Manhattan RS-1933 Thread

[brentb636]

Let's open an unofficial RS-1933 thread, to post our observations on the new receiver. Maybe it'll help someone. I just received mine and pulled it out of the box, but I'll have to wait until after dinner now, to hook it up. I'm pretty excited to have a new toy !

 

[avenger]

CONGRATULATIONS..... So Christmas came early.

I hope that your new toy gives you many happy years of service.

Can't wait to hear all the good the reviews.

 

[dougruss]

:behindsofa::clap

And don't forget pictures !!

 

[brentb636]

Well, I've already screwed up the box. I was going to dump the firmware to the usb stick, but inadvertently ( easy to do believe me) loaded a version of Openbox firmware on the box. Since they have the same file names, it can happen without really noticing. My new toy is inop until this problem can be overcome.
Be careful out there , if you also have an Openbox. Easy to be careless.

 

[brentb636]

Here are front and back pics of the box. Simple but everything works. I was watching the composite output as well as the HDMI out together after I scanned 125W, and the composite output looked just fine. That's a plus. Blindscan worked fine on 125W, but since I messed up the stb, I won't be scanning anything else right away.
The receiver arrived from Skyvision ( pre-ordered from Mike Kohl) well package. The receivers box was itself in a larger, peanut packed box. Not likely to get shipping damage with this technique. The menu system is very similar to the Openbox S9, so it's easy to follow. The satellite list selection screen is divided into Ku band and C-band sections, Ku band being first. The remote control has a nice feel to it, reminds me of the Coolsat 5000 remote, not too big , not too small. The remote does NOT conflict with my Solomend 800, which is a blessing, so the two of them can be working at the same time ( a problem when I was using the Solomend and an Openbox S9). Overall I'm initially happy, discounting my being an idiot and loading firmware instead of dumping firmware. More to follow eventually.

 

[woofy]

Well, I've already screwed up the box. I was going to dump the firmware to the usb stick, but inadvertently ( easy to do believe me) loaded a version of Openbox firmware on the box. Since they have the same file names, it can happen without really noticing. My new toy is inop until this problem can be overcome.
Be careful out there , if you also have an Openbox. Easy to be careless.

Brent, I spoke to Jeff about your box, you will need a re-flash of the e-prom to get it working again.

You can send it back for this, shipping will be your cost..the address is on the back of the user manual. or PM me and I'll give it to you.


Please remember guy's..take care and load the proper files for your box.

 

[brentb636]

Thanks Woofy,
I've talked with Mike Kohl, and now I've sent for an RMA to the support address in the manual. We'll see what happens. Eventually, I'm sure , I'll be back in business. Thanks for your interest.

 

[Anole]

Seems straightforward to fix it in-place...

 

[Mr Tony]

Why would you load new firmware in it? Doesnt it come with the newest in it already?

 

[brentb636]

Why would you load new firmware in it? Doesnt it come with the newest in it already?

I was trying to DUMP the firmware but got careless and selected UPGRADE. Big problem was that the USB stick had firmware on it from Openbox S9. If the USB stick had been empty, no problem would have evolved, but instead the Openbox firmware ended up getting loaded into the Manhattan eeprom. Now I've got a screwed up reciever, and it's very much my fault . I've been a fool before, I suppose, but never so publicly .

 

[turbosat]

I thought I had all the luck, lol. Hope you get it back quick Brent. Lesson learned.

 

[Jim S.]

So it doesn't just reject firmware from another box? Quality programming there! I've tried loading firmware from other boxes on my Solomend and it always tells me that they're the wrong version. I wonder what would happen if you loaded Manhattan firmware onto an Openbox, instead of the other way around? Is anybody with the means to recover a bricked unit game to try it?

 

[davidpo]

The best option is to have a backup firmware in write protected memory for situations like this. I reckon whoever designed this box didnt think of situations like this. Just more piss poor planning that 99% of companies do these days. The nook color has this option if you load a custom firmware and it hoses your nook you can easily recover.

 

[stone1150]

The best option is to have a backup firmware in write protected memory for situations like this. I reckon whoever designed this box didnt think of situations like this. Just more piss poor planning that 99% of companies do these days. The nook color has this option if you load a custom firmware and it hoses your nook you can easily recover.

