Time Capsule power supply failures

Has the chronic Time Capsule power supply failure after about 18 months use been fixed in the new Time Capsules being sold today? I had a 500GB Time Capsule I recently had to scrap because of this.

It is always possible there is another fault.. to shut down after a minute.. if you are relating that correctly.. is unusual.. I would power the board from 5v 2A supply.. that will quickly show if the issue is your power supply or not.
The TC is definitely in need of more cooling but I would hate to suggest doing a major modification until it runs out of warranty. It is possible to improve the existing cooling with a bit of smarts.. a laptop (or netbook size) cooler to which you can seal the TC.. this is the tricky bit.. you need to allow a space underneath though.. perhaps 10mm.. and seal just the edge of the TC so it allows the cooler to draw air through the TC. That will work without modifying it. But you will need to make up a proper spacer and gasket.
I see pictures of various fans mounted on the top.. they are next to useless. Cooling the outside plastic will achieve only the tiniest improvement in heat transfer due to the thick plastic (insulating) top.. if it was made out of metal maybe it would do something.
Sounds like what is also needed is a different heat sensor that would start the fan at a lower temperature.
It is not the sensor that is the issue. The TC includes a proper fan controller. It is simply set too high.. and so it doesn't turn on.
If you want to break into the TC.. you can solder in a console.. and use serial to USB adapter.. these are very cheap.. the soldering in is tricky.
See the bottom of this page.
http://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/a-deconstruction-of-routers-and-modems /apple-time-capsule-repair/new-issue-with-a1355-gen-3-tc
The envstat.. will show temp.
This command will turn on the fan.
i2cctl w 0x18 0x00 11010100

Similar Messages

Symptom preceding my Time Capsule Power On Failure: Apple TV2 Glitches

Hope this helps someone. I spent days re-installing the system on my my Mac Mini and re-updating my Apple TV 2 firmware in an attempt to solve the problem with my AppleTV2 and Mac Mini losing connection with each other, before the Power On Failure of my Time Capsule identified the problem was elsewhere.
For a month preceding my Time Capsule Power On failure (see below), my wirelessly-attached Apple TV Gen2 would stop in mid-stream while playing a playlist from my wirelessly-attached Mac Mini. Nothing short of quitting & restarting iTunes on the Mac Mini would re-establish a connection.
But when my Time Capsule failed and I was forced to substitute an old AirportExpress b/g base station, all the problems with the AppleTV2 losing connection to the Mac Mini disappeared!
It seems that prior to my Time Capsule failing completely FAILING it was exhibiting MINOR glitches in its wireless operation. These glitches were NOT sufficient to drop the Mac Mini or AppleTV2 from the Internet, but they were apparently enough to interfere with Bonjour networking between the two devices.
BACKGROUND
My single radio, 1TB Time Capsule failed Wednesday night, pretty much textbook as per the 1100+ replies on this thread: Time Capsule Powered Off, Won't Power Back On: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2129872
My particular "Time Capsule Power On" failure symptoms:
- Time Capsule WiFi network disappeared
- Time Capsule the indicator light was OFF (rather than normal green, or even a flashing yellow)
- Power cycling Time Capsule initially would result in yellow light for 10-20 seconds then nothing
- With hand on the Time Capsule case I could feel the internal hard-drive spinning
- Within 1/2 hour, repeated power-cycling would result in the light NEVER coming on
- Serial no. as per http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3351 Time Capsule: Does not power on
The local Apple store Genius bar replaced my Time Capsule with a brown box 1TB, single radio unit, but would NOT transfer my data on my old Time Capsule. When I asked for assurance that my data would be erased, they said that it was Apple policy that all returned drives are destroyed. It was accept that unwritten promise or leave with my broken Time Capsule. I was NOT happy, but life is already too short – I accepted the replacement Time Capsule.

Contact a repairer in your area.. we can fix them cheaper than data recovery.. and you will get a working TC back as good as new.. in fact we can make it better than new because we can fix the fundamental flaw .. no cooling.
https://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/a-deconstruction-of-routers-and-modem s/apple-time-capsule-repairers

Replacing Time Capsule Power supply

Does anyone know of a place to replace the power supply on a Time Capsule?

https://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/a-deconstruction-of-routers-and-modem s/apple-time-capsule-repairers
You can order a kit and diy.. not that hard.
But there are no replacements for the original power supply.. Apple refuse to supply any parts for the TC. It is a sealed unit that is a consumable.. (in their opinion.. not mine).

