newbie with cas3 device need novice guide

[nomic]

what is the best program for updating the keys on the matrix with a cas 3 and how do i get it to load on the box if the box has no ci menu ??

[Mickha]

Does your receiver have a CI, Common Interface, slot?
The Matrix Cam is practically useless anyway it is too old to be of much use unless it is one of the later Matrix Cams like the Reborn.
Things move on in the satellite hobby and old Cams and cards become practically obsolete.

[nomic]

yes it does have a ci slot but no ci menu in the engineers menu but i do have a cas 3 with ci interface

[nomic]

i have a matrix revoloutions cam i dont mind making the new file for it by updating all the keys 1 at a time so i have a new updated version i just need the software to do the auto key convert to cam

[Mickha]

I have uploaded the old Matrix Keyer software to the satellite folder, for the link have a look in the Satellite Help & Support section.
You can quickly change the Hex keys to Dec Keys using this usefull tool which is needed to manually enter the keys into your cam.
If you are trying to use this Cam with your old Amstrad receiver I doubt if it will work, as these receivers were designed only to work with S*y.
To update the keys use your Cas 3+ interface and the Common Interface Host option.

[nomic]

ok great stuff ill give it a go would they work with the pace 2500 boxes as i have 1 of those too

and what is the cheapest box to get with a cam builtin in that can be programed with the cas 3

[Mickha]

A CAM is a Conditional Access Module, the latest of these is the Diablo Cam 2.3, which has a few variants:
Diablo Light, a normal Cam, like your Matrix.
Diablo Wi Fi
Diablo Zig-Bee, formally the Diablo wireless with base station.
For full information on these cams visit diablocam.com.
There are many other Cams including the Dragon/T-Rex, all these type of Cams can be programmed with your Cas 3 programmer, and are known as stand alone cams.
These types of cam plug into a CI slot on receivers.

Most receivers also have a built in CAM, which is not programmed using a Cas 3 programmer, but programmed using your computer, connected to the receiver using the relevant cables, and thus updated using the official and unofficial software.

[nomic]

ok what would be the cheapest box u could recomend i look at that would be of interest to me and do you know if there is any software and cable diagrams anywhere i could look at for sky boxes and others for research purposes of course

and thank you for the info

[Mickha]

S*y receivers were, and still are, designed to only work with S*Y, you can scan for other satellites, and frequencies, using the menu, but they will not keep the channels in the memory or work very well.
For just starting try a Technomate 1000 or 1500 receiver, make sure they have a CI slot, which you should pick up very cheaply as newer models are now widely available.
These are patchable with the software from alsat, and should be good for a beginner, but it all depends on what satellites you can receive and what you want to view.

[nomic]

i have found the user manual for my pace box which has the same firmware as my amstrad andit says they are able to run the cams apparently the only thing is they dont tell you the installtion instructions they say the instructions should come with the cam im guessing you just have to use a dummy card with a ci interface or create the right type of loader card for it