Time Capsule dies when hard disk engages

I have an older-ish 500GB TC and for the last year or so it has been hit and miss on start up. After plugging and unplugging a few times it usually fires up. Now, I am unable to get it to fire up.
The issue seems to come from when the hard drive tries to spin. I can hear it. This has always been the problem. It seemed like the hard drive needed to warm up and after a few times it would and I'd be fine. Now, it goes black at the point of it trying to start up.
Is it 100% a hard drive issue? Why doesn't the wireless still work? Why does it go black?
To reconfirm:
I am able to plug it in and get a green light.
The light goes orange.
After a few seconds I can hear the hard drive (or something) try to spin or engage.
Then the light goes black.
Any help? Advice? I don't mind trying to rip it apart and stick a new hard drive in it. That's fine. I just want to make sure that is exactly what the problem is.
I know you geniuses can help me.

LaPastenague....who repairs many Time Capsules is our resident expert on this. Stay tuned for his response.
Yes,, Bob is right on .. as he is a pretty smart Mac user..
The hard disk is overwhelming the power supply at start up due to its high initialisation current. The power supply simply shuts down as it cannot provide enough current. It could also indicate a hard disk on the way out. The 500GB drives are finally starting to fall over. After 4years in the hot dark insides of the TC it is amazing they still go at all.
Your TC needs a replacement power supply.. I have done a number of articles about how to fix or replace it.
The economics of doing so are probably questionable.. it is really time for new one. They are cheaper than before, with dual band simultaneous wireless .. faster processor and much larger 2TB hard disk. So $300 for a new one, is not bad. (3TB is not good value IMHO).
https://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/a-deconstruction-of-routers-and-modem s/apple-time-capsule-repair
Actually your TC should be dead these 2years.. when most of them started failing.
Do an ebay search for Time Capsule power supplies.. there is a guy in HK selling new Gen1 Delta power supplies.. I don't know where he got them from.. but they are superior supplies cf the flextronics most of them use. He is selling for $50 which is cheaper than I can do refurbished ones. Apple themselves make no parts available. 

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