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DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface

 

 

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blaine.m.nelson at gmail

Aug 25, 2007, 1:07 PM

Post #1 of 17 (1319 views)
Permalink
DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface

Hi,

Apologies if this post is boring and outdated. Most of my searches on
this topic have yielded posts that are more than 2 or 3 years old.

Anyhow, I've been trying to get an old D10-300 satellite receiver to
interface with a new install of MythTv. I've followed the
instructions posted in the following:

http://www.pdp8.net/directv/directv.shtml
http://mythtv.org/pipermail/mythtv-users/2005-October/107586.html

That is,

1. I've bought and installed the serial-to-low-rate cable from
http://www.dtvcontrol.com/index.aspx?content=cable.
2. I've performed the reset on the satellite box to get the updated software
3. And, tried calling directv.pl at the command line with a number of options

So, for instance:

blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ directv.pl box_type D10-100
verbose version
Version 1.7

blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ directv.pl box_type D10-100
verbose get_channel
SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
RECV: Timeout Error


SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
RECV: Timeout Error


SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
RECV: Timeout Error


SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
RECV: Timeout Error


Error excessive retries

blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ directv.pl box_type D10-100 port
/dev/ttyS1 verbose get_channel

yields the exact same output. One post I read offered the possibility
that there is some conflict on the serial port and suggested using
lsof to see. Came up null:

blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ lsof | grep /dev/ttyS0
blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ lsof | grep /dev/ttyS1

Another post suggested using statserial to check out serial ports. I
did this, but don't understand the output:

Device: /dev/ttyS1

Signal Pin Pin Direction Status Full
Name (25) (9) (computer) Name
----- --- --- --------- ------ -----
FG 1 - - - Frame Ground
TxD 2 3 out - Transmit Data
RxD 3 2 in - Receive Data
RTS 4 7 out 1 Request To Send
CTS 5 8 in 0 Clear To Send
DSR 6 6 in 0 Data Set Ready
GND 7 5 - - Signal Ground
DCD 8 1 in 0 Data Carrier Detect
DTR 20 4 out 1 Data Terminal Ready
RI 22 9 in 0 Ring Indicator


Yet another post suggested that the excessive retries error message is
associated with faulty cable. It seems like alot of folks were making
these cables themselves, but I bought mine. What are the chances it's
defective?

Should I give up on the D10-300 receiver? Is there equipment
(satellite - directv) that is easier to interface with? Is the reason
I haven't been able to find any more recent posts on this topic b/c
people have moved on to newer gear?

Any help, guidance, ideas will be greatly appreciated. I've spent so
much time trying to get this working.

- Blaine
_______________________________________________
mythtv-users mailing list
mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users


george_mythusers at mari1938

Aug 25, 2007, 1:43 PM

Post #2 of 17 (1308 views)
Permalink
Re: DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface [In reply to]

Blaine Nelson wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Apologies if this post is boring and outdated. Most of my searches on
> this topic have yielded posts that are more than 2 or 3 years old.
>
> Anyhow, I've been trying to get an old D10-300 satellite receiver to
> interface with a new install of MythTv.

Naah! That's not old! I have 3 DirecTV receivers - the *new* one is a
D10-100, hooked up to my Myth box, the other two are Hughes HIRD-E11s,
hooked up to my two televisions. *Those* are old - they could pick up
signals from Sputnik when I first got them... ;-)

> I've followed the
> instructions posted in the following:
>

> http://www.pdp8.net/directv/directv.shtml
> http://mythtv.org/pipermail/mythtv-users/2005-October/107586.html
>

Same script I'm using to control my archaic D10-100.

> That is,
>
> 1. I've bought and installed the serial-to-low-rate cable from
> http://www.dtvcontrol.com/index.aspx?content=cable.
> 2. I've performed the reset on the satellite box to get the updated software
> 3. And, tried calling directv.pl at the command line with a number of options
>
> So, for instance:
>
> blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ directv.pl box_type D10-100
> verbose version
> Version 1.7
>
> blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ directv.pl box_type D10-100
> verbose get_channel
> SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
> RECV: Timeout Error
>
>
> SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
> RECV: Timeout Error
>
>
> SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
> RECV: Timeout Error
>
>
> SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
> RECV: Timeout Error
>
>
> Error excessive retries
>
> blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ directv.pl box_type D10-100 port
> /dev/ttyS1 verbose get_channel
>
Did you see this text on pdp8.net page? "If your serial cable isn't on
/dev/ttyS0 (com1) then use the port command to select the port, example
port /dev/ttyS1. The port command must at the start of the command line
before any command which talks to the directv box."

You have your port command at the end of your command line, not the
beginning. Try it with ttyS0 and ttyS1 if you're not sure which serial
port the cable is connected to on your backend.

