OK, I have been again experimenting trying to bring my E85 back to life. I have been using your ideas. I did swap out another hard drive with no result. None of these hard drives has ever led to a message on the screen saying to format it. I decided to see if hijacking the power supply from a nearby computer would make a difference. No difference, however, I tried to do the code to set the machine to it's original factory default settings, and that seems to have had some impact perhaps by accident. Instead of seeing instantly the please wait for a few seconds, and then self check for a minute or so, and then u99, this time I got it to do something different. The HDD and DVD indicators on the front digital readout started blinking back and forth for a while, and then I was at last able to make the cd tray open. I quickly put in my panasonic patch disk that someone told me to burn. I don't think it loaded anything off the disk, but at least it is finally in the drive! Meanwhile, after it flashed the hdd dvd signals on the digital window (but nothing appearing on the tv yet), the digital readout went to something called Test * L1 ... yes, test * L1. Does anyone know what that means? Also, now my clock is a blinking 12:00 for the first time. I am going to go back to the main panasonic power supply next to see if these steps have again made any changes. Thanks in advance. KK
Hi folks. I reattached the mainboard power supply to my hard drive, but still no action there. Still, since I told the machine to reset the factory settings with the button codes listed in this thread, I have finally been able to see my machine's history from service mode. Evidently, this one was built and shipped 3/19/04. The main firmware version is 0850DL. I was successful in placing the panasonic update disk in the drive, but I don't think the machine is reading anything from the cd at all. It won't read any cd because it thinks the HDD is still on, and the drive select button has no impact. timer firmware info is 0110DC, dvd drive firmware = j117. Checksum is R000. Curiously, when I checked the Laser hours, which is supposed to tell me the number of hours my dvd drive has been active, it shows zero hours. That is a few hundred hours off from reality. Right now the digital readout shows channel 1, and the word Guide .. but nothing is on the tv screen at all and it does not seem to respond to the remote at all other than in the service mode? Any further suggestions are appreciated. Kevin K.
I would go one of 2 ways. With all the great instructions and photos of the Cap replacement, I would try that first. If it doesn't work, call Kord and fork out the $130 to fix it. I had the Test * L1 and they claimed to have to replace the digitial processor. They also replaced the hard drive which was flakey and noisy. The only issue I see is that Panasonic may not like the cap fix and charge more to fix it. I do not know if any "fixed cap units" where ever sent back for repair. Good luck
Hi Gang...well I finally got my clock to show the correct DST but still no TVGO listings. It's been almost a month now.
RED ALERT! I changed no parts ... tinkered with this thing using many of your ideas ... check out my other postings and you may find the clue ... But MY SYSTEM IS UP AND RUNNING THIS MORNING! The U99 is gone, the hard drive is playing shows I recorded weeks ago! What on earth?! The only thing I did that none of you guys mentioned is this ... I took out the plastic webby belt that runs from the hard drive to a slot under the dvd drive. It pulled out by accident from beneath the dvd drive, so I took it out and reinstalled it. Other than that, I did try to run it off the power supply from another computer, just pulling the extension over to the panasonic. I do not think that made a difference. I will see if it can record etc., so I can get key files onto disk before it upchucks again. And I want to make sure to install that panasonic patch disk, though I need guidance on that. How do I install the patch disk please? This is up and running and it did not even need to reformat! Also, after reinstalling the web belt, I only noticed a couple of differences, it allowed me to finally see the dvd and hdd lights blinking on the digital readout! (last night). But the screen was generally just black. Today is the first time I have seen the picture up on the screen in two months or so. So ... I suspicion the web belt was loose in its slot below the dvd, and I think it needed to be off for 20 minutes to finish a system check. This was a problem I never expected to end this way, so I was ready to call panasonic this morning anyway! But now I am going to move it to the main television here and see what it can do when hooked up to cable etc. KK, Adelanto CA
Did you get the patch disk direct from Panasonic or did you download and burn the image to CD? You should have some paperwork which says how to do it. The Panasonic website lists the steps. You should do a channel up/channel down reset with the machine on after flashing. Then unplug for 10 minutes. I've found that resetting the E85 when it starts acting funny will fix almost all software problems. I'm surprised you didn't lose the contents of the HD as the machine will usually format the disk once it's been disconnected.
Furry, I just downloaded that disk a few weeks ago. I don't think I have installed it. I hesitate to do too much as it is like a dead family member has been reborn here. I am presently loading some shows onto dvds so I can unburden the hard drive. It has about 100 hours on there in LP mode, so roughly 95% full, as it usually is. But I am offloading stuff tonight and making a few disks some friends have been asking for etc. I will move it to a cable hookup tonight and leave it off to reacquire the tv guide. I think it is fixed. I can't say how very surprised I am. And lucky. It was turned off all day today, but it turned on and worked normally as soon as I got home from work. K
The TVGuide Updates appeared 2 days ago!! I haven't received TVGuide updates for at least 4 months. I have a TV that started receiving them a couple of weeks ago. I guess something must have changed at comcast. Delaware County, near Phila PA.
