New TBS Card. Need Help! Any Linux Experts Out There?

[ZetaMale]

What LNB type should I use? None of the LNB types shown with w_scan -l? match the LO that I'm using. My STB's use 10750 LO for Ku.

user@server1:~$ w_scan -l?
UNIVERSAL
Europe
10800 to 11800 MHz and 11600 to 12700 Mhz
Dual LO, loband 9750, hiband 10600 MHz
DBS
Expressvu, North America
12200 to 12700 MHz
Single LO, 11250 MHz
STANDARD
10945 to 11450 Mhz
Single LO, 10000 Mhz
ENHANCED
Astra
10700 to 11700 MHz
Single LO, 9750 MHz
C-BAND
Big Dish - Monopoint LNBf
3700 to 4200 MHz
Single LO, 5150 Mhz
C-MULTI
Big Dish - Multipoint LNBf
3700 to 4200 MHz
Dual LO, 5150/5750 Mhz

 

[bpalone]

Talking from memory, so I may be wrong. But, I recall that you just tell it 10750. I went looking on the web for the location of the config file and found that, again if my memory is correct.

Have you tried Kaffiene (sp??) to try and watch some programming? I am using it and works OK. It will allow you to scan and it might even allow for telling the card to power the lnb. I don't remember if that setting is there as I am not on that computer or I would look. I am guessing that you need to tell the card to send power to the lnb and I don't have a clue how as I have never used a pci card.

Hope some of this of help.

Just went and checked, Kaffeine doesn't offer that in the lnb setup. You can set a custom lnb lo freq. for the 10750 though. I had to first choose the C band choice to get it to display a single freq., then choose the custom and enter 10750.

 

[Jim S.]

I was going to ask if the auxiliary power connector was plugged in, until I saw that this card doesn't have one. Is there anything in your system trying to draw more current than the card is rated for?

 

[ZetaMale]

I made progress again. I got LNB power by setting a diseqc position.

w_scan -fs -c US -R 0 -v -s S105W0 -D 0u -L > vlc_chans.xspf

But, the process is erratic. Sometimes nothing gets scanned in or it hangs on a TP. And I still need to find a decent program to make the operation is easier. Kodi doesn't impress me and VLC really isn't what I want. Right now I'm watching video off of 105.0W on VLC but it isn't of interest to me. But, I'm glad the card works.

 

[N6BY]

All this time I had falsely assumed that it wasn't available. Whoa, that's great! Its nested down a few directory levels and I see '.c' and '.h' files (C source code and header files).

Took another look at the source code this morning. While the device driver source (which runs under Linux) is available, the source code for the firmware (which runs on the TBS card co-processor) is not. At startup, the device driver copies the pre-compiled firmware file onto the TBS card. The firmware is supplied as a 'BinHex' file, which is simply an Ascii representation of the executable code.

 

[bpalone]

Give Kaffeine a try. If you don't like it, you can remove it.

 

[ZetaMale]

Give Kaffeine a try. If you don't like it, you can remove it.

I can't get it to move the dish.

 

[bpalone]

You did use usals didn't you? It has been a while, but I seem to remember that it did here with the USB 5922. I haven't tried on the new setup though, so that is from memory from a few months back.

 

[ZetaMale]

You did use usals didn't you? It has been a while, but I seem to remember that it did here with the USB 5922. I haven't tried on the new setup though, so that is from memory from a few months back.

I've found that the SG2100 will do both diseqc and usals. Neither option work. When I use diseqc the left/right positioning arrows are greyed out.

 

[bpalone]

Were you able to move the dish with anything else?

Did you remember to enter the Longitude as a negative number (i.e. -103.0). Not trying to be a S.A., just trying to think of some the dumb stuff we all do, including myself.

 

[bpalone]

Took some time this morning and tested my tbs 5922 for moving the dish with Kaffeine. I only used usals, and only 3 satellites, but it did move among them. Now, both of my USB receivers have external power supplies and thus there would be no concern for there being enough power. I am also using a Stab HH-90 for a motor and only swinging a 90cm dish.

Wondering if it is another software switch or if getting enough power through the pci slot. Just thinking out loud here.

 

[ZetaMale]

It will move with an Azbox Ultra. I don't know why Kaffeine greys out the left/right (east/west or west/east?) positioning arrows when I select "DiSEqC Switch" or "Positions Rotor" in the Kaffeine Configure Television->Device 1->Configuration drop down box when the DVB card specs say it's both DiSEqC 2.0 and USALS compatible. I expect the positioning arrows to be greyed out for USALS since I can't fine tune the antenna position when using USALS on the Azbox, either. And, yes, I know that I have to use a negative sign for west longitude. I had to make that sign adjustment on my satellite pointer app, also, on my Samsung Galaxy S4 (since the auto mode gave a positive latitude - was kinda funny though when I looked up and saw the sat arc for the other side of the globe on the phone display). BTW, there are no switches between my PC and the antenna at this time. I'll eventually figure this out but I'm hoping someone will mention something that I'm overlooking.

