Inside picture of a V-BOX II

Likvid

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The inside of the V-BOX II
 

Lancelot

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I see that IC has been 'casually' placed in the skt. Hand formed and loaded board obviously. But what of the rest of the board ?. Diags anyone ??


L.
 

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Thanks a lot for sharing Likvid :)
 

ilias26

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Sorry for asking but V - box II is a Jaeger or Moteck product? Or is the same?
 

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Likvid, if that is your box I strongly recommend this RF-side mod (will not be perfect, but much better): _http://www.vetrun.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3917
 

Likvid

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Jaeger VBOXII is a original Jaeger and the only one.

There is a clone from Moteck which isn't as good and not close to the original from Jaeger.

However Moteck calls their the same name so watch out if you want the original.
 

ilias26

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Dear Likvid,
I call this a big Taiwan mess.
In the Moteck website http://www.moteck.com/product.asp?idproduct=75 the positioner is called V-box II, but in the Jaeger's http://www.jaeger.com.tw/tvro/superjack/positioner_superjack.htm#ez6000 (what Likvid calls original) I can't find nowhere any mention of any "V-box II" but they call it "model EZ6000" (which is by the way more expensive in this part of the world). Also izefisherman's claim that Moteck positioner is more well build has increased my confusion. Can anyone make a suggestion whether anyone should go for "Moteck" or "Jaeger", thanks.
 

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is the "Superjack DP6600 VBox 2", the jaeger version ?
 

izefisherman

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ilias26 said:
Dear Likvid,
I call this a big Taiwan mess.
In the Moteck website http://www.moteck.com/product.asp?idproduct=75 the positioner is called V-box II, but in the Jaeger's http://www.jaeger.com.tw/tvro/superjack/positioner_superjack.htm#ez6000 (what Likvid calls original) I can't find nowhere any mention of any "V-box II" but they call it "model EZ6000" (which is by the way more expensive in this part of the world). Also izefisherman's claim that Moteck positioner is more well build has increased my confusion. Can anyone make a suggestion whether anyone should go for "Moteck" or "Jaeger", thanks.

Didn't claim anything brandwise.

BUT, the RF-PCB with the F-connectors in the picture Likvid posted is the same as in my V-BOX II branded "Superjack" and that PCB is a real shame.
That PCB in original condition will simply kill off the DX-edge of your antenna/LNB system that you worked so hard for.

Otherwise my Superjack V-BOX II has been working flawlessly.

Ize
 

Likvid

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I have measured the signal loss thru the V-BOXII and their is none.

However when i used a standard Moteck SG-2100 i lost some 0.3dB thru it.
 

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That PCB in original condition will simply kill off the DX-edge of your antenna/LNB system that you worked so hard for.

What do you mean by that mate? As I have a moteck with the 5v out for my greg dish. Works perfectly;)
 

Likvid

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Ok i did some comparison right now with and without the VBOXII using the satfind meter in Enigma.

Left picture is with VBOXII and the right picture is without VBOXII

The difference is neglible.
 

izefisherman

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Likvid said:
Ok i did some comparison right now with and without the VBOXII using the satfind meter in Enigma.

Left picture is with VBOXII and the right picture is without VBOXII

The difference is neglible.

Yes, it was neglible here too when there is a little marigin on the signal. How many SNR % can you throw away on that TP before it breaks up Likvid?

You also probably have a very short run of coax from your balcony dish which means there is ample IF signal strength left even with that loss/mismatch. However, many large enthusiast DX-systems involve long cable runs because it ain't nice to have a 150+ cm dish on the balcony (you should know from your past days with large dishes you refer to in every second posting) so the IF-level will be much lower when it reaches the tuner.

I did measure the actual IF-side loss with a proper lab-grade spectrum analyzer, you didn't measure anything specific at all. The loss is OVER 6dB, plus you introduce huge SWR in your system, that depending on insertion point can worsen things further.

Last but not least, I'm not the only one experiencing the mentioned problems with this RF-PCB and the fix corrected it in at least three cases. Read the vetrun thread again and check the dxtv.de forum on this subject.

That RF PCB belongs in a 1 euro throw-away china toy. End of story. If you can't say it, I'll say it.

Ize
 

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Likvid said:
Ok i did some comparison right now with and without the VBOXII using the satfind meter in Enigma.

Left picture is with VBOXII and the right picture is without VBOXII

The difference is neglible.

I noticed that with the VBoxII in the loop, the world cup feed (Ary Digital) on 15W breaks and is unwatchable. But if I connect the LNB directly to the receiver, the picture is perfect with no breakups.
 

