Some Useful Skystar Info..

[parad0x_i]

There have been many problems with DVB-S driver issues.. and 4:2:2 feed issues with the different Skystar series of DVB PCI cards and USB boxes.. so i thought i'd write this post which will help to explain why..

Some of the following information will help clarify why these problems exist..

Over the last few months i have studied data sheets and searched for information.. Tested and also dissected a few different types of Skystar to get most of my information.. and here are my results..


The most popular Skystar is the PCI card.. which uses the Flexcop2 chip at the heart of the system. This chip does all the signal processing and decoding (not decrypt).. and the Windows system drivers are written expressly for this Flexcop2 chip. Board versions rev2.3 to rev2.6 are all 5v types and are all basically the same except they use 3 different types of tuner.
This card needs the 5volts rev2.0 PCI slot and can handle 4:2:2 feeds easily.. It will not physically fit in the later PCI 3.3v rev2.3 slots.
Issues with this Skystar version is an incompatibility with some nVidia chipsets which stops the drivers being installed or causes the card not to start.. and an overheating problem which can burn out inductor L7 (1mH@.5A) when the Skystar is used to drive a dish motor..


The Skystar USB 1.1 (early) version cannot handle 4:2:2 feeds because of its limited throughput via USB.. The USB bus has a maximum throughput of 6Mb/s.. not enough in this case

Later Skystar USB 2.0 versions should in theory be ok for 4:2:2 but it is in fact a re-badged Technotrend Connect S2400 (obsolete) and it does not use the Flexcop chip at all.. hence the 4:2:2 feed problems.. Seems now it is down to driver issues as the drivers are written for the Flexcop chip..

The Skystar HD is the latest Skystar and starts with board version rev2.7 which is 3.3v & 5v PCI slot compatible.. However this is a re-badged Technotrend Budget S3200 and does not have the Flexcop chip and so there might also be issues with its 4:2:2 feed handling capabilities..
Setting-up will be a little more involved than the standard Skystar 2 because of this.. Maybe moreso with the Vista operating system.
Of course more drivers will be updated and released in the future as this Skystar version will eventually take over from the standard Skystar 2..

Below i have added a previous post in order to keep all this information together..


Voltage measurements on the Skystar 2 pci circuit board:
Block diagram showing only the active components (apart from FL1-3 & inductors)

I have included the L7 inductor value because this is the one that can overheat and short some turns out when the Skystar is used to drive a dish motor. Note that this could lead to Pc power supply failure!
L7 can be replaced easily with a 1mH inductor capable of carrying 500mA (.5A).. but be careful not to overheat the multi-layer circuit board as damage to tracks and through-pins will result

All measurements were taken with a high quality 20 kpv digital voltmeter with the circuit board powered up but not actively receiving signals.. (as only DC measurements were required)

If i can get around to setting up and active test in the future i will include all waveforms.. but the time involved may not justify the requirement..

I hope all Skystar users will find this information of use..

Have uploaded as .rar file so you can download this info as a complete document

regards

Tony

:wink_smile: