----- Original Message ----- From: "Luis Palacios" luis@derqui.net To: "VDR Mailing List List" vdr@linuxtv.org Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2006 10:17 PM Subject: [vdr] Which DVB-T

Hi,

I'm planning to bye a DVB-T pci or usb for my vdr box, as in Spain TDT is running pretty well. Any recommendation is greatly appreciated. Looking for one that works well with '2.6.xx' kernel (drivers available) and vdr 1.3.40.

I'm quite happy with the hauppauge nova-t pci (conexant model). Good sensitivity and selectivity, better than most dvb-t receivers. Despite the broken aerial pass-through, this is good piece of hardware that works well with 2.6.13+ kernels and vdr.

On Wed, Jan 25, 2006 at 11:24:16PM +0100, Damien Bally wrote:

I'm quite happy with the hauppauge nova-t pci (conexant model).

More exactly, it is the DVB-T 90002 REV C176. I just bought a second one. The circuit board design has not changed at all since the new Nova-T was introduced, except that some contacts on the newer unit are not solder-plated (they're bare copper).

Despite the broken aerial pass-through, this is good piece of hardware that works well with 2.6.13+ kernels and vdr.

I don't know about the pass-through yet (what is broken in it?), but I can confirm that the card works with 2.6.13+ kernels out of the box.

The IR receiver circuit could be better. I've developed a wakeup-by-remote circuit for it (http://www.iki.fi/~msmakela/electronics/worc5/). The circuit seemed to drop the range of the remote control. I recently measured a little with a memory oscilloscope and ended up wondering why the IR module outputs a '1' signal of about 4 volts. It turns out that the cx23882 (whose pin GPIO[16] is connected to the IR signal) has 3.3 volt I/O. Apparently, the bundled IR receiver module does not work with 3.3 volt supply. So, the Hauppauge guys chose to drop the 5 volts from the PCI bus by R47 (49.9 ohms) to something like 4.1 volts, so that the cheap IR receiver will still work and not kill the I/O pin on the cx23882.

Next step for me is to get a 3.3 volt capable IR receiver and connect my hardware to the 3.3Vaux and PME# lines on the PCI bus. The 3.3Vaux is directly connected to the LED on the board, but PME# (A19) is unconnected. Then I should be able to get rid of the Wake-on-LAN cable, i.e., the modification can be installed as a daughter board on the PCI card.

Marko

On Thu, 2006-01-26 at 00:55 +0200, Marko Mäkelä wrote:

Apparently, the bundled IR receiver module does not work with 3.3 volt supply. So, the Hauppauge guys chose to drop the 5 volts from the PCI bus by R47 (49.9 ohms) to something like 4.1 volts, so that the cheap IR receiver will still work and not kill the I/O pin on the cx23882.

Next step for me is to get a 3.3 volt capable IR receiver and connect my hardware to the 3.3Vaux and PME# lines on the PCI bus.

Do you know any drop-in replacement modules? I've always though the bundled one had too low sensitivity as well.

On Thu, Jan 26, 2006 at 12:38:44PM +1000, Torgeir Veimo wrote:

On Thu, 2006-01-26 at 00:55 +0200, Marko Mäkelä wrote:

...

Apparently, the bundled IR receiver module does not work with 3.3 volt supply. So, the Hauppauge guys chose to drop the 5 volts from the PCI bus by R47 (49.9 ohms) to something like 4.1 volts, so that the cheap IR receiver will still work and not kill the I/O pin on the cx23882.

Next step for me is to get a 3.3 volt capable IR receiver and connect my hardware to the 3.3Vaux and PME# lines on the PCI bus.

Do you know any drop-in replacement modules? I've always though the bundled one had too low sensitivity as well.

I'm planning to get a Vishay TSOP31236 (http://www.vishay.com/ir-receiver-modules/), which has a wide supply voltage range of 2.7 to 5.5 volts. I'm planning to solder a cord directly on its pins and to apply heat shrink tube, so that I can avoid building a case.

I'm not sure if the modulation frequency is 36 kHz, but most web pages on the RC5 seem to agree on it.

Marko

On Thu, Jan 26, 2006 at 10:09:52AM +0200, Marko Mäkelä wrote:

On Thu, Jan 26, 2006 at 12:38:44PM +1000, Torgeir Veimo wrote:

...

On Thu, 2006-01-26 at 00:55 +0200, Marko Mäkelä wrote:

...

Apparently, the bundled IR receiver module does not work with 3.3 volt supply. So, the Hauppauge guys chose to drop the 5 volts from the PCI bus by R47 (49.9 ohms) to something like 4.1 volts, so that the cheap IR receiver will still work and not kill the I/O pin on the cx23882.

Next step for me is to get a 3.3 volt capable IR receiver and connect my hardware to the 3.3Vaux and PME# lines on the PCI bus.

Do you know any drop-in replacement modules? I've always though the bundled one had too low sensitivity as well.

I'm planning to get a Vishay TSOP31236 (http://www.vishay.com/ir-receiver-modules/), which has a wide supply voltage range of 2.7 to 5.5 volts. I'm planning to solder a cord directly on its pins and to apply heat shrink tube, so that I can avoid building a case.

I wasn't able to source these, and I'm not sure of the modulation frequency. 38 kHz might be closer.

I got an Everlight IRM-3638N3 today. I could also have got a Sharp GP1UD series receiver.

When I first connected the receiver, I was severely disappointed, because it would not work reliably from 20 cm distance. The output was 2,15 V at the operating voltage 3,20 V (I modified the card to use 3.3Vaux), while it should be at least 2,7 V at 3,0 V. I connected it to the newer Nova-T PCI 90002 that I hadn't modified in any way. There, the output was steady 3,3 V, no matter if I pressed any button on the remote control.

Well, I thought, I'll attach my wake-on-remote circuit (http://www.iki.fi/~msmakela/electronics/worc5/) to the Nova-T anyway, and I'll buy another receiver later. After I finished the soldering work, I decided to give it another try. With that circuit, the output of the receiver is connected to an input of an ATtiny12 microcontroller, and an output of the ATtiny12 is connected to the IR signal input of the cx23882. The output was very close to Vcc, and the range was very good (at least 10 meters).

I'll publish an updated version of the wake-on-remote circuit as soon as I get a new board for the prototype manufactured. I'm now trying to use PME# as the wake signal instead of Wake-on-LAN, but for some reason (probably bad soldering) it doesn't work. The advantage of PME# over Wake-on-LAN is that all modifications can be made on the PCI card.

In other words, I'm afraid you can't simply replace the receiver with a better one. You will also have to rewire the power supply of the receiver. To do that, desolder R47 and solder a +3.3V wire from the PCI slot to the top pad. The bottom pad goes to a +5V supply from the PCI slot. Of course, you'd be doing that at your own risk.

Marko