DM7000 1.10 Image problems & FlashWizard Multi-boot

[td03-5]

Hi Folks,

I have just spent a frustrating weekend trying to get my DM7000S running on FlashWizard multi-boot with a 1.10 base image in flash memory.

My system is a DM7000 with 4 way DiSEqC switch using 3 inputs for 13E, 19.2E & 28.2/5E.

Background:
My first images were 1.07.....way back! I used the old DreamFlash multiboot system then with 'interesting' images in a 256MB USB stick and a DMM 1.07 in Flash.

When 1.08 images came along, I switched to using FlashWizard, still using the same 256MB stick with a DMM 1.08 in Flash. Far better, far easier a super tool!

Continued with FlashWizard and the same USB memory stick for 1.09 images. Here things began to get a little more difficult. There was no suitable DMM 1.09 image and the first Flash image I chose gave me problems. When I tried a CVS image all worked OK and I used this image until 1.10 images came along (in fact I used it for much longer!).

It was not possible to install the later 1.09 nor 1.10 images in multi-boot with my early 1.09 CVS image in Flash. So I tried (several years ago) to install a 1.10 image in Flash and run the multiboot images in the same USB stick using FlashWizard.....failure. I will describe what happened in a mo as I've just been through it all again!

So (several years ago) I put back the 1.09 CVS image and then used the FlashWizard feature that allows you to install other peoples Backup Multi-boot images regardless of base image. My most used image recently has been a Gemini 4.60 (installed from somebodies backup) as I like Gemini images.
I have continued like this until Friday when I decided to try again at installing a 1.10 image in Flash as other peoples DM7000 backup multi-boot images are becoming rarer on the upload sites.

The (repeat) saga begins:-

Boxman CVS DM7000 1.10 image:
Installed OK in Flash but would not boot with my trusty USB stick plugged in! Unplug stick and it boots OK. Can't plug stick in afterwards as it's not recognised as present. Tried another USB stick and boots OK. Format and mount stick OK. Install FlashWizard multi-boot menu OK. Install a Gemini 4.60 image in multi-boot using FlashWizard. Install goes OK but image unstable.....keeps crashing. Install a Gemini 4.70.....same as above. Flash erase several times and put it all back on....same each time...unstable.

SCVS DM7000 1.10 image from the i-have-a-dreambox (Gemini) site:
Installed OK in Flash but would not read the trusty USB stick. Same boot hang as above. Used the new USB stick and all seemed OK. Installed Gemini 4.60 and 4.70 from .img files...all OK. No instability, images seem to be working fine but....wait a minute...what's this strange annoying effect!! When I switch from TV to Radio if the TV channel is on Vertical Polarisation and the Radio channel is on Horizontal then it is flagged as "can't be found"!! Select another Radio Channel on a different satellite or polarisation...comes up OK...re-select first Radio Channel and it works OK! Go back to TV and the (Vertical) channel you left comes up OK but select a Horizontal channel on another Satellite and.....you've guessed...."can't be found"!! Thought box had coincidentally developed a polarisation voltage fault so checked with multimeter tonight and 19v (ish) Horizontal, 13v (ish) Vertical....so no problem there.

CVS Sat Linux DM7000 1.10 image:
Pretty much an exact repeat of the above SCVS saga but with a different boot logo (I've watched it many times!!).

Old CVS DM7000 1.09 image:
So, in exasperation....and still thinking that the DM7000 may be faulty....I fired up FlashWizard and put back into Flash the backup I made of my trusty old 1.09 CVS image. Added the FlashWizard multi-boot menu. It reads my trusty old USB stick. It also reads my new stick and runs my Gemini 4.70 image (installed while I had a 1.10 base Flash image). Both Gemini 4.60 and 4.70 multiboot images are stable with no crashing. The strange and annoying "can't be found" fault when switching between TV and Radio channels has gone! All is working as well as it did before I started medling but I have got a Gemini 4.70 which I didn't have before!

So.....my questions:-
Has anybody got a 1.10 image working, with no problems in Flash memory on a DM7000? Has anyone got FlashWizard Multi-boot working problem free, with 1.10 images on a DM7000?
Why are the drivers for my first USB stick missing from 1.10 images?
What causes the failure to correctly switch between satellites/polarisation with a 1.10 base image?
Why have I not seen other people complaining of these problems?
Am I the only one still using anything as old as a DM7000!!??

Best wishes, (a very exasperated) John.

 

[td03-5]

OK, simpler version of this problem!

Why do Enigma 1.10 images installed in flash memory, have a problem switching between TV and Radio channels (when both a satellite & polarisation change are required)?
Does it only affect the DM7000S (certainly affects mine)?
Is it only when using DiSEqC switching (I use 4 way DiSEqC switch)?
Does it only affect Boxman CVS, S-CVS and Sat-linux CVS 1.10 images (the 3 I tried)?
Has anybody else noticed this problem?

If anybody thinks it's just a Dreambox quirk, it's not!
My old '1.09 beta CVS' image has no problem switching from TV to Radio and back.
Also, its general channel switching seems faster and smoother than those 1.10 images!

Any FlashWizard multiboot image installed on the 1.10 image inherits the problem.

Any response would be appreciated.

Best wishes, John.

 

[WillowMan]

Just seen this. In case you haven't sorted it. I have a DM7000S with a 1.10 Flash Image working OK. The flash image is SCVS 2.6.9 downloaded from the Gemini site. I use Gemini 4.7 mostly. I used to use pli but they stopped supporting multi-boot

 

[td03-5]

Hi @WillowMan,

Thanks for the reply. No, problem not resolved, I'm just living with it.
I still have my trusty 1.09 image in flash and, like you, mostly use a Gemini 4.70 image in multi-boot.
So, do you use DiSEqC switching?
If so, do you suffer this probem:

When I switch from TV to Radio if the TV channel is on Vertical Polarisation and the Radio channel is on Horizontal then it is flagged as "can't be found"!! Select another Radio Channel on a different satellite or polarisation...comes up OK...re-select first Radio Channel and it works OK! Go back to TV and the (Vertical) channel you left comes up OK but select a Horizontal channel on another Satellite and.....you've guessed...."can't be found"!!

Can you switch channels, as described above, without any problem?

The only other thing I have discovered since posting the above, is that when I have a signal meter in line between the DM7000S and the DiSEqC switch a similar problem happens even with the 1.09 base image! Take out signal level meter and all is OK again (with 1.09 base image).
So I did wonder if my problem is at least partly related to the resistance or inductance or even capacitance of the coax between DM7000S and the DiSEqC switch, in some way upsetting the DiSEqC switching. This then leaves the question of why the DiSEqC switching in a 1.10 base image is less robust than that in an old 1.09 image?

I need the switching to be 100% reliable as I use a system I call DreamSwitch to switch channels in response to stream calls on particular port numbers (eg: port 8050 streams sound of 4fun TV -13E - V, 8051 sound of Viva Polska - 13E - V, 8052 sound of Clubland TV - 28.5E - H, 8053 sound of Dance Nation TV - 28.5E - V, 8054 Radio channel Sunshine Live - 19.2E - H, 8055 radio RMF MAXXX - 13E - H, 8056 radio RTL Groove - 13E - V, etc.). If the channel switching is not 100% on all channels that I use for this, it gets in a total muddle. With the 1.09 base image, all works perfectly (on the 1.10 multiboot images), with a 1.10 base image it is unusable.

Best wishes, John.