QQ-Box USB DVB-S Tuner - Unknown Device?

[1ADAM12]

"QQ-Box USB DVB-S Tuner

With such tuner performance, I guess they're not talking to cops. Hope, they'll reveal who makes this stuff. May be you can ask Ice to rename this thread to "QQ-Box USB DVB-S Tuner - Unknown Device?" to warn potential buyers?

Hope he can, he usually reads through FTA section like an Eagle eye.

 

[zamar23]

Any news from QQ? Interesting example of firmware integration into a USB Card Windows driver. The example shows that similar DVB World device uses Cypress CY7C68013 USB bridge chipset.

Btw, there is a debug utility called usbsnoop that allows to log communication btw an "unknown" or known USB Device and its Windows Driver. It has clear Manual. And there's explanation on how to use it with WMWare under Windows to reverse engineer a USB Device Driver, i.e. if you need to extract firmware from it. Do you want to try it? Would be interesting to find out, how this device ID itself, and what happens next...

 

[1ADAM12]

No reply from either of the LME websites.

That answers my question about the DVBWorld USB DVB-S Chipset.

The DVBWorld Clone even has the same case as the original.

That software is for Windows XP so it may be asking for more trouble to load it into Vista.

What we need here is someone with software experience who can download the .rar file from LME, and look at the code of their driver.

 

[zamar23]

Usbsnoop should work in Vista too. It doesn't install anything apart from placing usbsnoop.sys in Drivers dir to play a role of a buffer btw the device you select in usbsnoop's window and its driver. Its interesting to see the log it will create during the tuner driver installation, as it may hopefully read the tuner's ID, etc., and why Vista rejecting the driver, and then correct its .inf file. Just remember to open Usbsnoop's window to max to avoid blinking.

 

[1ADAM12]

Window opens with garbage. May be Chinese characters. I'm going to look at the Setup.bat file that installs the driver. As previously posted it first reports error and then says complete. It may point to the drivers file. Then I will check to see if its installed.

 

[zamar23]

Process Monitor from Sysinternals will log all driver setup activities.

PonyProg was suggested on Afterdown.com forum to get firmware from a similar device's EEPROM chip, and possibly upload back standard firmware extracted from your LME driver. It does require serial adapter though (see the site). It can help to ID the device you get and its real manufacturer at the least, so you can get it fixed or replaced, or get working factory firmware from them. But it seems to be for hard core hobbyists, shipping device back is often easier.

 

[1ADAM12]

TBS Q-Box

I asked Prog of ProgDVB who supports the Q-Box.

He pointed me to the TBS Q-Box DVB-S USB Receiver.

I downloaded the manual and drivers from there.

When I opened files, they had the same software title $CHICAGO$

There is a driver for the AMD processor but not the Intel.

Requested driver from support@tbsdtv.com

 

[zamar23]

You have a tuner, someone on the web called QQ. Its not Q-box made by TBS, as I see it. You can find string $CHICAGO$ in most .inf files.

Surprisingly enough, I've got a reply from LME guy Liny today:
"Can your contact your vendor to check the hardward ? If possible ,please send me the dirver from your cd ."

They seems to be getting involved in your case. Can you post the installer .exe file from CD here or elsewhere, and give download link here. They will try to find out from the driver, who made this thing. Better yet, they can easily dissect it from the tuner's EEPROM. But at times such "No name" vendors install generic firmware, playing cat and mouse game. :down

 

[1ADAM12]

LME Driver

Well, I'm confused. The driver files on the cd are the same as from the LME website. Which you can download.



DVB-S USB PCTV Driver



Maybe you should see if he will join this post like DVBWorld has done with their support people.

 

[zamar23]

Well, if the driver is generic, there is little hope to ID the device by comparing drivers, but it can possibly be done by copying its firmware from EEPROM.

I don't think, LME wants to join this thread. They designed reference DVB-S tuner PCBs with their own USB chip used, developed generic drivers, and that was extent of it. Any manufacturer was free to buy their chip from a dealer, and implement their reference tuner design with some changes to hardware and firmware. Same way NVIDIA offers a reference board design with their Graphics processors and drivers, and others start modding it.

It looks like this topic is exhausted.

 

[melgarga]

Unless you have one of those "built for Vista only" laptops ( I have one like that)

Boot to DOS.
Type format C:
enter

Boot to an XP + slipstreamed SP3 CD
type setup.exe
enter

Screw Vista.
Seven doesnt seem much better.

 

[1ADAM12]

Unless you have one of those "built for Vista only" laptops ( I have one like that)

Boot to DOS.
Type format C:
enter

Boot to an XP + slipstreamed SP3 CD
type setup.exe
enter

Screw Vista.
Seven doesnt seem much better.

Ahmen!!

 

[zamar23]

What was it all about?

 

[melgarga]

What was it all about?

VISTA? That's a damn good question. As far as I can tell M$ goal was to flood the market with yet another buggy halfbaked OS that is non compliant with existing HW save the 4GHZ duocore/4GB ram/4Tb systems available today and use a third of those resources for overhead. If they dont do that how else will they squeeze a few more bizillion dollars out of Joe consumer?

