CM-7000PAL DVR Repairs
I don't know of anyone that does repairs. If you're within the year warantee period you have the option of getting warantee service from Channel Master. If not you can try disconnecting the hard drive and seeing if it will work without it. The hard drive seems to be the only thing that people have had success replacing, but you could try looking and asking here: The Official AVS Dish DTVPal DVR Topic!
The DTVpal DVR and the CM-7000pal DVR are the same DVR.
The DTVpal DVR and the CM-7000pal DVR are the same DVR.
G
Mine bit the dust over the weekend; I have had it for 18 months. It is stuck in a perpetual rebooting loop. I now see that this is a common problem with the CM-7000PAL. Channel Master won't touch it because it is out of warranty. I really like the DVR but when I looked to see where I could buy another one, everyone has quit selling them but Channel Master. Scary. I talked with two vendors and they both said there were too many returns with repair problems.
Let me know if you find a repair man.
Let me know if you find a repair man.
G
CM7000PAL DVR repair
I just got a CM7000PAL DVR repaired at a little TV Repair shop in Iowa. It was constantly freezing up when powered up. I opened the box up and found the main board had a capacitor with a domed top - indicating it had failed. I also swapped out the hard drive and the problem stayed with the 2nd drive. The shop owner replaced the suspect capacitor and charged $50 for the tear down and re-assembly of the unit to get the capacitor replaced - quite a fair shop charge these days IMHO - good luck just finding any place to even admit they know what a CM7000PAL DVR is and that they will work on it...
I just got a CM7000PAL DVR repaired at a little TV Repair shop in Iowa. It was constantly freezing up when powered up. I opened the box up and found the main board had a capacitor with a domed top - indicating it had failed. I also swapped out the hard drive and the problem stayed with the 2nd drive. The shop owner replaced the suspect capacitor and charged $50 for the tear down and re-assembly of the unit to get the capacitor replaced - quite a fair shop charge these days IMHO - good luck just finding any place to even admit they know what a CM7000PAL DVR is and that they will work on it...
The linked AVS member has been known to fix DTVpal/CM-7000pal DVRs.
AVS Forum - View Profile: P Smith
AVS Forum - View Profile: P Smith
G
Channel Master CM-7000PAL Reboot loop resolved
Channel Master CM-7000PAL Digital Video Recorder
I ran into the same reboot loop issue as so many others. Otherwise the DVR is fantastic. but being the do-it-yourselfer that I am I read all of the blogs about this problem to see if there was anything I could do to remedy.
Most of the commentary has simply been that the receiver is a piece of junk and it sucks - not many suggested solutions. I did read about a few people that were able to get the DVR to function properly by powering off and then powering back on, but this did not work for me.
So here's what I did that brought the DVR back to life:
1) Unplug ALL connections for 10 minutes.
2) Plug in the power and the video out to the television. I am using the component connectors Y/Pb/Pr and RCA audio cables, not the HDMI connection. Do not plug in the internet connection or connect the antenna in.
3) After I did this I was able to press the menu button on the DVR remote to bring up the DVR menu on the TV. I navigated to reset factory defaults and reset the default settings.
4) Then I connected the antenna in and used the setup wizard to restart the DVR. The DVR then worked fine, just like before the reboot loop error.
5) Reconnected internet after wizard finished.
Fully functional and no problems in the 4 days since. I hope this helps some of you with the reboot loop issue.
Channel Master CM-7000PAL Digital Video Recorder
I ran into the same reboot loop issue as so many others. Otherwise the DVR is fantastic. but being the do-it-yourselfer that I am I read all of the blogs about this problem to see if there was anything I could do to remedy.
Most of the commentary has simply been that the receiver is a piece of junk and it sucks - not many suggested solutions. I did read about a few people that were able to get the DVR to function properly by powering off and then powering back on, but this did not work for me.
So here's what I did that brought the DVR back to life:
1) Unplug ALL connections for 10 minutes.
2) Plug in the power and the video out to the television. I am using the component connectors Y/Pb/Pr and RCA audio cables, not the HDMI connection. Do not plug in the internet connection or connect the antenna in.
3) After I did this I was able to press the menu button on the DVR remote to bring up the DVR menu on the TV. I navigated to reset factory defaults and reset the default settings.
4) Then I connected the antenna in and used the setup wizard to restart the DVR. The DVR then worked fine, just like before the reboot loop error.
5) Reconnected internet after wizard finished.
Fully functional and no problems in the 4 days since. I hope this helps some of you with the reboot loop issue.
C
Looping CM7000PAL with suspect Capacitor Issue
I had a cap replaced in a CM7000PAL unit by a TV repair guy that has a little shop in his garage "Ed's TV" in Conroy IA. The Cap was obvious with a domed top so there was little question about it - I think he also checked other caps while he had the unit's board out for the replacement of the bad Cap. Not exactly sure the ID Number for the Cap but it was one of the two on the main board where the power supply board plugs in Where there is a cluster three can type caps with two coil "doughnuts". Two of the cans are about the same size and the 3rd is smaller - it was one of the larger cans that I think is "C43" or near that marking on the board, the other larger can cap seems to be "C34". I am working off of a picture of the boards and it's a little hard to see the markings clearly. IN any case the unit has been behaving it's self since the repair from 08/08/2014 (along with a drive swap out (I installed a WD10EURX 1T Drive - Makes the unit near perfect since it ups capacity to ~145Hrs or HD shows - never have gotten anywhere near taxing the drive capacity since the change out).
