KCPI Converter box - POS
 

I bought this rather well equipped KCPI digital to analog converter NEW IN THE BOX at the Restore today for $20.00. For the first three hours it worked perfect, and I was quite pleased with its performance. It recieved better than my dad's flat screen and digital antenna. But right after the TV focus went out, this thing broke. Needless to say I was (and still am) extremely pi$$ed.

What does it do?
Is it, totally dead in the water or just misbehave a bit!
It's probably 5 or 6 years old. You have to try it again on a different set. :scratch2:

It would randomly turn itself off. At one point, I would turn it on and it would immediately shut down. I took the cover off, and it has not done it since. I think it's building up too much heat.

Knockoff
Crappy
Pathetic works
Intermittently

Could be the lytics are going south. One of my VCR acted like that then died....Months later I bought a cheap chinese $15 ebay ESR(and more) tester and checked all the lytics in the PS section...I found one bad one, changed it and that VCR has been running like a champ ever since.

Fascinating. No matter what age group of electronics I choose, be it radios from the 1930's, Color TV's from the 60's, or a brand new converter box, the electrolytic capacitors are always at fault.

My "super deluxe" model ESR meter, the same as your's, but with a fine plastic case, is actually worth the money.
RE: digital converters, I wouldn't pay any more than $5.00 for one, even brand new, unless it's a Zenith or Insignia. Then, $10.00 max, for new.
There's still many around. :scratch2:

I have one of that make, somewhere!
I have a few odd makes. One is a Tivax, another, a Zinwell. The Zinwell was brand new, in the box. The Tivax is AC operated, the Zinwell uses a switching wallwart.
BTW, any of you notice that the audio isn't very loud on certain sets, when using the Magnavox converter via RF, ch 3 or 4. :sigh:

I have got a Magnavox one with no buttons on the front I bought it from a junk store for about 20.00 3 years ago ands its a real good one picks up really good. last year I bought a mediasonic hdtv converter with media player from amazon lasted little over a year and went to the junk yard in the sky. I did walmart site to store and got a ematic hdtv box with player and recorder for 28.00. the media thing was 35.00 with free shipping and has to wait a couple of days, so far the ematic works good.

I agree they are worth the money. I bought mine without a 'fine plastic case", and saved a few bucks making a 'decent' case out of scrap plexiglas left over from my college senior design project.

Well this thing finally kicked the bucket. It won't power up at all anymore. Push the power button, and the red "off" light goes out. I'll try replacing the lytics.

The problem is likely a bad electrolytic cap. We had one of those KCPI boxes on a set in the breakroom at work, and it was plagued with bad capacitors....they popped one-by-one until we got tired of fixing it and upgraded to a new TV set.

I'd bet if you went in and replaced them with ones rated at a higher voltage, you'd probably have a reliable converter.

That's what I was thinking. I'll see if I can replace them this weekend. Oddly enough, I put it in the freezer for 20 seconds, and it's been working fine ever since. This thing has always had some weirdness going on.

I had 'lytic problems with my Digital Streams, Zeniths and Insignias.
When it doesn't behave properly, I know the problem. Sometimes, they won't turn on and off, change channels or generally won't respond to the remote. :sigh:

Is KCPI a local TV station? :D I'd be unhappy if some product with my callsign turned out to be a POS...