Time Capsule Powered Off, Won't Power Back On

My 500GB TC is starting to go on the blink. The last couple of weeks it has mysteriously powered down automatically. I've been fortunate that plugging the power back in has restarted it without any issues. All my data appears to be fine at least.

I tried to get online support but Apple's website fails to recognize my xx832xxxxxx serial number. I'll have to call them about it I guess.

I'm curious to know if anyone has had issues with the 832 TCs like me?

Lots of the ones I repair are outside the very arbitrary serial numbers that apple set. And even later ones with so called improved power supplies are far from being bomb proof.. more bombs really.

If Apple won't help a repairer can.

https://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/a-deconstruction-of-routers-and-modem s/apple-time-capsule-repairers

But get that data off whilst it is still running. If there is anything there you want to preserve.

I strongly suggest.. you really push Apple.. and if you have applecare on a Mac it will also cover the TC.. push them.. they design the box with such poor ventilation make them fix it.

Collected the replacement TimeCapsule today with all old data swapped across, all at no charge. Excellent service for a 2008 purchase. Was even allowed to 'borrow' an Airport express to keep my wireless network functioning while the work was done (by purchasing it, then having full refund for it when I returned it on collecting the new TC). Try that with PC World! Brilliant Apple.

Had the same problem. Came into the office after a long power outage. The first generation Time Capsule would not power on the whole way. When I unplugged and then plugged back in the power cable (wished these had power switch!!), I would get an amber LED for a few seconds and then nothing.

We had had the unit for over two years (but then I had it on a few empty CD cases to keep it cooler) and we bought it second hand so I didn't think there was any warranty on it.

I'm pretty handy working with equipment because I've been in the IT field for about 20 years so I went to ifixit.com to find out how to pop the thing open and at least get the data off of the hard drive. After wrangling the rubber foot off, I got the hard drive out easily and used my Newer Technology USB Universal Drive Adapter to pull the data.

Once I could at least breath a sigh of relief, I started playing around with the unit. I was able to get it to power on without the hard drive installed and the case still open.

Next I added the hard drive but did not reattach the temp sensor or the bottom of the case. Worked like a champ! Then attached the temp sensor, closed case... the LED winked amber then NOTHING!!

So pulled off the case and removed the temp sensor, it was back! So then figuring it wasn't functional upside down and open, I added the temp sensor to the hard drive while it was running. Still working no smoke or fire.

Then I closed the case. Again no smoke or fire.

Turned it over. Still working.

The last test was to pull the power plug and see if it would boot. Held my breath, plugged it back in and it was working great. I put it back into its working location without the rubber foot to give it some air and have it resting on a large empty packing tape ring for PLENTY of ventilation.

From this I get that maybe the temp sensor went nuts and what I did reset it. If it was a bad power supply this would have not worked. Maybe there are a few faulty parts on this model.

I wish everyone luck and maybe they can get theirs to work by playing around with the sensor on the drive. Don't know how much time till its next hiccup, but at least we are back in business for now.

I had the same issue last night. Apple is replacing it free of charge. Depending upon when you bought it, there was an issue with them shutting down.

I went into the store and dealt with the Genius bar. I get a replacement in a week. Additionally, they are transferring my data off the old one.

Wow, there seems to be a wide range of experiences with this problem. My TC failed early Dec after 26 months and I put it aside until now. Just returned from genius bar appt where they told me too bad, it was not in the specified serial number range (it's 6F828XXXXXX) and I could pay $300+ for a replacement but they couldn't retrieve the data or offer any constructive help whatsoever. When I pointed out that the product was marketed to solve back up issues and clearly there was a problem if it had lost my data, the bloke told me that he didn't know what the problem with my TC was, maybe it wasn't the one described. I even had the Apple info sheet with me regarding this issue but all to no avail. Think I'll try to get the data off myself and try another back up system.
Not good enough Apple

Another one bites the dust after 16 months. Started about a week ago with intermittent connections, then yesterday, after the latest OS update download it died. No noise, no lights, no nothing, just dead. Called Apple today and they said to walk it in to an Apple Store to send off for repair/replacement. Fortunately my TC is covered by my MP's APP.

Does the store normally just swap it out when it's completely dead (like an iPod) or insist on sending it off?

As a note, my TC does not fall within the stated serial #'s.

LaPastenague,
How am I to push Apple for the new design? If they send it out for repair won't Apple simply slap a new drive into the old case?

And then my died as well... Bought summer 2009 - so it did live exactly 18 months - as others of you experience...
SN: 6F9191... - way outside the extended warranty period 😟
Dont know if I bother to even call support.

