Going cazy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! with Skystar card

[jerryt]

anyone have a clue how to get Saar's enhanced Skynet drivers or Mibi SS2diseqc application to work with a motor and a SkyStar 2 card???????????

I know the cable is good (Twinhan card drives the motor).

I know the motor is good.

Original SkyStar software says diseqc 1.2 "not supported" before installing the different drivers. after the different drivers, no warning about "not supported" but also no dish movement.

Have tried removing Twinhan software and drivers, still not working.

I will be doing a fresh window system install soon!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone have suggestion?

 

[beeb]

Saar's enhanced drivers only work with application that knows how to use them, that would be MyTheatre. I move the positioner with SkyStar 2 and MyTheatre without any problems.
Don't forget to uninstall the original SS2 drivers and then install the enhanced drivers that come with MyTheatre. Then do not forget to select "Use enhanced drivers" in "Hardware setings" in MyTheatre.

 

[jerryt]

Saar's enhanced drivers only work with application that knows how to use them, that would be MyTheatre. I move the positioner with SkyStar 2 and MyTheatre without any problems.
Don't forget to uninstall the original SS2 drivers and then install the enhanced drivers that come with MyTheatre. Then do not forget to select "Use enhanced drivers" in "Hardware setings" in MyTheatre.

Thanks beeb. I have removed the original SkyStar drivers and replaced, restarted, verified, Selected enhanced, verified again and still no good. I have used Saar's enhanced drivers with only MyTheatre, and when that did not work, MiBi's application with his drivers. When the modified drivers are installed, I stop getting the "Opps, not supported" warning message when trying to nudge the motor.

Tried removing all the software for other PCI cards and still no luck.

Tried disabling everything in the device manager except for the SS card, still no luck.

I am currently reinstalling Windows, and then will try with only the one card installed.

Any other suggestion?????

 

[beeb]

I need to mention that last time I tried SS2 with MyTheatre I did not use the latest available drivers, if memory serves, they were whatever was available 1 year ago. I need to check the version of MyTheatre and the SS2 drivers that worked for me when I get home.
BTW, I'm using TwinHan 1020a now, but I tried SS2 recently and it still moved the positioner. I wasn't able to run SS2 with hyperthreading enabled though yet.

P.S. I remember that it was quite difficult to properly replace the original with the enhanced driver, until I manually copied one file over another. I'll have to refresh my memory when I get home to my HTPC.

 

[jerryt]

I need to mention that last time I tried SS2 with MyTheatre I did not use the latest available drivers, if memory serves, they were whatever was available 1 year ago. I need to check the version of MyTheatre and the SS2 drivers that worked for me when I get home.
BTW, I'm using TwinHan 1020a now, but I tried SS2 recently and it still moved the positioner. I wasn't able to run SS2 with hyperthreading enabled though yet.

P.S. I remember that it was quite difficult to properly replace the original with the enhanced driver, until I manually copied one file over another. I'll have to refresh my memory when I get home to my HTPC.

Yes, I read about having to manually place the driver. (system32/drivers) and that is what I have been trying.

Do you have both the twinhan and SS2 in the same machine?

Also what motor are you using?

Thanks for your help!!!!!!!!

 

[beeb]

I had them both in the PC for some time, but since the SS2 cannot work with hyperthreading, I only use the Twinhan now. Even when they were both in, each of them was able to drive the SG2100 positioner.

 

[jerryt]

I had them both in the PC for some time, but since the SS2 cannot work with hyperthreading, I only use the Twinhan now. Even when they were both in, each of them was able to drive the SG2100 positioner.

Hyperthreading problem is supposed to be fixed with current 4.3 drivers. The SS2 has been working fine in my AMD 64 3500. I tried to turn off hyperthreading in bio, just to see if that was the problem with the motor. But none of the choices turn off hyperthreading.

 

[beeb]

AFAIK, hyperthreading is only a feature of some Intel processors, but times might have changed. Anyway, the newest 4.3 drivers do not work with hyperthreading fo me.

What I tested yesterday was MyTheatre 2.25.1 and skynet.sys version 4.2.9.1203, which comes with MyTheatre 2.25. Worked without problems and drove the positioner (hyperthreading off).

Maybe you can start with these versions and once you get it working update to later.

I have P4 Northwood 3.0 Ghz processor overclocked to 3.6.

 

[jerryt]

I have MyTheatre 3.25 and I have tried drivers 4.2.8, 4.2.10, 4.2.11 and 4.3

Thanks for your help!!!!

 

[beeb]

Sorry, I meant MyTheatre 3.25, not 2.25.

 

[jerryt]

I am begining to think it is an AMD 64 problem.