Time Capsule Power supply

I know the answer to this question is YES, but it is a sensible approach to energy conservation ?
"can I use a plug timer to switch the TC off overnight automatically ? "

Yes and no. While idle, the TC uses very little power. In addition, you also need to look at your overall networking requirements. For example, do you plan on running Time Machine backups 24x7 or will all of your networking equipment be powered-off every night? It sounds like it will be the later, and so, it would make sense to power-down the TC as well. If this ends up being your game-plan, one note of precaution would be to verify that the TC's internal disk has spun down (no activity present) before pulling the plug.

Why won't my Time capsule power on after shutting itself down?

Why won't my Time capsule power on after shutting itself down?

Suggest that you unplug the Time Capsule from the power cord and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. Verify that the AC wall socket has power by testing another device like a lamp there.
Try to power the Time Capsule back up.
If it will not power up, unfortunately there has likely been a failure in the power supply section of the Time Capsule.
You will need to take the Time Capsule to an Apple store....if you have one near you....or contact Apple Support directly to go over your options.
http://www.apple.com/support/contact/

How does one replace a lost Time Capsule power cord? thanks

how does one replace a lost Time Capsule power cord? thanks

It is a standard figure8 power cable.. any electronic retailer will stock them.
You will find it hard to get white.. they are all black.. you can ask at apple store or repairer.. I don't think it is sold as an accessory.. but a repair shop might have a few.

Troubleshooting power supply failures

I'm branching out this thread as a continuation of <http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2418851> since the topic has evolved and the subject is no longer accurate.
I have a 2.1GHz iMac G5 (iSight) that does not boot reliably and sometimes goes into deep sleep and can't be awakened. I have ruled out software and RAM issues, leaving power supply and logic board as the likely suspects. I'm leaning towards the power supply. I'd like more info on the symptoms of power supply failures and see if my symptoms are consistent with it.
*Reasons to believe it's the power supply:*
• symptoms are consistent with the computer not getting enough power.
• it's a more common failure.
• Computer has 4+ years of continuous usage.
• the left side of the vent had been warm lately (that fan pushes air over the HD then the PSU)
*Reasons to believe it's the power supply:*
• visual inspection showed no damaged capacitors (although there could be hidden damage)
• in my previous experience with power failures, the Mac shut down completely, not half way.
*Reasons to believe it's the logic board:*
• problem triggered by adding RAM (although that's not the only trigger and removing the RAM didn't • instantly solve the issue. Timing may have been a coincidence)
*Reasons to believe it's not the logic board:*
• It passed all the Apple hardware and Techtool Pro tests.