Wasnt the OP looking for Vista support for his card that was already supported in XP but Vista didnt acknowledge it? That was just my solution to "repairing" the actual problem with his lappy.

As most know you really dont have to boot to dos to solve your Windoze problems these days, but that was the canned response solution to recurring M$ problems on the pre NTFS based versions.

XP has finally proven itself as a somewhat stable and relatively efficient and safe OS. It should be by now. It has more patches than the quilt my grandma made for me 50+ years ago.
So, point being WE dont need Vista, but M$ needs us to need it, and toss out all your XP compliant (and supported) HW and start over.

Allow me to re-iterate...Screw Vista.

The new venture is Seven, which has abandoned XP (no direct upgrade path, mistake one) BUT recognizes XP's value in that the Pro version is supposed to have an XP mode, allowing for XP backward compatability. So Xp is recognized as a staple OS, IF you spring for the Pro version of Seven, but not good enough to offer long time users and supporters of XP an economical upgrade path. Good one M$.
It still has the basic GUI and "feel" of Vista, and in typical M$ style treats it's patrons as morons going to great lengths to obscure tech/maintenance level OS functions. Finding and enabling the "Classic" gui mode helps, but it's still not the same.
It is supposed to be 'lighter' than Vista in that the resource utilization are supposed to be comparable to XP (although in stock configuration XP can be quite a resource hog as well) All this is supposed to mean it will run (efficiently?) on systems that can currently run XP w/o issue.
Guess we will have to wait and see on that one.

Did I answer your question?

 

[zamar23]

Well, that's an interesting angle to it. Except LME posted Vista / XP driver installer for this device, and the driver was installed OK in Vista. Vista wouldn't accept the driver? It may be because the device firmware ID'd it differently, or it simply malfunctions. It makes sense to check of course, if it will work in Win XP SP3. But OP might not have access to such PC, and for his tasks scope or software choice Vista might be OK. Who knows, it may also be a laptop use at home and for a job, where such changes can't be done. Good suggestion though.

Just imaging, its one of those lonely nights, when you can switch the radar off, put the gun down, a mobile dish on the roof, and relax in your CVPI with a cup of coffee, watching the last episode of "L.A. Gang Unit" on Ion with your lovely DVB-S Tuner. If only it works... I can attach to that.

 

[melgarga]

Yes, unfortunately there are a number of reasons one would get "stuck" and have to make do. I bought a lappy about the time Vista came into full swing thinking if I didnt like it I could always drop back to XP........but, Not so fast Homer. This board was "optimized" for Vista and there were never any MB/integrated HW OEM XP drivers written for it, so I have a "crappy lappy" as I tend to call it, when I feel patient enough to try to use it. It spends much of the time alone and undisturbed it's bag. If I ever look for and find sufficient Linux support for it, it will be stripped and have a fresh install of VMWare or VPC on top on Linux for my preferred Windoze viewing pleasure.
I may try Seven on it but I'm not holding my breath for a happy ending. I've not even looked into my upgrade option (if any) from Vista Home Basic.

If I get it to play nice I may spring for one of the usb based S2 capable boxes. Got any favorites in that catagory, or more importantly, ones to avoid?

 

[zamar23]

Its a good idea to start a new thread on Sat Card jams and lemons. Hope, more people in NA will be inclined nowadays to switch from "Easy button, no fan" Sat STB and share their 1-st time Sat Card experience in that thread. Talking about European consumer surveys & best sat card voting forum threads, Technotrend brand often runs ahead 3-to-1 compare to any other brand, but they're usually priced to kill too. Despite these designed in Germany cards are also made in CN, except packaging carton and the CD. As far as I'm concerned, if the card model I picked locks everything it claims in its spec in a targeted signal range, works well with common DVB Apps, runs cool and reliable, plus its cheap and can be installed in quantities, that's the best brand for me at the moment, regardless where it's designed or made. However, there are common perceptions about it, and its hard to say, what's still true and what's about how things were in the past.

 

[1ADAM12]

.....
Just imaging, its one of those lonely nights, when you can switch the radar off, put the gun down, a mobile dish on the roof, and relax in your CVPI with a cup of coffee, watching the last episode of "L.A. Gang Unit" on Ion with your lovely DVB-S Tuner. If only it works... I can attach to that.

BUSTED!

 

[zamar23]

Just kidding.
Btw, I don't know your setup, but it might help to update to Vista SP2, and also add mentioned on the web Vista WMC TV Pack 2008, plus its latest update.
If you at times have to use a USB Sat Tuner in a mobile environment, SatFastfinder can help to align the dish fast and easy without a compass.

 

[1ADAM12]

U304 EEPROM Missing

LME has sent me the Schematic for this product.

Good reason for it not to work, NO EEPROM!

It uses a 24C02 which is available form www.mouser.com but without the programmer and firmware, this is the end of project.

Here are the documents for QQ Box USB DVB-S Receiver.