Tried another SS2 card, Have tried removing all my other cards and drivers. The only things which I have not tested is a different motherboard and CPU.

I am sure I tried the skynet version which came with MyTheatre 3.25

I will try the card on my intel computer next week

Cleaning up from the hurricane now.

Thanks again!!!!

 

[beeb]

Just wanted to add that I tested MyTheatre 3.27 and skynet.sys version 4.2.9.1203 and it works with SS2 and positioner just as well as MyTheatre 2.25. Still no luck with hyperthreading, though, it needs to be disabled again.

It could be a power supply issue. I'm not sure how exactly the SS2 passes the power required to move the postioner, but if the motherboard does not supply enough power to the DVB card, I don't see how it can pass it on to the motor.
Have you looked at the light that's on the motor when you try to move the dish from positioner console in MyTheatre? If it starts blinking red, it means the power to the motor is not enough.

 

[jerryt]

It could be a power supply issue. I'm not sure how exactly the SS2 passes the power required to move the postioner, but if the motherboard does not supply enough power to the DVB card, I don't see how it can pass it on to the motor.
Have you looked at the light that's on the motor when you try to move the dish from positioner console in MyTheatre? If it starts blinking red, it means the power to the motor is not enough.

Hey beeb

My motor has been modified (See positioner heart surgery) to run off it's own power supply. The PCI card supplies the power for the indicator light (Green) and the control circuits in the motor, but when the control circuit closes the relay to move the motor the power to the motor comes from a separate external power supply. Less load on the PCI cards. Again this motor works fine from a Twinhan card inside the same computer?????

The indicator on the motor just stays green and the motor doesn't move. It is like there is a disconnect between the diseqc commands and the motor. I feel sure that Saar's enhanced driver is loaded correctly (Also a number of other diseqc movers for Skystar). I wish I knew more on how to trouble shoot this problem, which I feel is a software or computer hareware conflict.

Does the motor need to be reset before receiving commands from a different card (Skystar)?????????????

 

[beeb]

I have never reset the motor and haven't had any problems.

I don't know what the problem may be then, could be the 2 SS2 cards you've tried are faulty, but that's unlikely. I myself also had problems getting the SS2 to work with positioner, thinking that I have installed the modified driver, but I haven't. The safest procedure for installing it is to click on "Update driver" in Control Panel->System-Devices, browse to the MyTheatre Drivers folder and find the skynet.sys there. For some reason Windows did not want to copy the new file over the one in Windows/System32/drivers. Make sure to compare at the end of the installation that the file Windows/System32/drivers is identical to the modified one in MyTheatre's Drivers folder. And, remeber to select "Enhanced Driver" in MyTheatre.
I can't think of anything else to troubleshoot. Unless the surgery you've performed on the motor somehow has prevented the Diseqc commands from reaching the motor. But, then again, if the Twinhan works...

 

[jerryt]

The safest procedure for installing it is to click on "Update driver" in Control Panel->System-Devices, browse to the MyTheatre Drivers folder and find the skynet.sys there. For some reason Windows did not want to copy the new file over the one in Windows/System32/drivers. Make sure to compare at the end of the installation that the file Windows/System32/drivers is identical to the modified one in MyTheatre's Drivers folder. And, remeber to select "Enhanced Driver" in MyTheatre.
QUOTE]

SUCCESS SWEET SUCCESS

Beeb, thanks for all your help!!!!!! I could not have gotten pass this problem without your help. It is people like you that make Satelliteguys.us the best forum on the web. I hope I can repay your help someday.

The problem - Following the directions in; Techinsat's readme included with the SkyStar software (or MiBi SS2diseqc application readme) does not properly install the drivers for diseqc use.

The fix - Install just as beeb wrote above.

This is how I got the SkyStar 2 Diseqc 1.2 drivers installed on both my computers last night.

1) Install PCI card.
2) Use new hardware found screen and browse to the OEM driver included in Techinsat's software.
3) updated B2C2 network adaptor card driver in device manager to Saar's enhanced driver (Skynet) in MyTheatre.
4)Verified in MyTheatre under settings that the enhanced drivers are loaded.
5) Loaded DVBviewer and Techinsat's install programs.
6) Reinstall Saar's enhanced driver "Skynet" with the device manager update driver screen. (interesting note, after step 5, the original "Skynet" drivers had somehow reinstalled themselves????)
7)Again verified in MyTheatre under settings that the enhanced drivers are loaded. (Also shows during the MyTheatre startup splashscreen that the enhanced drivers are installed).
8) Enjoy controlling your motor in the "positioner console".

Thanks again for everyone who helped me.