses.Just give Them the reason that it smelled bad when you powered it up.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

author: senso
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2016, 11:56:07 am
content: IF there was a seal in that thing you might have won a nice 100-300$ prize to pay..

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2016, 12:02:26 pm
content: Take it back ASAP. With all that crud in there, it is possibly a health hazard as well as the electrical hazard from corrosion.That's just well below even the low standards of most cable/satellite purveyors.I wouldn't even buy that for 10 cents a pound at the charity shop. Its just disgusting.

author: djQUAN
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2016, 05:15:46 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on March 09, 2016, 05:23:18 pmI don't know how they could have swapped out the PSU as it appears to have one board for everything.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2016, 06:38:44 pm
content: Quote from: djQUAN on March 10, 2016, 05:15:46 pmThey changed out the fuse before the VDR, as that looks like it is slightly cleaner than the rest of the board. Probably blown by a big spike, and was returned to the supplier, and they wanted it off the pile before it failed to drop the repair rate.

author: calexanian
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2016, 04:21:50 am
content: Looks to me like a kid spilled something in there. I would take it back saying it smells funny after it is on for a while. If COX is like Comcast they will have no problem handing you another referb one.

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2016, 05:03:59 am
content: Tested and reboxed.Nothing to do with refurbishing. The LEDs came on, and the tuner worked.See what they offer and lodge a formal indication that you are unimpressed before the time has passed and it really fails..Sure, you'll probably get another recycled fur-pit, but Richard is correct - this could easily be a health issue in a breeze, humid day, or other event that releases the pathogens. The fun is guessing the source of the fur. (ask the pathologist)More photos next time please!

author: ericloewe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 11, 2016, 12:21:14 pm
content: I have a hard time understanding the reasoning behind a decision to not have this thing immediately replaced.I mean, there's general grime, mystery fluid residue, noticeable corrosion of exposed metal... Where do you draw the line?

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 11, 2016, 12:32:23 pm
content: Quote from: ericloewe on March 11, 2016, 12:21:14 pmYou're not alone.The thought of this thing being powered up makes me very anxious. Please swap it out.

author: lapm
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2016, 09:35:08 pm
content: Take it back.. If in some weeks it blows just itself, your lucky. Little bad luck and it blows something else with it...