[deleted]

> Should I give up on the D10-300 receiver? Is there equipment
> (satellite - directv) that is easier to interface with? Is the reason
> I haven't been able to find any more recent posts on this topic b/c
> people have moved on to newer gear?
>

I think the D10 is a great settop box to interface with, primarily
because of the serial port. In 2 years of operation, I've had two
channel change failures, one actually due to an automatic firmware
upgrade on the box causing the box to get in a non-responsive state. It
needed a reset. That's a lot more reliable than most people are getting
using IR blasters, from comments I've seen on the mailing list.

Don't give up - I made my cable from scratch from plans on Internet
somewhere. You're a step ahead with a commercially bought cable. If
you have another serial port on your backend, try that as well, along
with different combinations of ttyS0/ttyS1 in your command line.
_______________________________________________
mythtv-users mailing list
mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users


blaine.m.nelson at gmail

Aug 26, 2007, 5:11 AM

Post #3 of 17 (1298 views)
Permalink
Re: DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface [In reply to]

I tried putting the port command up front as the first parameter, and
I tried both /dev/ttyS0 and /dev/ttyS1. I did this for both serial
outs on the back of the machine. No luck. Same "Error excessive
retries" message.

Any other ideas?

You've got a D10-100. Mine's a D10-300. Maybe the software upgrade
for the D10-300 that's supposed to make it behave like a D10-100
doesn't do the trick any more? Like directv has put out a newer
version that sucks?

The cable? Could it be bad?

Again, thanks for the help. And the encouragement!

On 8/25/07, George Mari <george_mythusers[at]mari1938.org> wrote:
> Blaine Nelson wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > Apologies if this post is boring and outdated. Most of my searches on
> > this topic have yielded posts that are more than 2 or 3 years old.
> >
> > Anyhow, I've been trying to get an old D10-300 satellite receiver to
> > interface with a new install of MythTv.
>
> Naah! That's not old! I have 3 DirecTV receivers - the *new* one is a
> D10-100, hooked up to my Myth box, the other two are Hughes HIRD-E11s,
> hooked up to my two televisions. *Those* are old - they could pick up
> signals from Sputnik when I first got them... ;-)
>
> > I've followed the
> > instructions posted in the following:
> >
>
> > http://www.pdp8.net/directv/directv.shtml
> > http://mythtv.org/pipermail/mythtv-users/2005-October/107586.html
> >
>
> Same script I'm using to control my archaic D10-100.
>
> > That is,
> >
> > 1. I've bought and installed the serial-to-low-rate cable from
> > http://www.dtvcontrol.com/index.aspx?content=cable.
> > 2. I've performed the reset on the satellite box to get the updated software
> > 3. And, tried calling directv.pl at the command line with a number of options
> >
> > So, for instance:
> >
> > blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ directv.pl box_type D10-100
> > verbose version
> > Version 1.7
> >
> > blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ directv.pl box_type D10-100
> > verbose get_channel
> > SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
> > RECV: Timeout Error
> >
> >
> > SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
> > RECV: Timeout Error
> >
> >
> > SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
> > RECV: Timeout Error
> >
> >
> > SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
> > RECV: Timeout Error
> >
> >
> > Error excessive retries
> >
> > blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ directv.pl box_type D10-100 port
> > /dev/ttyS1 verbose get_channel
> >
> Did you see this text on pdp8.net page? "If your serial cable isn't on
> /dev/ttyS0 (com1) then use the port command to select the port, example
> port /dev/ttyS1. The port command must at the start of the command line
> before any command which talks to the directv box."
>
> You have your port command at the end of your command line, not the
> beginning. Try it with ttyS0 and ttyS1 if you're not sure which serial
> port the cable is connected to on your backend.
>
> [deleted]
>
> > Should I give up on the D10-300 receiver? Is there equipment
> > (satellite - directv) that is easier to interface with? Is the reason
> > I haven't been able to find any more recent posts on this topic b/c
> > people have moved on to newer gear?
> >
>
> I think the D10 is a great settop box to interface with, primarily
> because of the serial port. In 2 years of operation, I've had two
> channel change failures, one actually due to an automatic firmware
> upgrade on the box causing the box to get in a non-responsive state. It
> needed a reset. That's a lot more reliable than most people are getting
> using IR blasters, from comments I've seen on the mailing list.
>
> Don't give up - I made my cable from scratch from plans on Internet
> somewhere. You're a step ahead with a commercially bought cable. If
> you have another serial port on your backend, try that as well, along
> with different combinations of ttyS0/ttyS1 in your command line.
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
> http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>
_______________________________________________
mythtv-users mailing list
mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users


remco at rvt

Aug 26, 2007, 9:44 AM

Post #4 of 17 (1288 views)
Permalink
Re: DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface [In reply to]

The baudrate needs to be changed from 115200 to 9600 baud.

