Sky Magic Eye

[russty]

Anybody use a magic eye for there sky tv be able to help please?
Have a problem with mine working properly.
Can manage to get a picture upstairs but unable to change the channel. Thought I might have a problem with the magic eye itself as the red led does not light up, so contacted the manufacture and they suggested plugging it in the back directly to see if the led showed up - which it did, so know its not the magic eye!
Wondering if it could be the cheap plastic connecters that is supplied with them, would changing them to metal be better?
Or could it be the wrong coax cable? Used a thin coax cable but when terminating the ends, quite a few copper strands just fall apart?
Cheers

 

[Mr Mark Sparks]

the coaxe needs to run direct from rf2 to your other tv if there are any spliters , boosters, amps etc in line they need to be suitable for digital bypass to allow the 9v through

 

[telectrix]

and you have to program the sky box from the set-up menu , to send the rf to the magic eye. think from mmemory its RF ON/OFF, change it to ON.

 

[Mr Mark Sparks]

and you have to program the sky box from the set-up menu , to send the rf to the magic eye. think from mmemory its RF ON/OFF, change it to ON.

the rf outlet is on he has gone direct into the box to prove it

 

[russty]

Its all been set up on the sky box as i can get a picture, just can not change the channel. Its like the magic eye dosent reconigse the signal for the led to swith on!

 

[Spudnik]

Ditch the cheap coax connectors and get some decent metal ones.

Make sure you trim the coax neatly and also make sure no braid touches the inner core when assembling the plug.

Nearly all magic eye problems are down to poor termination or poor connectors.

Good luck!

 

[telectrix]

agreed. good coax and termination is essential

 

[circles]

Does your coax run directly from your sat receiver to the TV that it is plugged into or are there any connections enroute?
Is the picture at the TV a bit on the grainy/snowy side?
Yes to either of those questions would indicate either a damaged coax cable or poor connections.
You have to eliminate the options.
If you have any joins then connect your magic eye at the sat receiver side of the join to see if your red light comes on. If it does plug a short fly lead into the junction on the other side and see if your red light comes on there. If it does then you know things were good up to that point and then carry on further along.
The most likely problems are going to be poor connections if it has ever worked in that set up. If this is a new install then probably something is dumping the dc voltage such as a splitter or a non dc isolated distribution amplifier. Obviously with the aforementioned tests you could use a dc multimeter insted of your magic eye. Hope this helps....

 

[russty]

Ill pick up some metal connectors and see if that helps tomorrow. To answer the other question, it goes stright from the sky box to the tv with no excessive bends or turns, there are no other connections enroute and gives good picture.
Cheers for the replys

 

[circles]

Ill pick up some metal connectors and see if that helps tomorrow. To answer the other question, it goes stright from the sky box to the tv with no excessive bends or turns, there are no other connections enroute and gives good picture.
Cheers for the replys

In that case remove the coax plug on the very end of your cable and use your meter to see if there is a dc voltage between the braid and the inner core. If there is you know that your 9 volts is getting down the cable remake the connections. A tip when you insert the inner core down the centre core tube of the aerial plug, put a kink in the copper inner core first, as it makes a solid connection inside the plugs thin centre core tube, instead of a wishy washy one if the coax inner core is a bit thinner than the plugs centre core tube.....

 

[telectrix]

are you sure the remote's ok?

 

[russty]

Ha, ha yeah know thats ok, it works on the main sky box fine

 

[richardhammond]

hya, i had the same problem when i put mine in.

the only way i got it working was to use the 2 cheap looking plastic plugs that come with the eye. the plugs do something that normal ones dont... try them and see what happens

 

[russty]

Im already using the cheap plugs at the minute mate and having a problem.

 

[richardhammond]

are you using any signal boosters etc, or does the cable go direct from sky box to tv?

 

[circles]

Did you check to see if you had your dc voltage at the end of the coax or not? If your 9volts is present there but when you plug the magic eye the red light doesn't illuminate yet it does downstairs then it can only be a poor connection somewhere. Also remember this, your meter is a high impedance instrument even the old avo's were something like 20,000 ohms per volt. You could have a very poor connection or a break within the cable centre core due to excessive bending somewhere. Your meter could under some conditions read as being perfectly good, yet when you try and pass a higher current through it. it fails. This was part of the point I was making when I mentioned about bending or putting a kink in the centre core of your coax before inserting it in the centre tube of the coax plug. It ensures a good connection.

 

[lockwood]

if the little light is on at sky box but not at the remote end then you're losing voltage, even when light is on at far end if you've used cable with aluminium braid this'll affect it's useable cable length..cheap connectors don't matter if made correctly....if cable comes out of sky box rf2 outlet, onto a socket look at back of socket for a capacitor blocking dc voltage....if thats all ok fit a global t120 amplifer at remote end and if it's light comes on ( it's also powered by sky box ) then take a feed out of it and it'll definately work...good luck

 

[russty]

Gave up on the Magic Eye waste of money, got these instead and work perfectly no problems.

Marmitek PowerMid XL infrared extender set: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

 

[steveautomation]

if the little light is on at sky box but not at the remote end then you're losing voltage, even when light is on at far end if you've used cable with aluminium braid this'll affect it's useable cable length..cheap connectors don't matter if made correctly....if cable comes out of sky box rf2 outlet, onto a socket look at back of socket for a capacitor blocking dc voltage....if thats all ok fit a global t120 amplifer at remote end and if it's light comes on ( it's also powered by sky box ) then take a feed out of it and it'll definately work...good luck

I have found this a problem many a time with the coax plate.

 

[DaveB74]

make sure none of the braiding is touching the centre core