# some help after a lightening strike!



## Aztec Pilot

I sustained a pretty good lightening strike a 6 weeks ago. My basement setup was affected. I have a 4x4 hdmi matrix connected to two DirecTV DVR's and a Vizio Blu Ray(VBR110). Outputs to three different Vizio TV's. a 40'. 50' and 70' hdmi run respectively. The 4th output went via a 4' cable to an Onkyo SR606 then a 25' run to an Epson 6500UB projector. Everything had been working great prior to the strike. 

Two of the Vizio's had there hdmi inputs "blown", as did the epson projector. I had new main boards put in the Vizio's and bought a new Epson 8350UB, as Epson wanted more to replace the board then it cost to buy the new one!. 

After reassembly.......Only one Vizio would fire up and I had intermittent problems on the others......eliminated the hdmi matrix, now direct from the BluRay or DTV to any of the Vizios will work fine. Also Direct from the DTV and/or Bluray to the Epson works great, but no sound obviously. And...HDMI out from the Onkyo to any of the Vizio's works fine.

Here is where I am stumped. Blu Ray thru the Onkyo will not put a picture on the Epson...It seems like it is trying, but no discernible picture. Sound is great. 25' 28 gauge generic hdmi cable. DTV thru the Onkyo to the Epson is better, but not watchable.

Starting with the simplest... I went to Blue Jeans Cable and bought a new 25' BJC Belden Series-1 cable. Now DTV works, tho with an occasional flicker. No change on the Bluray-onkyo-epson setup. It seems that the Epson and the Onkyo are not playing well together.

I can not figure out which equipment is my weak link. 

I can not wait to hear what I have overlooked!


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## MysteryMan

Lightening strikes raise havoc with electrical equipment. Unless you forgot to mention it what you have overlooked was having power protection for your setup. Furman and Panamax have a fine line of Power Line Conditioner/Surge Protection units.


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## Aztec Pilot

I had a surge surpressor that did not survive. I have replaced it but I will look in to a more advanced protection system.


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## MysteryMan

Aztec Pilot said:


> I had a surge surpressor that did not survive. I have replaced it but I will look in to a more advanced protection system.


High end Power Line Conditioner/Surge Protector units are well worth the money. Back in June we had multiple brown outs and power outages in one night due to a severe electrical storm that went through our area. My Panamax units killed the power to my Home Theater systems ten seconds before the rest of my house was effected with each surge that occurred. My Home Theater systems were protected and both Panamax units were undamaged.


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## jimmie57

Aztec Pilot said:


> I had a surge surpressor that did not survive. I have replaced it but I will look in to a more advanced protection system.


The cheaper surge suppressors are designed to sacrifice themselves to save the connected equipment.


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## kaminar

Sometimes it's not easy to find the root cause..some suggestions to test..

1. HDMI cables--For passive HDMI, there is no specific distance limit, but there are certified limits and practical limits..depending on what you wish to do. In my experience 25ft +/- is the max run for worry-free video/audio with typical high-speed HDMI cables connected to HDMI 1.4a-capable equipment. _*YMMV, depending on setup and age of the cables*_. The "high-speed HDMI" IEEE spec has changed over time and will change again. Keep in mind you may have seen 1.4a rated cables for sale..there is no such thing, even if there is a stamp on the cable and printing on the box it came in. Marketing gimmick only. The rating is completely dependent on the device's HDMI connection/port. The newer the device, the more up-to-date the spec will be.

That's the total for all segments in the run (projector-to-AVR + AVR-to-DTV + DTV-to-TV = 'x' ft), not per each segment of the run. For extra distance, try redmere-style HDMI, which are directional, but are narrower, more flexible and handle longer distances. Some links:
http://redmere.com
http://monoprice.com
http://monster.com
http://bluejeanscable.com
http://amazon.com

2. UPS battery backup--either connected directly to the equipment..or directly to your electrical service panel. If lightning is that prevalent, you might want to consider having rods strategically mounted/installed/planted on the property. Nothing will prevent damage from a direct strike, but that's rare..even the distant hits cause issues with home electric. Inexpensive surge protectors are not the same. Coupled with the surge protection recommendations in prior posts, you'd have a better shield.

3. Electrical service--lightning strikes can damage your entire household. Service call to an electrician for an inspection is not cheap, but it's a lot less than any piece of equipment you have.

4. If an ongoing issue with the DTV receiver, call DirecTV at 800-531-5000. It may require a service call by a technician ($49 includes updating entire setup if needed) or receiver replacement (free or $19.95 delivery/handling)

Good luck!

-=K=-


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## zx10guy

I would say a proper power protection plan would be to implement a whole house surge suppressor first and then use secondary point of service surge protectors/UPS'.


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## Aztec Pilot

OK, thanks for the help. That is the first strike I have ever sustained. But a good protection system seems like a no brainer. 

Back to the question. The Onkyo SR606 is not playing well with new Epson 8350. This setup worked great before the strike with the Epson 6500. I have replaced the cable, as I mentioned in my first post. I do not think that I can do much else with that, except for maybe replacing it with one just a few feet shorter. A 22' would work.

Questions are: 

Could the new Epson be more finicky on the hdmi input than the older Epson?

Could the Onkyo have sustained a little damage that may have weakened its hdmi output signal.


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## Aztec Pilot

Well, I tried one last test. Removed the projector and hooked it up next to the receiver with a 3'hdmi. No change. So I am gonna blame the problem on the reciever and order a new Onkyo NR727. Kinda wanted it anyhow.


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## Aztec Pilot

The new onkyo looks and sounds great. The weak link was the other receiver. Everything is flawless now. Does anyone know if DIRECTV still broadcasts the calibration show every so often?


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## Laxguy

I haven't seen it in ages, but also haven't looked for it. Though IIRC it was indeed canned.


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## ronnyd8719

I have directv and lightening struck close to my dish and I havea lot of fried electonics. This happened 14 months ago. This time was worst. Last time was to tvs. This time I have 22 items fried. I had a electrician come to check out the house. Well guess what he found. Directv never connected the ground on my install. This is what fried my stuff. This is what the electrician said. I think directv should be reasonable. What is the law.


Sent from my GT-P5113 using Tapatalk


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## SeaBeagle

ronnyd8719 said:


> I have directv and lightening struck close to my dish and I havea lot of fried electonics. This happened 14 months ago. This time was worst. Last time was to tvs. This time I have 22 items fried. I had a electrician come to check out the house. Well guess what he found. Directv never connected the ground on my install. This is what fried my stuff. This is what the electrician said. I think directv should be reasonable. What is the law.
> 
> Sent from my GT-P5113 using Tapatalk


True. Did you get that in writing about the ground not being connected? If so then you should not be at fault.

Sent from my iPad 4 128GB using DBSTalk mobile app


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## inkahauts

22 items? what all was fried? Frankly sounds like that strike was so close it wouldn't have mattered...

Would not stop me from asking Directv about it though...


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## NR4P

First what does your city or county require? If grounding is part of the code, then get some proof from say an inspector it wasn't done per code. 

Thats the key. Did the installation meet code or not? 
From there you can decide your next steps.


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