On Sunday 26 August 2007, Blaine Nelson wrote:
> I tried putting the port command up front as the first parameter, and
> I tried both /dev/ttyS0 and /dev/ttyS1. I did this for both serial
> outs on the back of the machine. No luck. Same "Error excessive
> retries" message.
>
> Any other ideas?
>
> You've got a D10-100. Mine's a D10-300. Maybe the software upgrade
> for the D10-300 that's supposed to make it behave like a D10-100
> doesn't do the trick any more? Like directv has put out a newer
> version that sucks?
>
> The cable? Could it be bad?
>
> Again, thanks for the help. And the encouragement!
>
> On 8/25/07, George Mari <george_mythusers[at]mari1938.org> wrote:
> > Blaine Nelson wrote:
> > > Hi,
> > >
> > > Apologies if this post is boring and outdated. Most of my searches on
> > > this topic have yielded posts that are more than 2 or 3 years old.
> > >
> > > Anyhow, I've been trying to get an old D10-300 satellite receiver to
> > > interface with a new install of MythTv.
> >
> > Naah! That's not old! I have 3 DirecTV receivers - the *new* one is a
> > D10-100, hooked up to my Myth box, the other two are Hughes HIRD-E11s,
> > hooked up to my two televisions. *Those* are old - they could pick up
> > signals from Sputnik when I first got them... ;-)
> >
> > > I've followed the
> > > instructions posted in the following:
> > >
> > >
> > > http://www.pdp8.net/directv/directv.shtml
> > > http://mythtv.org/pipermail/mythtv-users/2005-October/107586.html
> >
> > Same script I'm using to control my archaic D10-100.
> >
> > > That is,
> > >
> > > 1. I've bought and installed the serial-to-low-rate cable from
> > > http://www.dtvcontrol.com/index.aspx?content=cable.
> > > 2. I've performed the reset on the satellite box to get the updated
> > > software 3. And, tried calling directv.pl at the command line with a
> > > number of options
> > >
> > > So, for instance:
> > >
> > > blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ directv.pl box_type D10-100
> > > verbose version
> > > Version 1.7
> > >
> > > blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ directv.pl box_type D10-100
> > > verbose get_channel
> > > SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
> > > RECV: Timeout Error
> > >
> > >
> > > SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
> > > RECV: Timeout Error
> > >
> > >
> > > SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
> > > RECV: Timeout Error
> > >
> > >
> > > SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
> > > RECV: Timeout Error
> > >
> > >
> > > Error excessive retries
> > >
> > > blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ directv.pl box_type D10-100 port
> > > /dev/ttyS1 verbose get_channel
> >
> > Did you see this text on pdp8.net page? "If your serial cable isn't on
> > /dev/ttyS0 (com1) then use the port command to select the port, example
> > port /dev/ttyS1. The port command must at the start of the command line
> > before any command which talks to the directv box."
> >
> > You have your port command at the end of your command line, not the
> > beginning. Try it with ttyS0 and ttyS1 if you're not sure which serial
> > port the cable is connected to on your backend.
> >
> > [deleted]
> >
> > > Should I give up on the D10-300 receiver? Is there equipment
> > > (satellite - directv) that is easier to interface with? Is the reason
> > > I haven't been able to find any more recent posts on this topic b/c
> > > people have moved on to newer gear?
> >
> > I think the D10 is a great settop box to interface with, primarily
> > because of the serial port. In 2 years of operation, I've had two
> > channel change failures, one actually due to an automatic firmware
> > upgrade on the box causing the box to get in a non-responsive state. It
> > needed a reset. That's a lot more reliable than most people are getting
> > using IR blasters, from comments I've seen on the mailing list.
> >
> > Don't give up - I made my cable from scratch from plans on Internet
> > somewhere. You're a step ahead with a commercially bought cable. If
> > you have another serial port on your backend, try that as well, along
> > with different combinations of ttyS0/ttyS1 in your command line.
> > _______________________________________________
> > mythtv-users mailing list
> > mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
> > http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
> http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users



--
Remco Treffkorn (RT445)
HAM DC2XT
remco[at]rvt.com (831) 685-1201

_______________________________________________
mythtv-users mailing list
mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users


blaine.m.nelson at gmail

Aug 26, 2007, 11:26 AM

Post #5 of 17 (1292 views)
Permalink
Re: DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface [In reply to]

I believe the default in the perl script is 9600 baud. I've never
done anything in perl, but here's the line I think does that:

$baudrate = "9600";

Just to be sure, I ran directv.pl from the command line using the
baudrate parameter set to 9600 (I also tried 115200 and 57600).
Again, I tried for both ttyS0 and ttyS1 and for both serial outs on
the machine.