I had a cap replaced in a CM7000PAL unit by a TV repair guy that has a little shop in his garage "Ed's TV" in Conroy IA. The Cap was obvious with a domed top so there was little question about it - I think he also checked other caps while he had the unit's board out for the replacement of the bad Cap. Not exactly sure the ID Number for the Cap but it was one of the two on the main board where the power supply board plugs in Where there is a cluster three can type caps with two coil "doughnuts". Two of the cans are about the same size and the 3rd is smaller - it was one of the larger cans that I think is "C43" or near that marking on the board, the other larger can cap seems to be "C34". I am working off of a picture of the boards and it's a little hard to see the markings clearly. IN any case the unit has been behaving it's self since the repair from 08/08/2014 (along with a drive swap out (I installed a WD10EURX 1T Drive - Makes the unit near perfect since it ups capacity to ~145Hrs or HD shows - never have gotten anywhere near taxing the drive capacity since the change out).
G
DVR+ CM 75001TB reeboot startup fix
I moved my CM DVR+ 75001TB and accidentally bumped the power cable - it froze and went into an endless loop/fail mode. I tried your suggestion and it worked; the operating system could not find a channel so it posted an error msg, which allowed me to access the menu option. Prior to this it kept rebooting to the channel and then froze. Now, everything is working as it should. I hope anyone who is having similar problems finds this post!
I moved my CM DVR+ 75001TB and accidentally bumped the power cable - it froze and went into an endless loop/fail mode. I tried your suggestion and it worked; the operating system could not find a channel so it posted an error msg, which allowed me to access the menu option. Prior to this it kept rebooting to the channel and then froze. Now, everything is working as it should. I hope anyone who is having similar problems finds this post!
G
I have a CM7000 DVR which had issues of freezing up and the clock changing time by itself. After checking your site I was able to open the unit, identify and replace a bad capacitor and get it working again. The clock still changes though and I am wondering if anyine has an idea where the clock battery is located for replacement or repair?
K
OK, that worked a treat! My unit has been occasionally locking up for a year, and this week it upped its game to locking up every couple of minutes. Opened it up, immediately spotted the cap with a domed top, replaced it (had a selection of caps on hand previously purchased to support this unit), and so far it seems to be working perfectly! Thank you SOOO much!
This machine is not replaceable; we bought the current model from Channel Master but it was such an atrocious POS we had to send it back. Wouldn't work at all without a high-speed internet connection which I don't have and wouldn't be willing to use to run a DVR if I did. We have a couple of "converter boxes" from Walmart which work pretty well and are pretty reliable, but they are not user-friendly AT ALL, don't even put the name on a program you've recorded and a PITA to wind through commercials. I would have had to buy a couple more of them if this thing had been dead for good.
BTW, the rubber buttons on my remote crumbled, so I bought a remote for a Dish Network unit. I intended to steal the rubber button sheet out of the Dish unit for the Channel Master remote, but found out that the Dish Network remote actually controls the CM-7000PAL!
This machine is not replaceable; we bought the current model from Channel Master but it was such an atrocious POS we had to send it back. Wouldn't work at all without a high-speed internet connection which I don't have and wouldn't be willing to use to run a DVR if I did. We have a couple of "converter boxes" from Walmart which work pretty well and are pretty reliable, but they are not user-friendly AT ALL, don't even put the name on a program you've recorded and a PITA to wind through commercials. I would have had to buy a couple more of them if this thing had been dead for good.
BTW, the rubber buttons on my remote crumbled, so I bought a remote for a Dish Network unit. I intended to steal the rubber button sheet out of the Dish unit for the Channel Master remote, but found out that the Dish Network remote actually controls the CM-7000PAL!
C
03/27/2020 Follow-up - The above described CM7000PAL is still in operation after near 6yrs. Two other CM7000PAL units I have failed at about 6yrs after I got them off eBay years back. Both have the same domed capacitor C34. Since the time of the earlier failure and repair, I've discovered that "Ed's TV" appears to have gone out of business - so I've took the two failed CM7000PAL units to A.V.E (Advanced Video Electronics) in Davenport IA - It was the closest and only repair shop I contacted about replacing board level parts like capacitors that replied "YES ! We do that !" The current Corona virus situation is adding to all the complications of getting the units fixed. Waiting to hear of they got the units working and if they will even be open for business since the IA Governor is shutting down more and more "non essential" business operations. These are still the best over all DVRs I've seen 1st hand - I have used 2 CM7400, 2 CM7500/DVR+ and a CM7600+/Stream+ with none of them being as reliable with weaker signals vs the CM7000PAL. The CM7500/DVR+ do a little better with some sub-channel data stream flow issues than the CM7000PALs flake out on and drop audio synch, but I suspect the issue is more with problematic configuration issues from the station(s) side. Hope this helps for anyone else still trying to keep their CM7000PAL cooking 
B
So glad this thread was revived! I'm in upstate New York and obviously I've been stuck home for a while now. Starting to take on projects to keep myself from going insane, popped up in my cm7000 pal and lo and behold the reason why it keeps locking up, c34! Ordered some capacitors on Amazon and a hard drive from eBay, hopefully when all is said and done this thing purrs like a kitten again.