Time Capsule Powered Off, Won't Power Back On

Tracy, Thanks for the kind words. FYI, I didn't replace the capacitors AND added the external power supply! What I actually did was REMOVED the defective internal PSU and replaced it with an external PSU...which is a much better modification.

Hello Larry,

Now THAT does make sense! 🙂

Regards,
Chris F.
York, UK

Is it safe to buy a new one of these? Any thoughts on when the next hardware refresh for the TC is due? If it's going to be soon, I'd rather wait to hear if they correct the problem. I'm looking at using this in conjunction with my Mac Mini Server for a small business.

It's a feature-filled unit, which makes sense that causes a lot of heat, eh.

Or is it better to go with an AirPort Extreme? I'd guess they'd have similar issues (maybe less heat caused by the internal disks to cook the capacitors - but a similar fate eventually).

Any thoughts from the guys on this thread who repair these things?

My TC died over the weekend. When I called Apple, they immediately offered a replacement. Ok, what I expected, but hardly ideal. I'd rather my current one just worked as it was supposed to.

Then they realize my serial number is not in the "range" covering the replacement, so basically, it's hard luck. Nothing. No attempt to diagnose a fault. No attempt to try and repair. Just, quite literally, it's broken, buy a new one.

I was told that "It's just a hard drive and they can fail" (JUST A $350 hard drive?) and that "All electrical devices fail" and I was told I should have backed up my back up! HA HA HA. So I need several SERVER GRADE time capsules?

So Apple refuse to explain why it's died, and refuse to stand behind the product.

How can a SERVER GRADE back up die after two years, and be impossible to perform diagnostic tests on? I can't believe the attitude on this. Crazy. So unless we pay for Apple Care, the hardware is worthless if it breaks after a year....

I am interested which actual model yours is. The earlier one certainly had lots of issues but later ones now reaching the 2years mark are also failing fairly regularly.

Apple certainly has used the limited serial numbers, which amounted to the first 6months worth of production to limit the fallout, from their side. But in no way was there a major change in the design at that point. In fact ones made today still use exactly the same shell and lack of cooling. Just the power supply was purchased from a different supplier and is somewhat better layout.

Almost always the issue is power supply and you can replace it yourself with an external one, if you have some basic skills at repairs.
Or I have got a list of repairers who can fix it for you.
https://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/a-deconstruction-of-routers-and-modem s/apple-time-capsule-repairers

The cost to repair is cheaper than data recovery and at least you get your files back. Plus a working TC which will be very reliable with an external power supply. (Or a totally refurbished internal supply and the fan modified with the case to draw in cool air continuously). The poor thermal design of the original is the killer.
It is also important to manage your backups. Remember any drive can indeed die, so all your files should be held in several places. Never trust a single drive. Especially a device like the TC which has no mirrored raid and so a failure will be catastrophic.

I'm serial number ..819.... so not far away from batch 807 to 814, I bought it during summer 2008, so around the same time as lots of failures.....

Cowboy...Look on rubber boot underneath your TC. Which of these models are lister: A1254 or A1302 or A1335? FYI Apple is presently in their 4th Generation! If your model is A1254 that is the 1st Generation; if it is the A1302 then you have a 2nd Generation; if it is the A1335 then you either have the 3rd or 4th Generation. It is very likely yours is either the 1st (A1254) or 2nd (A1302) and both of these run the hotter than the 3rd or 4th Generations. Provide us with your model number first!

One more early 2008 purchased dead capsule here with serial 813.
Can someone please post self repair links again they are broken.
Thank you.

Serial 813 is within the series that Apple will repair.. just take it to an Apple repair centre.

The extended warranty info is on the first part of my repair info.
http://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/a-deconstruction-of-routers-and-modems /apple-time-capsule-repair

Just follow down the page for the other self-repair methods.

Link hasn't changed in 18months.

Hi Guys.. me again

This is blowing my own trumpet a bit.. well a lot really.

For those of you interested to do the repair yourself, I worked out a new method.

It is super cheap.
Buy a couple of these little dc converter modules.. KIS-3R33S.. just google for it. They can be had for $1 each.. free post for 10 from HK.
They are highly efficient adapters that will easily take the load for a TC. I used two of them to spread the load and reduce the heat. Just wire one to the board connector and the other to SATA power connector for the hdd.. one got a bit hot. So wire them, using a 12v >3A external power supply (again readily available via ebay to power things like LCD monitors), via a 2.5mm dc socket screw bulkhead connector in the TC current AC power hole. Put a 10k ohm resistor from voltage adjust to gnd.. no other mods needed.. a 1000uF cap on the output of each module, and wire it up. (The modules come configured to produce 3.3v but an external resistor will set the voltage from 3.3v up to about 10v with 12v input).

I don't have pictures yet.. but I will write it up with a lot more detail shortly.
https://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/a-deconstruction-of-routers-and-modem s/apple-time-capsule-repair/repair-type3
Look under 12v adapter.

Running my TC now on it.. and it is great.

I'm interested in the TC functionality, but given all the talk and the reviews on the apple product site, it seems unwise to purchase one before knowing they have been fixed in the 3rd or 4th revision.

Are there any news on that matter?

The TC has improved.. the power supply is a better design and more efficient. But the overall design has major flaws.. its cooling is still inadequate. It is a single drive NAS so no mirror possible if the disk breaks. It is slow. The disk is on the USB bus, so a gigabit NAS will kill the backup performance if you use ethernet. The disk is sealed into the unit, so when it does break.. it is difficult to get your data back. For these and its highly overpriced nature.. especially the 2TB disk version.. wonder if Apple checked recently what a 2TB disk sells for.. there are far better, cheaper, safer, faster and more reliable alternatives.. even a Airport Extreme with a USB hard disk plugged in. If you want a router.

Thanks for your reply. I wish the airport extreme supported automatic backup via Time Machine, but I think the fact alone that it doesn't should be reason enough not to buy a TC.
A guy in the apple store even told me it was even possible to connect an external HD to the TC and use it for automated TM backup. If true, there seems to be no reason why the Airport Extreme shouldn't have this functionality...

TC just died. Exactly 18 months after purchase. Serial not covered. I cried myself to sleep last night. Now what?