Perhaps the order of the parameters is screwy? Here's what I got for
the 9600 baudrate attempts:

blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ directv.pl port /dev/ttyS0
box_type D10-100 baudrate 9600 verbose get_channel
SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
RECV: Timeout Error


SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
RECV: Timeout Error


SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
RECV: Timeout Error


SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
RECV: Timeout Error


Error excessive retries
blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ directv.pl port /dev/ttyS1
box_type D10-100 baudrate 9600 verbose get_channel
SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
RECV: Timeout Error


SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
RECV: Timeout Error


SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
RECV: Timeout Error


SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
RECV: Timeout Error


Error excessive retries


I appreciate the ideas. Any others?



On 8/26/07, Remco Treffkorn <remco[at]rvt.com> wrote:
>
> The baudrate needs to be changed from 115200 to 9600 baud.
>
> On Sunday 26 August 2007, Blaine Nelson wrote:
> > I tried putting the port command up front as the first parameter, and
> > I tried both /dev/ttyS0 and /dev/ttyS1. I did this for both serial
> > outs on the back of the machine. No luck. Same "Error excessive
> > retries" message.
> >
> > Any other ideas?
> >
> > You've got a D10-100. Mine's a D10-300. Maybe the software upgrade
> > for the D10-300 that's supposed to make it behave like a D10-100
> > doesn't do the trick any more? Like directv has put out a newer
> > version that sucks?
> >
> > The cable? Could it be bad?
> >
> > Again, thanks for the help. And the encouragement!
> >
> > On 8/25/07, George Mari <george_mythusers[at]mari1938.org> wrote:
> > > Blaine Nelson wrote:
> > > > Hi,
> > > >
> > > > Apologies if this post is boring and outdated. Most of my searches on
> > > > this topic have yielded posts that are more than 2 or 3 years old.
> > > >
> > > > Anyhow, I've been trying to get an old D10-300 satellite receiver to
> > > > interface with a new install of MythTv.
> > >
> > > Naah! That's not old! I have 3 DirecTV receivers - the *new* one is a
> > > D10-100, hooked up to my Myth box, the other two are Hughes HIRD-E11s,
> > > hooked up to my two televisions. *Those* are old - they could pick up
> > > signals from Sputnik when I first got them... ;-)
> > >
> > > > I've followed the
> > > > instructions posted in the following:
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > http://www.pdp8.net/directv/directv.shtml
> > > > http://mythtv.org/pipermail/mythtv-users/2005-October/107586.html
> > >
> > > Same script I'm using to control my archaic D10-100.
> > >
> > > > That is,
> > > >
> > > > 1. I've bought and installed the serial-to-low-rate cable from
> > > > http://www.dtvcontrol.com/index.aspx?content=cable.
> > > > 2. I've performed the reset on the satellite box to get the updated
> > > > software 3. And, tried calling directv.pl at the command line with a
> > > > number of options
> > > >
> > > > So, for instance:
> > > >
> > > > blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ directv.pl box_type D10-100
> > > > verbose version
> > > > Version 1.7
> > > >
> > > > blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ directv.pl box_type D10-100
> > > > verbose get_channel
> > > > SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
> > > > RECV: Timeout Error
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
> > > > RECV: Timeout Error
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
> > > > RECV: Timeout Error
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > SEND: 0xFA [�] 0x87 [�]
> > > > RECV: Timeout Error
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Error excessive retries
> > > >
> > > > blaine[at]blaine-desktop:/usr/local/bin$ directv.pl box_type D10-100 port
> > > > /dev/ttyS1 verbose get_channel
> > >
> > > Did you see this text on pdp8.net page? "If your serial cable isn't on
> > > /dev/ttyS0 (com1) then use the port command to select the port, example
> > > port /dev/ttyS1. The port command must at the start of the command line
> > > before any command which talks to the directv box."
> > >
> > > You have your port command at the end of your command line, not the
> > > beginning. Try it with ttyS0 and ttyS1 if you're not sure which serial
> > > port the cable is connected to on your backend.
> > >
> > > [deleted]
> > >
> > > > Should I give up on the D10-300 receiver? Is there equipment
> > > > (satellite - directv) that is easier to interface with? Is the reason
> > > > I haven't been able to find any more recent posts on this topic b/c
> > > > people have moved on to newer gear?
> > >
> > > I think the D10 is a great settop box to interface with, primarily
> > > because of the serial port. In 2 years of operation, I've had two
> > > channel change failures, one actually due to an automatic firmware
> > > upgrade on the box causing the box to get in a non-responsive state. It
> > > needed a reset. That's a lot more reliable than most people are getting
> > > using IR blasters, from comments I've seen on the mailing list.
> > >
> > > Don't give up - I made my cable from scratch from plans on Internet
> > > somewhere. You're a step ahead with a commercially bought cable. If
> > > you have another serial port on your backend, try that as well, along
> > > with different combinations of ttyS0/ttyS1 in your command line.
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > mythtv-users mailing list
> > > mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
> > > http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > mythtv-users mailing list
> > mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
> > http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>
>
>
> --
> Remco Treffkorn (RT445)
> HAM DC2XT
> remco[at]rvt.com (831) 685-1201
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
> http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>
_______________________________________________
mythtv-users mailing list
mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users


george_mythusers at mari1938

Aug 26, 2007, 5:21 PM

Post #6 of 17 (1286 views)
Permalink
Re: DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface [In reply to]

