Sky Magic Eye

russty · Nov 11, 2010

Anybody use a magic eye for there sky tv be able to help please?
Have a problem with mine working properly.
Can manage to get a picture upstairs but unable to change the channel. Thought I might have a problem with the magic eye itself as the red led does not light up, so contacted the manufacture and they suggested plugging it in the back directly to see if the led showed up - which it did, so know its not the magic eye!
Wondering if it could be the cheap plastic connecters that is supplied with them, would changing them to metal be better?
Or could it be the wrong coax cable? Used a thin coax cable but when terminating the ends, quite a few copper strands just fall apart?
Cheers

circles · Nov 13, 2010

Did you check to see if you had your dc voltage at the end of the coax or not? If your 9volts is present there but when you plug the magic eye the red light doesn't illuminate yet it does downstairs then it can only be a poor connection somewhere. Also remember this, your meter is a high impedance instrument even the old avo's were something like 20,000 ohms per volt. You could have a very poor connection or a break within the cable centre core due to excessive bending somewhere. Your meter could under some conditions read as being perfectly good, yet when you try and pass a higher current through it. it fails. This was part of the point I was making when I mentioned about bending or putting a kink in the centre core of your coax before inserting it in the centre tube of the coax plug. It ensures a good connection.

lockwood · Nov 13, 2010

if the little light is on at sky box but not at the remote end then you're losing voltage, even when light is on at far end if you've used cable with aluminium braid this'll affect it's useable cable length..cheap connectors don't matter if made correctly....if cable comes out of sky box rf2 outlet, onto a socket look at back of socket for a capacitor blocking dc voltage....if thats all ok fit a global t120 amplifer at remote end and if it's light comes on ( it's also powered by sky box ) then take a feed out of it and it'll definately work...good luck

russty · Apr 13, 2011

Gave up on the Magic Eye waste of money, got these instead and work perfectly no problems.

Marmitek PowerMid XL infrared extender set: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

steveautomation · Apr 13, 2011

lockwood said:
if the little light is on at sky box but not at the remote end then you're losing voltage, even when light is on at far end if you've used cable with aluminium braid this'll affect it's useable cable length..cheap connectors don't matter if made correctly....if cable comes out of sky box rf2 outlet, onto a socket look at back of socket for a capacitor blocking dc voltage....if thats all ok fit a global t120 amplifer at remote end and if it's light comes on ( it's also powered by sky box ) then take a feed out of it and it'll definately work...good luck

I have found this a problem many a time with the coax plate.

DaveB74 · Apr 14, 2011

make sure none of the braiding is touching the centre core

janejoj786 · Apr 14, 2011

well, what i do is i can cross my eyes so that you see like 2 of everything, and then you just match up two of the patterns on the magic eye.

chris murphy · Feb 4, 2014

russty said:
Its all been set up on the sky box as i can get a picture, just can not change the channel. Its like the magic eye dosent reconigse the signal for the led to swith on!

"Hello future Readers of this thread",

I realise that this topic is YEARS old - but I was just browsing this section of the Forum and I thought my comments about this might help someone in the future who reads this thread.

I am sure that russty / the OP did investigate / Turn On the Sky Digibox RF2 Power output via the Installer Menu as previously described - BUT for future readers of this:

The comment above about the Second TV [RF2 Input] receiving a picture and sound and the inference that this was `proof` that the RF2 power output was obviously ON is NOT correct.

When a satellite quality Co-Ax Cable is connected to the Sky Digibox RF2 Output and to a Second TV this will produce Picture and Sound on the TV - BUT if the RF2 POWER Output is NOT physically turned ON the Magic Eye / Remote Control will NOT operate as it has no power.

When I first set up my Home`s Bedroom TV connected to the Sky Digibox RF2 Output [many Years ago] I had not known about having to turn on the RF2 Power Output via the Installer Menu for the Magic Eye / Remote Control operation until I asked a Sky `Engineer`.

* Before finding out how to turn the RF2 Output Power on I had been having EXACTLY the same problem as is described in THIS thread.

I just wanted to clarify this in case future Readers thought that if there was a Picture and Sound this meant that the RF2 Output was correctly set up and then assumed a `Fault` with the Digibox RF2 Output or the the Magic Eye.

Regards,

Chris