FYI, you can access them in /private/var/logs, but you need to use a utility to show invisible files first.
The last system.log entry is
May 8 13:19:33 eric kernel[0]: IOPMSlotsMacRISC4::determineSleepSupport has canSleep true
So it looks like it went into sleep normally, but couldn't wake up or shut down without recording any more log entries.
windowserver.log had a few errors 20 minutes earlier:
May 08 12:56:56 [66] Server is starting up
May 08 12:57:00 [66] CGXMappedDisplayStart: Unit 0: boot screen
May 08 12:57:00 [66] CGXMappedDisplayStart: Unit 0: no display alias property
May 08 12:57:00 [66] CGXMappedDisplayStart: Unit 1: no display alias property
May 08 12:57:00 [66] AGCAttach: Couldn't find any matches
May 08 12:57:00 [66] CGXPerformInitialDisplayConfiguration
May 08 12:57:00 [66] Display 0x4271440: MappedDisplay Unit 0; Vendor 0x610 Model 0x9c51 S/N 0; online enabled built-in (0,0)[1680 x 1050], base addr 0xb0018000
May 08 12:57:00 [66] Display 0x3f003d: MappedDisplay Unit 1; Vendor 0xffffffff Model 0xffffffff S/N -1; offline enabled (2704,0)[1 x 1], base addr 0xb0018000
May 08 12:57:03 [66] GLCompositor: GL renderer id 0x00021802, GL mask 0x00000003, accelerator 0x0000281b, unit 0, caps 0x00000003, vram 128 MB
May 08 12:57:03 [66] GLCompositor: GL renderer id 0x00021802, GL mask 0x00000003, texture units 8, texture max 2048, viewport max {2656, 2656} extensions 0x0000000f
May 08 12:57:22 [66] kCGErrorFailure: CGXDisableUpdate: UI updates were forcibly disabled by application "Finder" for over 1 second. Server has re-enabled them.
May 08 12:57:22 [66] kCGErrorFailure: Set a breakpoint at CGErrorBreakpoint() to catch errors as they are returned
fsck_hfs.log shows the disk is fine:
/dev/rdisk0s3: fsck_hfs run at Sat May 8 12:56:40 2010
/dev/rdisk0s3: fsck_hfs run at Sat May 8 12:56:55 2010
/dev/rdisk0s3: ** /dev/rdisk0s3 (NO WRITE)
/dev/rdisk0s3: ** Root file system
/dev/rdisk1s3: fsck_hfs run at Sat May 8 12:56:55 2010
/dev/rdisk1s3: ** /dev/rdisk1s3 (NO WRITE)
/dev/rdisk1s3: QUICKCHECK ONLY; FILESYSTEM CLEAN
/dev/rdisk1s3: fsck_hfs run at Sat May 8 12:57:06 2010
/dev/rdisk1s3: ** /dev/rdisk1s3 (NO WRITE)
/dev/rdisk1s3: QUICKCHECK ONLY; FILESYSTEM CLEAN

Time Capsule Power failure (2nd Gen)

Hi
Looks like power failure is a common and un-publicised feature of this part of the apple range. I have a 1TB model which is nearly three years old, so does anyone have any tips on how to fix this? Is it easier to buy new (once bitten...?)

The Time Capsule can be repaired. Check the link on the left side of this document originally posted by forum expert LaPastenague (who repairs Time Capsules as well) for some servicers who can help.
This way, you get to keep your backups and the power supply will be better than original. If you replace the Time Capsule, you lose your backups.
https://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/a-deconstruction-of-routers-and-modem s

Time Capsule hard drive failure

Hello, all
I have a 500 GB Time Capsule that is about four years old. I use it to back up my MacBook Air and I also use it for file storage. Recently the HD has become erratic, in that it appears on Finder under Shared sometimes but not always. The wireless router part is still working fine. I can usually get the HD to reappear but it disappears again eventually. I can get it back by unplugging and replugging the TC, but I tried a hard reset and that didn't bring it back. I have backed up all the files I had stored on there as advised by the Apple Store Genius (see next paragraph).
I took it to the Apple Store and the Genius said that he thinks it is failing. He was not able to see the TC/HD wirelessly but was able to access it by plugging in a cable. He expressed surprise that my TC has lasted four years!!! He said I should replace it.
I then went to the online Apple Store and read the TC reviews, which contained quite a few reviews that report HD failure (mostly power failure, if I'm not mistaken) after 18 months or so! Some suggested that a good solution would be to get an Airport Extreme plus a USB hard drive of some other brand, not Apple. Many of these report power failure, which is not my problem. I still have power; apparently hard drive failure.
This sounded like a good idea, so today I went to London Drugs in Vancouver (an Apple retailer) and the salesman there (should be fairly unbiased) thought I should get a new TC rather than the two-piece solution just because it was simpler. He also said that in fact there about three HD manufacturers who produce all hard drives and that any one would have about the same frequency of failure, Apple include because they don't manufacture their own.
So I'm ready to replace my old TC with the new one I bought, but I'd like to get any suggestions the community might have. I can see the advantage of the TC because it's an all-in-one. I haven't opened it yet, so I'll await your well-informed input.
Thanks so much!