Blaine Nelson wrote:
> I believe the default in the perl script is 9600 baud. I've never
> done anything in perl, but here's the line I think does that:
>
> $baudrate = "9600";
>
> Just to be sure, I ran directv.pl from the command line using the
> baudrate parameter set to 9600 (I also tried 115200 and 57600).
> Again, I tried for both ttyS0 and ttyS1 and for both serial outs on
> the machine.
>
> Perhaps the order of the parameters is screwy? Here's what I got for
> the 9600 baudrate attempts:
>
[deleted]

>>> You've got a D10-100. Mine's a D10-300. Maybe the software upgrade
>>> for the D10-300 that's supposed to make it behave like a D10-100
>>> doesn't do the trick any more? Like directv has put out a newer
>>> version that sucks?

This is a possibility, but I've not heard of problems with the D10-300.
The Wiki page at:

http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Controlling_DirecTV_Set_Top_Box_%28STB%29_via_USB_or_Serial


seems to indicate it should work. (There are also many useful links on
that page, BTW)


>>>
>>> The cable? Could it be bad?

Well, we know the D10-300 works because other people have reported it as
working.

The way I see it, there are three things that could be causing your failure:

1. Bad serial port. To eliminate this possibility, hook up a modem or
other serial device to your port to make sure the port itself works.

2. Bad cable. I have found bad connections in my home-made cable using
an ohm-meter. If you already have a meter, I suggest checking the cable
this way. If not, another possibility is buy another cable, preferably
from a different source. Of course, you could get two bad cables, but
what's the likelihood of that happening?

3. The D10-300 has a bad port. The way to rule out or verify this is to
get another D10-300 and try that. (Hey, nobody every said logic was
convenient.)

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jon.the.wise.gdrive at gmail

Aug 27, 2007, 1:02 AM

Post #7 of 17 (1281 views)
Permalink
Re: DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface [In reply to]

On Aug 26, 2007, at 11:26 AM, Blaine Nelson wrote:

> I believe the default in the perl script is 9600 baud. I've never
> done anything in perl, but here's the line I think does that:
>
> $baudrate = "9600";
>
> Just to be sure, I ran directv.pl from the command line using the
> baudrate parameter set to 9600 (I also tried 115200 and 57600).
> Again, I tried for both ttyS0 and ttyS1 and for both serial outs on
> the machine.

Try changing the port and baudrate in the script rather than
modifying them from the command line.. I have a D11, and it worked
great until I reset it and it pulled down a firmware update, and then
the baudrate was wrong, I switched it from 115200 to 9600 and it
solved my problems, but it didn't work from the command line, only
when I changed it in the script.

~Jon
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blaine.m.nelson at gmail

Aug 27, 2007, 4:00 PM

Post #8 of 17 (1269 views)
Permalink
Re: DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface [In reply to]

I've got an ohm-meter. Any tips on how exactly to use it to check if
the cable is bad? I've only used it for troubleshooting a busted
washing machine, so I've got no idea what to do for this cable.

On 8/26/07, George Mari <george_mythusers[at]mari1938.org> wrote:
> Blaine Nelson wrote:
> > I believe the default in the perl script is 9600 baud. I've never
> > done anything in perl, but here's the line I think does that:
> >
> > $baudrate = "9600";
> >
> > Just to be sure, I ran directv.pl from the command line using the
> > baudrate parameter set to 9600 (I also tried 115200 and 57600).
> > Again, I tried for both ttyS0 and ttyS1 and for both serial outs on
> > the machine.
> >
> > Perhaps the order of the parameters is screwy? Here's what I got for
> > the 9600 baudrate attempts:
> >
> [deleted]
>
> >>> You've got a D10-100. Mine's a D10-300. Maybe the software upgrade
> >>> for the D10-300 that's supposed to make it behave like a D10-100
> >>> doesn't do the trick any more? Like directv has put out a newer
> >>> version that sucks?
>
> This is a possibility, but I've not heard of problems with the D10-300.
> The Wiki page at:
>
> http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Controlling_DirecTV_Set_Top_Box_%28STB%29_via_USB_or_Serial
>
>
> seems to indicate it should work. (There are also many useful links on
> that page, BTW)
>
>
> >>>
> >>> The cable? Could it be bad?
>
> Well, we know the D10-300 works because other people have reported it as
> working.
>
> The way I see it, there are three things that could be causing your failure:
>
> 1. Bad serial port. To eliminate this possibility, hook up a modem or
> other serial device to your port to make sure the port itself works.
>
> 2. Bad cable. I have found bad connections in my home-made cable using
> an ohm-meter. If you already have a meter, I suggest checking the cable
> this way. If not, another possibility is buy another cable, preferably
> from a different source. Of course, you could get two bad cables, but
> what's the likelihood of that happening?
>
> 3. The D10-300 has a bad port. The way to rule out or verify this is to
> get another D10-300 and try that. (Hey, nobody every said logic was
> convenient.)
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
> http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>
_______________________________________________
mythtv-users mailing list
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http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users


blaine.m.nelson at gmail

Aug 27, 2007, 4:00 PM

Post #9 of 17 (1266 views)
Permalink
Re: DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface [In reply to]

Tried it. Nothing changed. Still getting the excessive retires.
Thanks, though. I appreciate the ideas.

