OBI202 Died out of the blue? Suggestions?

[kb9nvh]

So my OBI202 which had been working and set up with google since 2013 just stopped functioning (possibly due to a recent firmware update a few weeks ago). 
(**added It was hard wired to the internet port not using wifi dongle)

I've verified its NOT the power supply AND
I've done the firmware reset of the device correctly.

There has been no lighting storms for a while and nothing else in the network is damaged.  Everything is plugged in through surge protection.

Symptoms:  
Unit powered on showing slow blinking power green light.  Does not show up or even light network lights on my router nor on the 202 Unit.

Unit both phone lines are DEAD with phone hook ups resulting in no sound or indicator lights lighting up.

So DEAD "internet" port and Dead "phone 1" and "phone 2".  Seems to cycle through a reset and Wifi dongle manages to attach to my network.

(Wifi dongle actually attaches to my network  and shows up in obitalk as needing set up).

Any suggestions?  Any way to flash firmware again with not phone line working?

[drgeoff]

What exactly do you mean by "Wifi dongle manages to attach to my network.

(Wifi dongle actually attaches to my network  and shows up in obitalk as needing set up)."  ?

1.  I was under the impression that the SSID and passphrase needed to connect to your Wi-Fi network are stored in the 202, not the OBiWIFI.  If that is the case and if the 202 has been reset, how can it be connecting?

2.  Please clarify what "shows up in OBitalk as needing to be set up"?  The dongle or the 202.

If the dongle really is connecting to your WiFi, look in your router's GUI to see what IP address it has been given.  Does that address respond to pings? Does putting that address in a browser return anything?

[kb9nvh]

I'm sorry, i forgot to say that the LAN port was still working.

My LAN port was still operating and I was able to set up the wifi through that port.

[kb9nvh]

So I get the wifi dongle set up through the LAN port and then obitalk sees the device but tells me its not set up yet and that I need to hook my phone to it and dial **58511 which I cant do because the phone lines are dead.

[drgeoff]

I'm sorry, i forgot to say that the LAN port was still working.

My LAN port was still operating and I was able to set up the wifi through that port.

That seems at variance with what you wrote in the first post - "Does not show up or even light network lights on my router nor on the 202 Unit."

Anyway, so you are able to get into the onboard GUi with a browser?  For the moment do not try any more resets or firmware reloads.

Click on Status, then on PHONE Port Status.  With no phones plugged in what do the VBAT and TipRingVoltage lines show for PHONE1 and PHONE2?

[kb9nvh]

for both ports there are no entries..blank  the Last CallerInfo has dashes in their respective boxes. VBAT nothing, Loopcurrent  nothing, tipringvoltage Nothing.

I forgot I had a live LAN port and had set up the wifi that way...anyway. phone port status's both blank

So at this point i have the 202 attached to the router via the wifi dongle, I have LAN now moved to 192.168.11.1 so I can see its web page on my laptop (since my normal router IP starts at 192.168.10.1 so the 202 couldn't use that after wifi connected.  And the OBITALK page says my obi202 has an error and needs to be configures by doing star codes through the phone ports (which are dead).

My original post saying there was no indication of the "internet" port being hard connected to my router..meaning no lights light up on the router or the obi202 when I plugged it in.   however the LAN port is live and I was able to attach it to my laptop and have it assign an IP to my laptop...Then I could access the 202's administrative web page.

[drgeoff]

Bad news. 

You should be seeing numbers around 50 as in the attached screenshot. Almost certainly you have a hardware failure and no amount of configuration or changing firmware can repair a hardware fault.  You have nothing to lose by reloading firmware though I don't expect it will improve matters.  Procedure for manual update is Option 3 at http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=9.0.

Unfortunately, even if a repair were technically possible the costs of shipping and labour do not compare favourably with purchasing a replacement.

[kb9nvh]

thanks, that is what I suspected so I already have a shiny new model 200 in place and working.  I just didnt want to give up on the 202 until I was sure.   

I'm perplexed by the failure though...no lighting storm or surges.

Does the fact that the "network", phone1 and phone2 ports are all dead point to some component inside the device?

I'll probably open it up just to see if there are spiders nesting in there or something..

[drgeoff]

The most common failure in modern electronics is electrolytic capacitors.  There are often tell-tale signs such as bulging tops or even burst tops and dried gunk.

As it happens, just the day before yesterday I repaired the third desktop PC power supply in under a year.  Three completely different computers and different PSUs but the same basic failure in all 3.  The electrolytic on the output of the rectifier for the 5 volt standby supply.  All 3 with domed tops and, when measured, only a fraction of the marked capacitance.

The OBi devices have DC to DC converters inside them.  The external PSU supplies 12 volts but no digital chips run off such a high voltage.  The analogue phone jacks need to feed about 50 volts to the phones.  Clearly a lot of your 202 is working - the microcomputer and networking side - but analogue phone side is not.  Whether that is a power converter issue or failure of the specialised chip which handles that i don't try to guess.

[kb9nvh]

There are two electrolytics I can see and both look normal.  No other obvious hot spots or anything on the board both front or back.  The two phone ports being dead at the same time makes sense however, the "network" port being dead at the same time (while the LAN port seems powered and working)?  Oh well, makes me think some kind of power surge between the phone port and the "internet" port.  I do have phones wired across the house 4 electronic ringers powered by this.  Have worked for years though so?  weird.

Speaking of electrolytics..I"m trying to replace a set of them on an old motherboard.  Got one out..second one I'm fighting to get it unsoldered...one leg just wont come loose.  Even put a second iron on the back at the same time as the front.  I hate to throw the motherboard away because I was using the computer for a security system with hardware set up and all.

[drgeoff]

You have used side-cutters to cut through the can as close to the base as you can get?  Then pulled the remaining base of the two 'stumps'?  Use wirecutters to cut the lead as close as possible to the board on the other side from the capacitor.

Especially if the board is "lead free" old solder can be hard to melt.  Put more fresh solder on then remove with solder wick.  If you have some tin and lead alloy solder use that to lower the melting point of the mix.

[drgeoff]

I do have phones wired across the house 4 electronic ringers powered by this.  Have worked for years though so?  weird.

Are you using house wiring to connect the OBi to those phones?  If yes are you absolutely certain that the house wiring is completely physically disconnected from any telco line? Just because a phone line pair is supposedly not in service does not guarantee that it will not be exposed to local office battery or ringing voltage.