I hope it's ok to post problems with other models in the Panasonic line here? If not, I'll post a new thread. I have two Panasonic DMR EH55 DVD recorders with the 200GB hard drive. Both worked fine for a few months, but both have developed a similar problem, failing to be able to burn. The first one started failing about mid-way through, and I sent it to Anchorage (the only shop in our state who is authorized to work on models under warranty). They replaced the power supply, and after I got it back, it worked fine for about 2 weeks, then the same problem came back, this time it fails within the first couple minutes of burning. All other features of the unit work fine. I sent it back, but this time they returned it saying they could burn fine with it. I'm perplexed, because it won't work for me at all. The other model has a very similar problem, though it also makes lots of noise before it bombs out. Both will display the U88 error briefly and have me reboot them. I sent the second model down and they returned it, also saying they could find no problem with it. I'm totally frustrated with this situation. I've used the Panasonic DMR EH85 since 2004, so I know what I'm doing. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Maybe try a different brand of blank DVD-R. It's also not uncommon to have some bad blanks in the stack. Buy a new spindle of blanks. I've been using Sony and HP with no problems. Even recently started using HP with LightScribe and they work fine also. When I finish high speed dubbing, I take the DVD to my computer and LightScribe a label on top. It's not outstanding but it looks neat and is fun to do also.
This was the same problem I had with my E95H a few months ago. Under extended warranty and took it in to the local JVC dealer (authorized repair). Took a couple of weeks but they were able to replace the bad part (can't recall what it was and not at home to look it up) and it has been dubbing with no problems now. Using Sony and even tried some TDKs recently - all dubbing fine! My other newer model, EH75V, had some problems dubbing but don't use it for that purpose so ignoring that issue for now! Have it under warranty too so will take it in soon. BTW, that EH75V is the worst thing I have seen to do "copying" from VHS to hard drive. Tried to copy an old VHS tape and every time it came to a commercial break (that had been edited)it created a new recording. In other words, it would not copy the entire tape as 1 recording, but instead made it 4 recordings! Junk!
Regarding failure to burn, I have noticed some cheap blanklabel disks have a higher failure rate. I can use about anything now, but I trust any brand I buy at Staples the most. Meanwhile, if you do want to burn a disk there is on step not mentioned in the manual that is important. You tell the system you want to dub and it tells you to put a disk in the destination drive. At that point you open the tray and put in a fresh disk, right? Well, once that is done, WAIT until the dvd on the front window stops blinking. I have on several occasions gone too fast, starting to pick items for my dubbing list while the dvd signal is still blinking. It will normally enter a system check if I push it along at that juncture. So wait that extra 30 seconds and the machine will give you less arguments. PPS .. mine is still working fine now, two days after rebirth from the loose web belt caper. I have to remember how to get it to record in preparation for high speed recording though, as it presently is recording one at low speed only because I failed to reestablish my settings. KK
mondo999: I concur, the greatest single reason for multiple units to fail within a small window of time is cheap media. Spring for a spindle of good quality media, and you should be fine. Also, clean the CD drive LED. bob
Thank you to again for everyone's help! I did the capacitor fix following your advice and using the 1000uF/35V radial lead capacitors from Radio Shack. It is now working, but not without added excitement, as below. When first rebooting, I still got the Test * L1 error message. The first time I just unplugged the machine and thought "d#$% (etc.) machine!" I let it sit a few hours while I was out of the house thinking maybe it just needed to cool more (I'd only waited about 30 minutes after soldering), but again I got the TEST * L1 error. Rather than the more complicated resets discussed in this forum, I just pressed the power button once. The error disappeared (the little tick-bars counted down to only one left on either side), but then it was locked up. I just held down the power button until it went off (to the blinking 12:00 mode). I help my breath, and pushed power. Strangely the DVD tray opened up, but the system booted fine. Once I canceled the TV Guide setup, I could close the DVD tray and load the navigator. All of my shows on the hard drive were still there! So far everything is working (knock on wood), but I have not even considered trying the TV guide setup yet. I'm going to just enjoy going through my recorded shows while recording new ones on my cable company issued DVR for a while. Thanks again everyone!
Thanks for the feedback, but the blanks I've used for months with no problem on these recorders are still not working (I use either TDK or Sony). So I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be a media issue. Any other ideas? Thanks!
Is it possible you are using DVD+R, rather than DVD-R? I think you may be able, also, to used CD-R for shorter programs. You could also try DVD RAM, though I have never used those eraseable disks. K PS ,, Mine has been up and running fine for a couple of weeks now, and it is getting a lot of use, but the TV Guide is not on there yet. That was not a part of the problem, but since I brought it back to life, no TV guide has loaded. I think our cable comp has changed the channel lineup, so maybe TV Guide needs time to catch on.
If your E85 hasn't pulled in a TV Guide schedule after 24-48 hours, your cable company is probably no longer broadcasting the information. You could try running the config for TV Guide again, entering your ZIP Code, whether you have a cable box attached or not, etc. The machine must be turned off to pull in data. Usually after one day you should have something. The first thing that appears are the promotional ads followed by channel icons. Depending on your area, you may also get a screen that asks you to select a channel lineup from several possibilities. It will say something like "WGNSAT is on channel 33" or "WGNSAT is on channel 21". You pick the one that works for your area and cable system.
I got the TV guide back about two days ago. What I had to do was change the zip codes on the machine. I noticed the cable comp had changed the channel designations. I tried the zip for a few nearby towns without success. Then, luckily, was at a party 15 miles away on Sunday. That small village had the exact lineup I was now receiving on tv, so I changed my panasonic to that zip code and within two days was up and running. I'm very happy to have the TV guide back as it streamlines recording to the max. K