I think the TC is a much better buy.. If only for this reason.. the USB hard disk on the AEBS is dog slow.. whereas the TC internal drive is at least same as standard single disk NAS.. overall for what you get the price of a 2TB TC vs the 2TB USB disk plus AEBS is about right.. the 3TB TC is much poorer value.
Read the review.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4577/airport-extreme-5th-gen-and-time-capsule-4th- gen-review-faster-wifi-/4
It is fairly well done, but not everything is correct.. the stuff about the fan turning on is wrong.. it has the same issue as the old one. That is overheating, no ventilation and the fan does not turn on, has no outside vent anyway.
But look at the internal vs usb speed of hdd.. that should convince you of the value of the TC.. if you are using anything but wireless.
BTW the issue with the Gen 1 is still more likely to be the power supply.. The original 500GB hard disk was a Seagate Server ES drive.. the only server standard drive in the whole TC series although it was always promoted as having server standard drives..
IMHO a repair of the power supply would get it up and running again. Very extermely unlikely that drive will die in such a manner.. even if it was to go bad they tend to stay bad.. not come on again when you power cycle.. but power supplies sure do.
I have repaired dozens of them.. haven't ever come across a dead 500GB drive yet.. seen a few 1TB, both WD and noisy hitachi.. but even so not that many..
Lots and zillions of dead power supplies though.
https://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/a-deconstruction-of-routers-and-modem s/apple-time-capsule-repair
At least you can pull open the TC and remove the hard disk and wipe it.
Interesting the Apple guys are surprised at the 4year life span.. obviously intended for you to buy a new one much sooner than that.

Will the USB port from the Time Capsule power an external hard drive?

I am interested in purchasing an external hard drive (Iomega 1TB Helium Portable or G-Technology 750GB G-DRIVE mobile)
to connect to my time capsule, expanding my wireless storage, but I want to know if the Time Capsule has a powered USB port or does the drive I purchase need to have its own power source? Also, Is there any compromise to using a drive that is USB powered, vs one that requires a power source?
Thanks!

Even if the hard drive that you choose has its own power supply, you usually need to use a powered USB hub with the Time Capsule.
Reason....the USB port on the Time Capsule is under powered. You should not really rely on this port to power anything except a single printer.

Time Capsule power shutdown

There was a power shutdown, and the time capsule is not working when power came back. The light is orange. What do I need to do?

Tell us the model number of the TC.. eg
A1254 Gen 1 A1302 Gen 2 A1355 Gen 3 are moulded into the rubber base mat first line. Gen4 is A1409 and written on the paper label where it always should have been.
Is the LED flashing at all.. if it is solid orange (amber) then the TC has failed to boot.. this is due to faulty hard disk or faulty power supply.
Try power down the TC and leave it off for several hours.. then power up again. Place your hand on it to feel or listen to the fan spin up immediately on power on.. and hard disk spin up after about 20sec.
Tell us the exact sequence the LED and ethernet port leds go through.
This is the normal sequence.
It should flash green.. then go solid amber.. the ethernet port leds will flash very quickly.
After about 1min (bit less or more depending on the model) the LED should go to flashing amber.. then if everything is good, green.

1st gen. iMac G5 power supply failure

Hi, all!
My 20" iMac G5 here at work collapsed and died on me about a week ago. The computer just deactivated abruptly; I actually had thought that I had kicked the plug or stepped on the power bar by mistake. I restarted it, and it worked for twenty minutes before dying again. Now it's entirely unresponsive. Having read up on the matter here and in the Mac support pages, I'm quite sure the power supply has failed. I'm in the process of finding out whether the computer is still covered under Apple's Repair Extension Program. (http://www.apple.com/support/imac/repairextensionprogram/ - I know the iMac model is correct, my serial number matches the range, I'm just not sure if the computer is less than three years old.)
Anyway, the important thing for me is the hard drive, not the machine itself. We're entirely Mac-based here at work, so there is no shortage of machines for me to work on (I've already replaced my old machine with a much newer Intel-based iMac), but I would very much like to retrieve my data from my old hard disk. I've downloaded the DIY guide for opening the 20" iMac G5 and removing the hard drive, but I need some advice on the best plan of action. Should I then open another, working G5, remove its hard drive, insert my old hard drive and transfer my files off to my new iMac through our company server? Or is there another way to approach it? Is the hard drive on my 20" first gen G5 compatible with newer mac models, or am I going to run into problems with connectors, physical disk size, etc.? Or, should I just leave well enough alone and leave the entire operation to a Mac Genius?
This will be my first time opening an iMac. I believe that I can open the machines and remove-replace the hard drives without voiding any warranties, correct?
Thanks so much in advance for your help and advice!
Adam