On 8/27/07, Jon <jon.the.wise.gdrive[at]gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On Aug 26, 2007, at 11:26 AM, Blaine Nelson wrote:
>
> > I believe the default in the perl script is 9600 baud. I've never
> > done anything in perl, but here's the line I think does that:
> >
> > $baudrate = "9600";
> >
> > Just to be sure, I ran directv.pl from the command line using the
> > baudrate parameter set to 9600 (I also tried 115200 and 57600).
> > Again, I tried for both ttyS0 and ttyS1 and for both serial outs on
> > the machine.
>
> Try changing the port and baudrate in the script rather than
> modifying them from the command line.. I have a D11, and it worked
> great until I reset it and it pulled down a firmware update, and then
> the baudrate was wrong, I switched it from 115200 to 9600 and it
> solved my problems, but it didn't work from the command line, only
> when I changed it in the script.
>
> ~Jon
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
> http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>
_______________________________________________
mythtv-users mailing list
mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users


blaine.m.nelson at gmail

Aug 27, 2007, 4:32 PM

Post #10 of 17 (1261 views)
Permalink
Re: DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface [In reply to]

As for the serial port check, I don't have a modem lying around. But,
I do have an old mouse with the old round serial ps2 port and an even
older adpater that goes from the round serial ps2-style port to a
regular serial port. I'm not sure if this counts as a serial device
but here's what I did. Plug the mouse into the round serial ps2-style
port. Reboot. Mouse worked fine. Plug the mouse into the regular
serial port using the adapter. Reboot. Mouse did not work at all. I
tried again on the second serial port. Still nothing from the mouse.

Should the mouse have worked in the regular serial port? Xubuntu (the
distro I'm using) picked up on the mouse in the round ps2-style port
but not the regular port. Can I take this as an indication that the
serial port is screwed up?

And if so, what's next? What steps can I take to see why the mouse
isn't working?

Thanks everyone for putting up with all this.



On 8/26/07, George Mari <george_mythusers[at]mari1938.org> wrote:
> Blaine Nelson wrote:
> > I believe the default in the perl script is 9600 baud. I've never
> > done anything in perl, but here's the line I think does that:
> >
> > $baudrate = "9600";
> >
> > Just to be sure, I ran directv.pl from the command line using the
> > baudrate parameter set to 9600 (I also tried 115200 and 57600).
> > Again, I tried for both ttyS0 and ttyS1 and for both serial outs on
> > the machine.
> >
> > Perhaps the order of the parameters is screwy? Here's what I got for
> > the 9600 baudrate attempts:
> >
> [deleted]
>
> >>> You've got a D10-100. Mine's a D10-300. Maybe the software upgrade
> >>> for the D10-300 that's supposed to make it behave like a D10-100
> >>> doesn't do the trick any more? Like directv has put out a newer
> >>> version that sucks?
>
> This is a possibility, but I've not heard of problems with the D10-300.
> The Wiki page at:
>
> http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Controlling_DirecTV_Set_Top_Box_%28STB%29_via_USB_or_Serial
>
>
> seems to indicate it should work. (There are also many useful links on
> that page, BTW)
>
>
> >>>
> >>> The cable? Could it be bad?
>
> Well, we know the D10-300 works because other people have reported it as
> working.
>
> The way I see it, there are three things that could be causing your failure:
>
> 1. Bad serial port. To eliminate this possibility, hook up a modem or
> other serial device to your port to make sure the port itself works.
>
> 2. Bad cable. I have found bad connections in my home-made cable using
> an ohm-meter. If you already have a meter, I suggest checking the cable
> this way. If not, another possibility is buy another cable, preferably
> from a different source. Of course, you could get two bad cables, but
> what's the likelihood of that happening?
>
> 3. The D10-300 has a bad port. The way to rule out or verify this is to
> get another D10-300 and try that. (Hey, nobody every said logic was
> convenient.)
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
> http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>
_______________________________________________
mythtv-users mailing list
mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users


dbadia at gmail

Aug 27, 2007, 6:22 PM

Post #11 of 17 (1267 views)
Permalink
Re: DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface [In reply to]

I've gone through this process with 3 different DTV boxes now, and I'm happy
to report they're all working. When I get truly stumped, I hooked up my
windows laptop (gasp!), and test the cable using http://www.dtvcontrol.com/.
It's a good sanity check to verify the cable the DTV box are operating as
expected.

