| Amstrad don't provide any spares or service information at all for out of warranty repairs. CPC, who were the stockists for Amstrad analogue receiver spares, don't seem to have anything. The DRX100 was made for Amstrad by the Samsung factory in Portugal and they denied having any spares. Service spares are presumably available only to whoever does Amstrad warranty repairs. BskyB is currently offering a low cost replacement Digibox to customers whose box has failed outside warranty but with only a 3 month warranty on the "refurbished" one. SatCure can supply some Amstrad spares but you need to know what you want, and we probably can't advise. If it's not listed on our web site, send us an email stating the model number, board (PCB) number, component designation printed on the board and all details printed on the component itself. If all else fails, Michael can probably get a used part from a scrapped receiver. Contact him direct. The DRX100 tuner module is prone to failure, giving "no signal" message with signal and/or quality indication bars bouncing randomly on-screen. Tuner modules are available for the DRX100 on an exchange basis. Really, this is a workshop job, although plenty of DIY enthusiasts have been successful. Note that this "no signal" message can have other causes occasionally! Can I replace the tuner myself?
In theory it is possible to do this in the DRX100 (but not other Amstrad models) but there is a risk that you might damage your receiver. If that happens then no reputable repairer would be interested in repairing it. I am happy to show you precisely what is involved because
1) I think it will put you off but
2) if it doesn't, at least you'll know how to do it properly! (You'll also see what you are paying for - usually about £25 for the upgraded exchange tuner and £25 for the work which includes unpacking, repairing, testing, repacking, insured carriage and driving 10 miles to the parcel depot. Is that a rip off? I don't think so)
Full information is given in my Repairing Sky Digital Receivers book Will the new tuner be reliable?
Yes. We have been selling tuners since 2002 with no reports of failure so far. A DRX100 power supply Reliability Kit is available (Relkit 34) which contains the low ESR capacitors. Of course the DRX100 is an old, slow model so you might think twice about paying for a repair when so many used Digiboxes are available at low cost. All Digiboxes are somewhat prone to damage by power surges on both the mains 230v supply and the telephone connection (if you use it). We sell surge-protection adapters to minimise this problem (see our catalogue ). Although surge damage can be repaired if it's not too severe, the protection adapter provides very cheap "insurance"! The DRX200, DRX300 and DRX400 models are currently not so well known because I never repaired any before I retired from repairs. (Michael has reported a couple of failures on all three models, but this is not even a "drop in the ocean". However, we have kits available should you need them). The later Amstrads have a more reliable tuner module which is integral with the mother board. The chip in the tuner does occasionally fail, according to Michael, but again this is rare. Some capacitors around the tuner circuit also fail. The power supplies are different from that used in the DRX100 (see pictures, below). You can order repair kits from page 12 of our on-line catalogue. How can you be certain if the PSU is faulty? Four methods:- 1. Visual inspection. The Electrolytic capacitors should have perfectly flat tops with no bulging (and no bulging of the rubber plug underneath each one). By the time any bulging occurs, the capacitor is well gone. If there's no visible sign, this does NOT mean that the capacitors are OK. 2. Borrow another identical Amstrad and swap its PSU over into yours. If it now works, that proves that your PSU is not OK. 3. Use an oscilloscope to monitor the individual output voltages. If you can see high frequency ripply of more than 100 millivolts, the capacitors need to be replaced. 4. Measure each electrolytic capacitor with an ESR meter (not a capacitance meter - this will not usually show a faulty capacitor). In our experience a very small number of Amstrad Sky Digibox PSUs start to fail after 12 months. The kit ought to be fitted before total failure happens. There are three versions of the power supply unit as shown in these photographs. You can order a Repair and reliability upgrade kit and solder in the parts yourself or you can remove the Power Supply Unit, pack it carefully in a cardboard box, and post it to Michael Dranfield for repair. Keep the screws in a safe place. Click HERE for Michael's repairs page. I've read a suggestion that we are forcing our kits on people, even though the kits are not required. Well, we don't work that way. Electrolytic capacitors DO have a limited life, which is determined by the air temperature inside the unit and the design characteristics of the capacitor relative to the stress that it's subjected to by the circuit. So if you replace the capacitors, the PSU should last longer and there should be less risk of it blowing any other components (which often happens when a capacitor fails). So you don't HAVE to buy a kit if you don't want to. But check the capacitors carefully. If the aluminium top with the three lines ("Mercedes badge") is not perfectly flat, that means that there's a pressure build-up inside and the capacitor is already failing. Likewise if the rubber bung underneath is starting to bulge out. Unfortunately, capacitors don't always give a warning like this and the best way to check them is with an ESR meter, which all professional workshops have. | 
DRX100 PSU
DRX200 PSU
DRX300 PSU
DRX400 PSU