I am on the phone right now with a product specialist about my iMac G5 power supply issues. Kind of ***** because he has, in so many words, said that the Genius is the Alpha and Omega and can extend the 3 year coverage. For me that is great except that the Apple store is over an hour away. I don't understand why the dude on the phone can't pull the switch and make it happen as well.
Factor in:
Unplugging iMac G5 and all peripherals
Loading it in the car
Driving an hour
Carrying it into the Mall (apple store)
Waiting for my Genius appointment
More than likely getting it fixed for free (from the sounds of things)
Driving back after it is fixed
Doing everything listed in reverse.
Would it just be easier to pay the $108 for a new power supply, wait a few days, undo some screws, and BAM! it works again?
Update. Off the phone now. The product specialist flexed his muscles, back handed the Genius to gain authority, and basically stated that they WILL DEFINITELY repair either the power supply or the logic board or both if needed. I have already had them replace the logic board once. BUT, I still have to load it up and take it to the Apple Store. Boo.

Anyone having Power Supply Failures with 4305's

For some reason over the last 6-8 weeks I am getting multiple power failures on my 4305DMPs, replacing the power supply/wall plug brings everything right back but I'm wondering if there is a bigger problem.
All DMP's are connected to APC power bars with Surge Protection, and the LCD Screen continues to work fine. The DMP will just quickly flicker both Red and Green Lights, and remain unresponsive. We have tried cleaning teh contacts on the power supply but have had no luck.
I have had to swap 10-12 of them now, these have been working with no issues in the field for over 3 years.
I guess I am just wondering if anyone else has had this problem, a search on here didn't reveal anything.
Thanks,
Jh

I haven't heard anything about this on the 4305, but just pointing out that this is a 2-year old post.
We're using some Linksys POE -> 5V splitters and they've been humming away for years. I listen to feedback about reliability, but it would be helpful if a specific part # / manufacturer on the brick were identified along with any complaints about it.
As far as replacements, be sure to use the right specifications, other DMPs operate off of 12VDC but the 4305 uses a 5-volt adapter.
Input voltage: 5V
Input current: 3 ADC
Power consumption: Peak: 12W; average: 5W

Time Capsule Power Cable

Hi folks,
I bought a 1TB Time Capsule while in the states thinking it would be very straightforward to get a UK power cable when I returned. I was wrong. I called apple and they said they don't stock them so I contacted my local re-seller (no apple store here yet) and they said it would be ok to use any lead. Will this be ok? Don't want to try until I'm absolutely sure. Obviously, I could just get an adapter plug but I'd rather get a replacement lead.
Any suggestions?

lozhead wrote:
I bought a 1TB Time Capsule while in the states thinking it would be very straightforward to get a UK power cable when I returned. I was wrong. I called apple and they said they don't stock them so I contacted my local re-seller (no apple store here yet) and they said it would be ok to use any lead. Will this be ok? Don't want to try until I'm absolutely sure. Obviously, I could just get an adapter plug but I'd rather get a replacement lead.
The Time Capsule auto-senses voltage and the power lead appears to be a passive wire. I'd just use an adapter plug.
Be sure to use the panel behind the "Wireless Options" button in AirPort Utility to set the country.

Dead Time Capsule: Power Off...No Response

One more dead time capsule.
18 months old.
Power off... no response.
Will never buy one again.

Another One!!
I purchased a time capsule in April 2008
This time capsule stopped working about 2 weeks ago and I took it to the Apple Service Centre
As the product is out of warranty I was told I need pay rmb200 to have it looked at. This was not a problem but 4 days later I was called and told they cannot do anything with the product as they are unable to open the unit and my only option was to buy a new one. After getting less than 2 years use out of the unit I was not going to purchase a new one.....
It amazes me that after 2 years I cannot get the unit repaired when it obviously only a problem with the power source as the drive is working OK (I ripped it out!) and why I get charged 200rmb by the service provider when they know they cannot do anything...
This is simply a bad product and trying to get any contact in Apple to complain impossible!

Time Capsule power supply failures

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