Hope this helps
Dave


george_mythusers at mari1938

Aug 27, 2007, 7:52 PM

Post #12 of 17 (1262 views)
Permalink
Re: DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface [In reply to]

Blaine Nelson wrote:
> I've got an ohm-meter. Any tips on how exactly to use it to check if
> the cable is bad? I've only used it for troubleshooting a busted
> washing machine, so I've got no idea what to do for this cable.
>

If you connect a lead to each end of the cable, the meter should read
zero ohms, or close to zero. You will check each pin/wire in the cable
- make sure you connect one probe to pin 1 on one end of the cable, and
the other probe to pin 1 on the other end of the cable. You should be
able to complete the circuit and register zero ohms.

You may only have certain pins actually connected in your particular
cable, so some inspection might be necessary to see how your cable is
configured, and which pins are actually connected to the wires in the cable.
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george_mythusers at mari1938

Aug 27, 2007, 7:56 PM

Post #13 of 17 (1267 views)
Permalink
Re: DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface [In reply to]

Blaine Nelson wrote:
> As for the serial port check, I don't have a modem lying around. But,
> I do have an old mouse with the old round serial ps2 port and an even
> older adpater that goes from the round serial ps2-style port to a
> regular serial port. I'm not sure if this counts as a serial device
> but here's what I did. Plug the mouse into the round serial ps2-style
> port. Reboot. Mouse worked fine. Plug the mouse into the regular
> serial port using the adapter. Reboot. Mouse did not work at all. I
> tried again on the second serial port. Still nothing from the mouse.
>
> Should the mouse have worked in the regular serial port? Xubuntu (the
> distro I'm using) picked up on the mouse in the round ps2-style port
> but not the regular port. Can I take this as an indication that the
> serial port is screwed up?
>
> And if so, what's next? What steps can I take to see why the mouse
> isn't working?
>
> Thanks everyone for putting up with all this.
>
>

The only other way I can think of to test the port without a modem is
another computer. Hook-up two computers via a serial cable. You can
use some sort of terminal program, like minicom, to establish
communications between the two computers over the serial port.

Basically, you just want something you know works on the other end of
your serial port, to see if you can get it working.

Unfortunately, I don't have much experience with serial mice.

Have you checked that your serial ports are enabled in your BIOS?
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blaine.m.nelson at gmail

Aug 29, 2007, 3:36 PM

Post #14 of 17 (1237 views)
Permalink
Re: DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface [In reply to]

This is going to kill me.

Fellas, thanks for the ideas, but still nothing.

First I tried Dave's idea of using the dtv control program on a windows
laptop. Tried this with all the command sets. New, old, D10-100 etc.
Tried both /dev/ttyS0 and /dev/ttyS1. So this seems to indicate either a
failed cable or a failed d10-300 box. (But, it could also be that this
program doesn't work with the D10-300? Yes? Or, I guess it could mean the
serial port is screwed up on my laptop).

Going with the former hypothesis, that the cable might be broken, I dug up
my volt ohm meter and checked the cable. It seems to be wired correctly.
That is, testing indicates it's wired like so:

Modular 4P4C adapter wiring DE9F Modular 4P4C Wire Color 5 1 Black 2 2
Red 3 4 Yellow

Ok, so next hypothesis. Busted receiver. Well, I bought two of these
things on ebay with the hope of eventually getting two pvr cards rolling.
So, I have another one laying around. Great, right? Another test.
Unfortunately, directv doesn't allow you to transfer the access card number
to new receivers. They make you buy a new card, $20! I wouldn't mind if I
knew this worked b/c I need the card anyways for two pvrs. But, it seems
like alot of money if I'm just going to have to go back to the drawing board
and buy d10-100s (vice 300s) or some other receiver.

But, wait. Maybe I could test the basic operations, e.g. turn-on, turn-off,
get channel etc., without actually having access to the satellite data
feed. This possibility got me real excited and I jumped out of bed, ran to
the basement to try it. Only to realize, that with the d10-300, you need
the software upgrade that comes down off the satellite. Ugh.

Have you guys had the same experience with Directv? $20 buckets just to
change receivers?

If I have to buy new receivers, which model would you recommend as the most
forgiving?

Again, thanks for all your ideas.