It is SHOCKING how quickly these "back up" devices die. Just shocking!

Add me to the list of disgruntled customers, my Time Capsule just stopped working, c 2 years old. No noise or lights, just dead.

My time capsule died last night. It doesn't power on. My warranty period expired 6 months ago. I had all my business data stored on this device so I had to take the HD out and access the HD as external USB storage connected thru USB port directly. I have read that this is a common problem, but I have no time to apply for replacement, since all my business depends on the drawings and data stored in that device.

Hello TheWriteOne,

I am seeing lots of TCs for repair at present. I have NOT been receiving the forum posts automatically and was just having a look, as 'everything seems to have gone quiet', which implies Apple have a fix at last.

I have no idea why forum posts have stopped being sent to me by email... just one of those things?

Using Apple's help service as a newbie would, you would NEVER know that heat related failures were the top two enquiries by an order of magnitude (possibly two orders). At the peak of TC failures the two top threads had more than 100000 enquiries together. Occasionally these would be chopped back to a few thousand (there are comments on the forum of this happening) and now we have them completely invisible and buried in all the noise. I could not find this thread from the start. I had to go back to my old emails and link back to the thread that way.

What are you doing Apple? Why has historic prominence of TC failures been suppressed?

In answer to your question however... sorry I got sidetracked there... there is a heat-related flaw in the TC design. It was there from day one and made thousands of TCs worldwide drop like flies after about 18 months. It is fixable. The internal PSU (power supply unit) has no cooling, despite an internal fan being fitted, and stews in its own heat until it can take no more.

The PSU was blamed as being a 'bad batch' and Apple issued the serial number range for swap-out, as these numbers occupied the majority of the failures. Statistically that may look correct but there is more to it than that.

The poor design persisted. Some slightly beefed up parts were installed that could maybe withstand a life of higher than designed temperatures, and this seemed to delay the failures.

However, time has passed (no pun intended) and some of the beefier TCs are now beginning to die. Apple will not touch them as they are outside the serial number range they allotted, so I (and probably others) have been seeing them. Design-wise nothing has changed...

I will now appear to shout but the capitals are merely for emphasis...

APPLE FIT AN INTERNAL FAN TO THE TC - THERE ARE 3 ERRORS CONNECTED WITH THIS:

1. THE FAN HAS NO AIR-INLET HOLE.
2. THE FAN DOES NOT BLOW THROUGH THE PSU, IT IS POINTING ONTO THE SIDE OF THE HARD DRIVE.
3. THE FAN, IN NORMAL OPERATION, IS NOT EVEN TURNED ON.

Correct these design flaws and the failure rate will drop like a stone. This is what I do. Others opt for an external PSU, which has many additional benefits.

See this list:

http://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/a-deconstruction-of-routers-and-modems /apple-time-capsule-repairers

and choose one of them to help you. You are not alone.

Regards,
Chris Fackrell
YORK, UK.

Hello KUT_architect,

Commiserations.

See this list,

http://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/a-deconstruction-of-routers-and-modems /apple-time-capsule-repairers

and choose one of them to help you. You are not alone.

Regards,
Chris Fackrell
YORK, UK.

After ~20 months, my TC lost power and was also out of warranty and out of serial number range for the Apple replacement program. Like everyone else on this thread, I got no help or interest from Apple.

I elected to follow the advice I found in another post on this thread. I contacted a 3rd party vendor who replaced the capacitors AND added a new external power supply. It cost $130 and he did the job (complete turnaround) in less than a week. I've been impressed with the work. He's Larry Heiberger (lhibrgr@gmail.com).

Hello Tracybjazz,

Glad you got sorted out. The repairer is one of the guys from Ray Haverfield's list of merry workers, as am I.

http://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/a-deconstruction-of-routers-and-modems /apple-time-capsule-repairers

I am a tad confused about Larry replacing the capacitors AND then putting on an external PSU? An external supply stops the need for the internal PSU to be repaired, which is where the capacitors would be needed.

Hey, whatever, it's fixed now and that is what matters. 🙂

Even the very newest crisply wrapped TCs from 'Appleland' behave like plate-warmers, not quite as hot as they were, but too hot to be long-lived, as we all are beginning to see.

Staggeringly, even in cold cold January, I have had 6x TCs to repair and modify this week, with another 2x in-the-post. These are all 'later numbers' than the range identified by Apple for swap-out replacement.

The problem has NOT GONE AWAY, it has only been delayed. 😟

Regards,
Chris Fackrell
YORK (well SELBY really), UK.