Likvid

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izefisherman said:
Yes, it was neglible here too when there is a little marigin on the signal. How many SNR % can you throw away on that TP before it breaks up Likvid? Ize

It breaks up at 62%, tops out at 73/74% during the afternoon and levels out at 68% in the late evening.

izefisherman said:
You also probably have a very short run of coax from your balcony dish which means there is ample IF signal strength left even with that loss/mismatch. However, many large enthusiast DX-systems involve long cable runs because it ain't nice to have a 150+ cm dish on the balcony (you should know from your past days with large dishes you refer to in every second posting) so the IF-level will be much lower when it reaches the tuner.
Ize

Yes yes.... O-zzz

izefisherman said:
Last but not least, I'm not the only one experiencing the mentioned problems with this RF-PCB and the fix corrected it in at least three cases. Read the vetrun thread again and check the dxtv.de forum on this subject.

That RF PCB belongs in a 1 euro throw-away china toy. End of story. If you can't say it, I'll say it.

Ize

Relax a bit and chill out eh? it's not like the world is going under just because you had problems with it.

You forced me to open my VBOXII to verify my findings and i beleive you have a clone of the Jaeger box.

My board looks the same as yours, but mine also got added components on the board which you don't have from the start so please don't judge people that they are wrong when you don't know the facts behind it. :-doh2

Yes the quality is low but what do expect from a 30 euro unit?

It does it's job good, i have nothing to complain about.

Look at the picture.
 

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Nice to have that RF-PCB difference sorted out Likvid, I appreciate you took the time to verify what your RF-PCB was looking like. Seems Jaeger only have 2 out of 3 possible flaws on their RF-PCB then, only missing the groundplane and a proper dielectric which really isn't too much asking for in my opinion.

It is like having one inch of speaker cable in between to join two coaxial cables supposed to work in the low microwaves... think of it, if the IF-side of LNB's & DiSEqC switches etc. were made using the same philosophy.

What upset me slightly in your reply Likvid, was simply that a man with your mileage in this game know much better than to claim measuring "no significant loss" in the way you did to defend your perfect VBOX II specimen. I gave my modification advice to you as a friendly gesture and to potential V-BOX II buyers as a warning of possible troubles ahead as I know the hard way that not all V-BOX II units out there for sale are proper stuff.

Me on the other hand should apparently not judge a PCB by it's backside only. I guess I generalized too much in my claims and I was perhaps also a bit biased because I really hate when manufacturers cheat on quality.

As for moaning about the quality of a 30 eur device I can only say I paid the double and really thought all those V-BOX II units were the same behind the plastic cover. I was so wrong, paid too much, and had to fix it myself in the end.

You on the other hand Likvid, have been moaning about your miserable dreambox experiences in more than one forum I read every day, so I guess that makes us even then. Contrary to you, I am very pleased with both my dreamboxes and do admit that I also find the DM500 picture quality being "low-end" compared to my DM7020. But hey, what can you expect from the cheapest model (and perhaps a clone) in the line?


So to those still confused V-BOX II buyers: Go for the original no-clone Jaeger model if you want to steer clear of trouble. Maybe Likvid could be nice and post a front picture of his unit so that we can see what the proper goods look like on the shelf.

Here is a picture of my not so good "Superjack" unit with no mentioning of "Jaeger" anywhere:
 

Likvid

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izefisherman said:
Here is a picture of my not so good "Superjack" unit with no mentioning of "Jaeger" anywhere:

Ah ok, the original Jaeger doesn't look like that.

Here is mine below.
 

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Ah ! OK you show me yours and I'll show you mine :-rofl2

I have two 'V-box's' the first one I paid quite a lot of money for and I was under the impression that it was a Jaeger. Not so sure now :confused

These pics are the first one I bought.

No filter components on the RF-PCB :mad: and is rated at 80watts
 

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These are pics of a more recent 'V-box' that I bought for about half the price of the first. :)

It has filter components on the RF-PCB :-worship and is rated at 90watts

The remote control handsets are identical, and either will control the boxes. :mad:

One of the reasons for buying a different model was so that I could operate them separately 'O'-red

Many of the components are understandably the same, the expensive box is perhaps better looking but 'eye of the beholder'.

I have had no problems with either of them, If I needed another I would buy the cheapo one :)
 

Likvid

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Can anyone good in electronics help?

I want to slow down the motor and after reading on the net you should place a resistor before the bridge rectifier, can anyone show where?
 
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