Cablemodem Motorola SB5100

[trodas]

It is already long time, when I upgraded my Motorola SB4200 modem to SB5100.

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee193/trodas_cr/MotorolaSB5100.jpg

So when sometimes happen that after my ISP cable line went down and the modem crash (one just cannot enter the modem menu, available at http://192.168.100.1 ) and I can't rest it over the net - well - I started suspect that the caps might not be as good, as they can.
And when recently I noticed too much packet loss, that even it can by my ISP fault (as it usually is, just check there for graphic display how my ISP sometimes "rule": http://trodas.wz.cz/index.php?act=ST&f=8&t=151&s= ) I still decided to replace the caps in my cablemodem.

Motorola SB 5100
------------------------
1x 470uF 25V d10 4PZ -> 13.85V, 209mV ripple -> 470uF 16V GC d8
1x 100uF 25V d8 4QK -> 13.96V, 200mV ripple -> 220uF 25V GK d6.3
3x 330uF 10V d8 4LY -> 5V all, 0.7 - 0.9mV ripple all -> 470uF 6.3V GD d6.3
1x 470uF ???V d8 (r4, 470J, UD) -> 2.516V, 0.6mV ripple -> 1000uF 6.3V GC d8
1x 150UF 10V d6.3 4JZ -> 3.346V, 0.6mV ripple -> 330uF 6.3V FM d6
1x 47uF 16V d6.3 49K -> 2.519V, 0.6mV ripple -> 150uF 6.3V FM d5
2X 22uF ???v d4 (22, r6.3) -> 5.16V, 1mV ripple + 1.202V, 0.6mV ripple -> 68uF 6.3V FC d4

The catch? Well, all these Chemi-con caps are SMD ones, while the replacements are radial.

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee193/trodas_cr/MotorolaSB51001.jpg


Luckily, there is not too many of them:

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee193/trodas_cr/MotorolaSB51002.jpg


So, I just bend their legs to the sides, cut them to match their SMD soldering place size and solder them like that:

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee193/trodas_cr/MotorolaSB51005.jpg

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee193/trodas_cr/MotorolaSB51004.jpg

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee193/trodas_cr/MotorolaSB51006.jpg

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee193/trodas_cr/MotorolaSB51003.jpg

It is maybe not best-looking solution, but it works and the net seems now faster and less packets seems to be lost - but that can be just a coincidence, or I imagine it :P

Regardless, at least I now know that fault can't be in my modem :D

[Cold Storm]

That looks sweet Trodas! You seem to all ways need to MOD everything you get your hands on! Thanks for that man!

[panchoman]

you sir, are a crazy cap modder! crazy though... i wonder what else you will replace the caps on to make better

[dark2099]

Hrm...I have been getting lots of packet loss with my SB5120, makes me want to try and see if my old SB 3100 works and if that will help/fix the problem.

[trodas]

Thanks, guys! Well, I mof only things with bad caps, witch is sadly today almost all of things I have...


I wonder if anyone checked, how fast certain modems / different firmwares do respond on ping. I was somewhat badly surprised when the SB5100 I using now has much slower ping response that the SB4200 I used before on the very same router under no-load :( I used hrPING http://www.cfos.de/ping/ping.htm

ping 192.168.100.1 -n 50

And measured this:

RP614v1 - Firmware 4.13 final
-----------------------
average ping Motorola SB4200 - 2.507 mS


WGR614v1 - Firmware 1.126
-----------------------
average ping Motorola SB4200 - 1.695 mS


WGR614v1 - Firmware 1.40
-----------------------
average ping Motorola SB5100 - 2.648 mS


I was like... WTF?! This is TAD slower. The SB5100 modem firmware is original:
Software Version: SB5100-2.3.1.3-SCM00-NOSH
Hardware Version: 3
MIB Version: II
GUI Version: 1.0
VxWorks Version: 5.4

...and I wonder if anyone know, if more recent firmwares of Sigma firmwares give better ping response. On load (uTorrent, but only one downaload and few uploads with slow speed) the average ping jump to 2.854 ... Could anyone try check their pings?

Please post your results, thanks :)