On 8/27/07, George Mari <george_mythusers[at]mari1938.org> wrote:
>
> Blaine Nelson wrote:
> > As for the serial port check, I don't have a modem lying around. But,
> > I do have an old mouse with the old round serial ps2 port and an even
> > older adpater that goes from the round serial ps2-style port to a
> > regular serial port. I'm not sure if this counts as a serial device
> > but here's what I did. Plug the mouse into the round serial ps2-style
> > port. Reboot. Mouse worked fine. Plug the mouse into the regular
> > serial port using the adapter. Reboot. Mouse did not work at all. I
> > tried again on the second serial port. Still nothing from the mouse.
> >
> > Should the mouse have worked in the regular serial port? Xubuntu (the
> > distro I'm using) picked up on the mouse in the round ps2-style port
> > but not the regular port. Can I take this as an indication that the
> > serial port is screwed up?
> >
> > And if so, what's next? What steps can I take to see why the mouse
> > isn't working?
> >
> > Thanks everyone for putting up with all this.
> >
> >
>
> The only other way I can think of to test the port without a modem is
> another computer. Hook-up two computers via a serial cable. You can
> use some sort of terminal program, like minicom, to establish
> communications between the two computers over the serial port.
>
> Basically, you just want something you know works on the other end of
> your serial port, to see if you can get it working.
>
> Unfortunately, I don't have much experience with serial mice.
>
> Have you checked that your serial ports are enabled in your BIOS?
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
> http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>


myth at dermanouelian

Aug 29, 2007, 3:53 PM

Post #15 of 17 (1240 views)
Permalink
Re: DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface [In reply to]

On Aug 29, 2007, at 3:36 PM, Blaine Nelson wrote:

> Have you guys had the same experience with Directv? $20 buckets
> just to change receivers?
>
> If I have to buy new receivers, which model would you recommend as
> the most forgiving?
>
> Again, thanks for all your ideas.

I started with 2 D11 boxes. They're relatively cheap, small and look
kinda nice. I got two serial cables and 2 serial to USB connectors.
Aside from the baud rate changing at some point at the beginning of
the year due to an update, I've never had an issue. I've missed maybe
2 channel changes in just over a year.
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blaine.m.nelson at gmail

Aug 29, 2007, 4:30 PM

Post #16 of 17 (1226 views)
Permalink
Re: DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface [In reply to]

Is there any difference between the d11-100 and say the d11-500? Especially
in terms of getting the directv.pl script to work?

On 8/29/07, Brad DerManouelian <myth[at]dermanouelian.com> wrote:
>
> On Aug 29, 2007, at 3:36 PM, Blaine Nelson wrote:
>
> > Have you guys had the same experience with Directv? $20 buckets
> > just to change receivers?
> >
> > If I have to buy new receivers, which model would you recommend as
> > the most forgiving?
> >
> > Again, thanks for all your ideas.
>
> I started with 2 D11 boxes. They're relatively cheap, small and look
> kinda nice. I got two serial cables and 2 serial to USB connectors.
> Aside from the baud rate changing at some point at the beginning of
> the year due to an update, I've never had an issue. I've missed maybe
> 2 channel changes in just over a year.
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
> http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>


blaine.m.nelson at gmail

Aug 31, 2007, 2:19 PM

Post #17 of 17 (1189 views)
Permalink
Re: DirecTV D10-300 Serial Interface [In reply to]

Success!

Hi everyone. Turns out the problem was my receiver, and it turns out that
my assumption that I couldn't use my second receiver (for which I had no
access card) for debugging purposes was incorrect. That is, there is no
problem with downloading the software upgrade to a D10-300 with an invalid
access card. You can't see any images, but you can test out the
directv.plperl script: get_channel, get_datetime, etc.

Bottom line: the channel change script works on one of my D10-300 receivers
but not the other. I'm not sure of any way to debug the broken receiver.
The software version on both is now the same: 0x1043.

I think I'm just going to buy another D10-300 and PVR-150 card! I'm
ordering a new access card for the working receiver right now. That's $20
wasted on the broken receiver, but at least now there isn't any risk. I
know it works! I just love changing the channels from the command line!!!

As a side note, I got my working receiver to work BEFORE downloading the
most recent software. It already had on it version 0x100A which posed no
problem to the perl script.

Thanks for all the help!



On 8/29/07, Blaine Nelson <blaine.m.nelson[at]gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Is there any difference between the d11-100 and say the d11-500?
> Especially in terms of getting the directv.pl script to work?
>
> On 8/29/07, Brad DerManouelian <myth[at]dermanouelian.com > wrote:
> >
> > On Aug 29, 2007, at 3:36 PM, Blaine Nelson wrote:
> >
> > > Have you guys had the same experience with Directv? $20 buckets
> > > just to change receivers?
> > >
> > > If I have to buy new receivers, which model would you recommend as
> > > the most forgiving?
> > >
> > > Again, thanks for all your ideas.
> >
> > I started with 2 D11 boxes. They're relatively cheap, small and look
> > kinda nice. I got two serial cables and 2 serial to USB connectors.
> > Aside from the baud rate changing at some point at the beginning of
> > the year due to an update, I've never had an issue. I've missed maybe
> > 2 channel changes in just over a year.
> > _______________________________________________
> > mythtv-users mailing list
> > mythtv-users[at]mythtv.org
> > http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
> >
>
>

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