Topfield rebooting every few minutes with code L3026

[Debris77]

As of today, 23 May, my Topfield TRF-2460 has started rebooting every 4 minutes or so.  Very briefly before it reboots I get an error code L3026 (I think) before LOADING appears and the PVR starts up again.  Performing a factory reset has not helped.
Disconnecting the LAN prevents the PVR rebooting, thankfully, so I can watch saved recordings, and still make new ones.

Is there a resource that lists these error codes, and has anyone seen this problem before?

Regards, Dave.

[IanL-S]

It could indicate corrupt firmware.

I suggest that you post your question on the DTV Forum Topfield thread:

http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php/topic/16828-topfield-faq-all-questions-answered/page-45

Ian

[Debris77]

Thanks Ian,

Flashing new firmware does not help. Changing to the wireless dongle instead of the LAN does not help.  Disabling IceTV does not help.  Only disabling networking completely works.
Also, the L3026 I'm seeing on boot turns out to just be the firmware version.

I'll see what the dtvforums make of it, but it looks like my 3.5 year old PVR is on the way out.

[Paul55]

Have you recently installed Cyberlink PowerDVD software? This is known to cause this behaviour.

[IanL-S]

Yes, I forgot about PowerDVD. There is also another cause if you have a network device with Twonky server on it, some versions cause the same behaviour.

For some reason neither of these is mentioned in the relevant section of the oztoppy wiki: http://oztoppy.wikidot.com/pvr-restarts
Update: Wrong again, I do mention it there. Just not very prominent. [end of update

I did see a listing of error codes somewhere but cannot remember where. I will do some more research and report back.

Ian

PS Before doing the firmware re-installation did you do a reset to factory settings. Corrupt settings can cause the Toppy to misbehave. You should do the reset both before and after the firmware re-installation; each time power down the Toppy immediately after the reset.

[IanL-S]

I found a list of error codes for SD Toppys, which probably will give a hint of what is going on:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/toppytools/errors.html
http://members.westnet.com.au/acullen/topfield/FirmwareUpgrade.htm


L3026 may merely means it is loading firmware for a TRF-2460 for which the system id is 32026. Normally the loading happens so quickly you do not notice this message. It is noticeable on the TRF-2100 and TF-T6000 which have much larger firmware.

It occurs to me that you may get a different result if you use the procedure for dealing with a bricked Toppy:

http://oztoppy.wikidot.com/corrupt-firmware-error-code-e-02

Hope this helps

Ian

[Debris77]

I haven't installed Cyberlink, but a few days ago did install MiniDLNA on my server.
On the theory that a poison IP packet was the culprit, I took down all other devices on my home network and the reboots stopped.
I've brought everything back up again and no reboots so far, but if they recur in a few days, I'll try disabling MiniDLNA.

Thanks all round.

[Dave at IceTV]

L3026 is the loader system id and not an error. The old SD Topfield PVRs always displayed the loader system id during startup.

For the 24x0 models, if the system has crashed it will often do a full boot, rather than a fast boot, and the full boot is when it displays the loader's system id. You may also see the loader system id after installing firmware, especially if the firmware update includes the loader.

[Debris77]

And I can confirm that having MiniDLNA (v1.1.1 and being renamed to ReadyMedia) running on my FreeBSD server eventually leads to the continual restarts and disabling it stops the problem.
The restarts do not happen immediately, but appear to be triggered some time soon after using the media sharing features of the Toppy.  (I can elaborate if anyone is interested.)

Its reassuring to know there are so many people happy to help with IceTV and Topfields; Cheers & Thanks, Dave.

[IanL-S]

And I can confirm that having MiniDLNA (v1.1.1 and being renamed to ReadyMedia) running on my FreeBSD server eventually leads to the continual restarts and disabling it stops the problem.
The restarts do not happen immediately, but appear to be triggered some time soon after using the media sharing features of the Toppy.  (I can elaborate if anyone is interested.)

Its reassuring to know there are so many people happy to help with IceTV and Topfields; Cheers & Thanks, Dave.

Interesting about MinDLNA having the same impact. I will add it to the oztoppy wiki.

Ian