And this is another example of why I would like to get something going that'll give me a pulse count so that I know that the dish is moving - I've been told that it's impossible with a DisEQc 1.x motor. So far, I haven't found a DiSEqC 2.x motor.

 

[ZetaMale]

Talking from memory, so I may be wrong. But, I recall that you just tell it 10750. I went looking on the web for the location of the config file and found that, again if my memory is correct.

Have you tried Kaffiene (sp??) to try and watch some programming? I am using it and works OK. It will allow you to scan and it might even allow for telling the card to power the lnb. I don't remember if that setting is there as I am not on that computer or I would look. I am guessing that you need to tell the card to send power to the lnb and I don't have a clue how as I have never used a pci card.

Hope some of this of help.

Just went and checked, Kaffeine doesn't offer that in the lnb setup. You can set a custom lnb lo freq. for the 10750 though. I had to first choose the C band choice to get it to display a single freq., then choose the custom and enter 10750.

Turns out that LNB type UNIVERSAL works just fine even though the LO freqs aren't what we'd normally use. My guess is that it's because the DVB card receives a wider range of freqs instead of the usual 950-1950 MHz from a LNB??

 

[ZetaMale]

Took another look at the source code this morning. While the device driver source (which runs under Linux) is available, the source code for the firmware (which runs on the TBS card co-processor) is not. At startup, the device driver copies the pre-compiled firmware file onto the TBS card. The firmware is supplied as a 'BinHex' file, which is simply an Ascii representation of the executable code.

There seems to be an opensource project for these cards at http://www.linuxtv.org/projects.php

Maybe I'll try that out later even though I read something about the IR remote control not working with this project.

 

[Titanium]

Goggle "DiSEqC 2.2 motor" and "DiSEqC 2.3 motor" for several available 2.x options. The one that we are familiar with here in North America is the STAB HH120.

There should be a configuration where you can add or edit the missing LNB config profiles such as LO 10750.

 

[bpalone]

You did add the satellites in the Kaffeine TV Setup tab didn't you? If you didn't it doesn't have anything to calculate for. At least for the usals, I don't know about the diseqc mode, as I haven't tried that one.

You don't have an unusually long cable run do you? If so, might be getting just enough voltage drop.

Right now, I'm out of thoughts.

 

[ZetaMale]

Goggle "DiSEqC 2.2 motor" and "DiSEqC 2.3 motor" for several available 2.x options. The one that we are familiar with here in North America is the STAB HH120.

Every hit I get on the Stab HH120 says it's comm protocol is diseqc 1.2. Still no hits for 2.2 or 2.3. I use StartPage for my search engine and sometimes it misses stuff that Google finds (and vice-versa). Anyway, I tried using Google search and found nothing for the 2.x protocol for motors. Interesting that there are PCIe DVB cards that have the 2.x protocol built in but no motors (that I can find).

There should be a configuration where you can add or edit the missing LNB config profiles such as LO 10750.

I'll let you know if I ever find it. It would be easier if there was a GUI to configure stuff like that. Maybe there is a GUI that does that but I'm gonna have to keep looking. It's interesting when a vendor provides software for Linux but they don't provide nearly as much info for Linux as they do Windows. Or the info isn't entirely accurate. I'm too cheap to pay for Windows so I'll just have spend as many hours, days, weeks as I have to in order to find solutions. Even Google doesn't always bring up solutions to problems for Windows or Mac or Linux.

 

[ZetaMale]

You did add the satellites in the Kaffeine TV Setup tab didn't you? If you didn't it doesn't have anything to calculate for. At least for the usals, I don't know about the diseqc mode, as I haven't tried that one.

3 sats have been added.

You don't have an unusually long cable run do you? If so, might be getting just enough voltage drop.

The cable run is straight to the motor - approx 35 feet.

 

[bpalone]

For the LNB, click on the LNB setting button, on the TV setup window. I had to first click on the C band that comes up with a single window with 5150 in it. Then check the Custom radio button and enter the 10750 in the single box from the C Band we had clicked on before this. I found that if I didn't pick the C Band entry, I always came up with two boxes for LO frequencies and only wanted one.

As for the motor, I am at a loss. I assume you have rebooted after setting up the motor. I didn't need to with mine, but maybe something different in the way pci and USB are handled for signalling the hardware. Also, assuming that used same cable for pci and STB.

Almost at the point of this:

1.) Card needs to get specific signal telling it to deliver command and voltage to activate the motor and we haven't gotten that done.

or

2.) Card can't deliver enough current to the motor.

or

3.) That part of the card is not functioning.

Wish I knew more about the PCI cards, but I don't. So, take the above with a grain of salt.

 

[bpalone]

Just did quick look on Google for a method to move the dish from the command line. Found this link:

http://www.linuxtv.org/pipermail/linux-dvb/2006-October/013435.html

I didn't follow it out, but might worth a go to see if you can move it outside of Kaffeine.