He said the firmware had the same name..... What does that have to do about planning or designing of a receiver? Even Pansat who has been around for years was subject to getting the wrong software loaded onto it if the operater made a wrong move. When do we start taking a little responsibility for ourselves and stop blaming others for our actions? Piss poor expectations if you ask me.

originally posted by Jim s

So it doesn't just reject firmware from another box? Quality programming
there! I've tried
loading firmware from other boxes on my Solomend and it always tells me that
they're the wrong version. I wonder what would happen if you loaded Manhattan
firmware onto an Openbox, instead of the other way around? Is anybody with the
means to recover a bricked unit game to try it?

Several receivers over the years have been "cloned". Others "Bricked" Loading the wrong firmware onto the wrong box can happen and it don't make or break any company or design. It is the performance that count's. Not weather the operater happens to have a bad day and make a mistake. Nothing in this world is idiotproof. Brent manned up. Big kudos for that. It can happen to the best of us. Now let's see just what the performance of this new receiver is as opposed to everyone being an armchair engineer. Honest and forthcomming reviews so the manufacturers can refine the receiver if needed. I don't know of too many receivers that are targeted to the North American market like this one is supposed to be. Have a great day!

 

[Anole]

I'm not an armchair engineer, and have designed real products.
Loading a file with a particular name is fine.
But checking the file for signatures or other validity marks is mandatory to make sure you don't load bad data.
So, there's really no excuse.

On the other hand, I'd wager there's a secret three-finger salute (button-press) you can give it, to make it boot the proper file.
I'd doubt it's as broken as it appears.
If it really needs a JTAG to fix it, then that's a poor design (which I doubt).
You should be able to recover in the field.

It's preferable to keep a dedicated thumb-drive for each receiver.
That way, there's no chance of mixing up the executable or data files between different brands.
This last point is just my personal preference, but it helps.

 

[woofy]

I was trying to DUMP the firmware but got careless and selected UPGRADE. Big problem was that the USB stick had firmware on it from Openbox S9. If the USB stick had been empty, no problem would have evolved, but instead the Openbox firmware ended up getting loaded into the Manhattan eeprom. Now I've got a screwed up reciever, and it's very much my fault . I've been a fool before, I suppose, but never so publicly .

The Manhattan it seems has auto correction built in, so the following should work.
Use a clean USB stick, you will need a previous 4meg file ( I have one if you need it)

Load just the file and nothing else on the stick.

Turn off the Manhattan from the rear switch.

Plug in the USB stick with the file.

Turn the Manhattan back on and it should read the file and reset itself.

 

[brentb636]

The Manhattan it seems has auto correction built in, so the following should work.
Use a clean USB stick, you will need a previous 4meg file ( I have one if you need it)

Load just the file and nothing else on the stick.

Turn off the Manhattan from the rear switch.

Plug in the USB stick with the file.

Turn the Manhattan back on and it should read the file and reset itself.

Well, Jeff sent me the files, and I tried the recovery technique a number of times, but it didn't work. He had me send the unit back to Tony for manual eeprom reprogramming. It's in UPS hands now. Clearly, several different things coming together caused this incident.
1. My very casual attitude with a receiver I'd never dealt with before, using a usb stick with Openbox files on it.
2. The Manhattan's willingness to accept the wrong files and flash the eeprom.
3. My selecting to UPGRADE the receiver from the menu, rather than DUMP the receiver.
4. Probably a few beers also entered into the picture.
So now I get to wait a little longer to play with the new toy. However, when it comes back it has it's own labeled usb stick, and a area reserved for it's files on my hard drive .

 

[mr3p]

Brent,
Sorry to hear of your misfortune. Looking forward to hearing your comments when it returns.

 

[hwm]

It is disappointing that it will not auto-load and self-recover from a bad software load via USB at bootup. Bad or corrupted software loads are a common problem in my experience.

 

[brentb636]

It is disappointing that it will not auto-load and self-recover from a bad software load via USB at bootup. Bad or corrupted software loads are a common problem in my experience.

I expect that having a North American support team, this issue will be addressed sooner , rather than later. Let's hope .