Minitioune V0.8s for all MiniTiouners or MiniTiouners-PRO

[F6DZP]

Hello,

The new version of Minitioune is ready for download.

Minitioune v0.8s can work with all kind of MiniTiouners :

- MiniTiouner V1 (homemade, kit F1CHF, kit BATC ...) with NIM Eardatek EDS-4B47FF1B+

- MiniTiouner V1(homemade, kit F1CHF, kit BATC ...) with NIM SHARP BS2F7HZ0169/Samsung DNBU-10512IST / LG TDQX-S001F

- MiniTiouner V1(homemade...) with NIM Serit SP-2246T

- MiniTiouner V1 + extension nouveau NIM (kit BATC V1+ pcb extension) with NIM Serit FTS-4335 , FTS-4334 or FTS-4339

- MiniTiouner V2 (homemade, kit BATC V2...) with NIM Serit FTS-4335 , FTS-4334 or FTS-4339

- MiniTiouner-PRO (homemade or already built by REF) with NIM Serit FTS-4335 , FTS-4334 or FTS-4339

- MiniTiouner-Express (already built by DATV-express.org/USA) with NIM Serit FTS-4334


Minitioune software must now detect which kind of MiniTiouner is used because they don’t have all the same hardware possibilities.

- If you are using a MiniTiouner V1 (Eardatek, Sharp..), change nothing

- If you are using a MiniTiouner-PRO, change nothing

- If you are using a MiniTiouner V1+extension or V2 ( BATC kit) with a NIM FTS4335 or FTS4334, you must add a resistor between the ground and pin CN2-19.

Resistor for detection of a MiniTiounerV2_.jpg (101.26 KiB) Viewed 7726 times

Go to the download section : http://www.vivadatv.org/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=521

Look at the read-me file.

73
Jean-Pierre F6DZP

[M5TXJ]

Hi all,
I've updated my Minitiouner with an LCD display as per CQ-TV issue 259 and downloaded V0.8s, however I've a couple of problems, probably the same source.

1. I'm getting a pop up box with the message "pb restart USB deviceB"
2. I'm getting 3 green and one red TS "LEDs" therefore no video or PID's detected.

V0.7b still works fine.

73 Dave.

[F6DZP]

Hello,

I suppose you are talking about a MiniTiouner V2.

Could you show the result using TestMyMiniTiounerV2.0a?
- with the new display
- without the new display


"USB device B" is the USB channel that gives the Transport Stream, so if it is not working, you will have no stream, no data, so nothing to find the PIDs or show the video.This part of the device is not affected by the modification for LCD.


What kind of display are you using? OLED?, Digole ? ( and which model?)

Jean-Pierre F6DZP

[g0mjw]

Thanks JP,

It worked first time on my BATC V2 with OLED on Windows 10 32. Not tried it yet on Windows 10 64 but I expect it will be fine.

Mike

[F6DZP]

Perhaps it is just an issue with the Mini-Module initialization.
Sometimes the FT2232H is not well reset or the NIM is not well reset.
With V2 the Minimodule is powered and reset by the USB line (5v) and it is not a good idea I think, with this way of work sometime the reset of the system is not good. I think that first we need to power the MiniTiouner-V2 before we plug the USB cable.
With the MiniTiouner V1, the mini-module was powered by the 5V from the 5V regulator.
There is a modification that can be done on the MiniTiouner V2 to power the FT2232H with the 3.3v produced by the 3.3v regulator on the board.

Jean-Pierre F6DZP

[M5TXJ]

Thanks Jean Pierre, I think it is a mini module driver issue as the Minitiouner (it is a V2) works fine on my shack PC, it's just my laptop which I'm intending to use /P that has the problem. I think I'll delete everything and do a clean install. Thanks very much for some really excellent software.

73 Dave.

[g0mjw]

Perhaps it is just an issue with the Mini-Module initialization.
Sometimes the FT2232H is not well reset or the NIM is not well reset.
With V2 the Minimodule is powered and reset by the USB line (5v) and it is not a good idea I think, with this way of work sometime the reset of the system is not good. I think that first we need to power the MiniTiouner-V2 before we plug the USB cable.
With the MiniTiouner V1, the mini-module was powered by the 5V from the 5V regulator.
There is a modification that can be done on the MiniTiouner V2 to power the FT2232H with the 3.3v produced by the 3.3v regulator on the board.

Jean-Pierre F6DZP

There was a good reason that the BATC V2 was designed to be bus powered. This was not an error, it was not a bad idea but it was done deliberately, it saves on providing a 5V supply rail and I have never had a problem with this, which is after all, an FTDI recommended mode. I suspect the problems are more to do with driver configurations or cables. The FTDI datasheet requires a change with MPROG to self power, as supplied it is set up to bus power. If this is done when Bus powered, that may not work.

Capture.GIF (90.13 KiB) Viewed 7515 times

[F6DZP]

Hello,
I did not want to hurt anybody, If I did, I apologize.
I was aware at the beginning of the V2 design that it will use the 5V furnished by the USB BUS, understanding it was firstly to avoid providing a 5v supply rail (that was required by the NIM Eardatek and no more needed for the Serit) and I did not see any objection, at this time I completely agreed.
And I know enough about the FT2232H to know that it can be self or Bus powered and that we indicate what we do in FTprog.

I don't say that is is an error, but I say that "I think now" that it was not the best choice:
During the last 6 months, I have spent 8 to 10 hours every day for developing and testing all different MiniTiouners and the new version of the Minitioune software.
I have read all posts about some problems people could have found with the software and tried to find why.
When I developed the version 0.6 or 0.7, I have only used a MiniTiouner-Pro.
I have discovered mainly that MiniTiouner V2 and MiniTiouner Pro don't give same result concerning the I2C dialog ( I am working now on a MiniTiouner V2 to understand exactly why and find a way to improve this. I have an idea why that happens, but need to be sure by finding the solution).
Knowing this situation (MiniTiouner V2 takes more time to receive and send the I2C data) I could understand some "no systematic" problems I have never found with a MiniTiouner Pro and fix them.
But, doing many and many tests with my MiniTiouner V2, I have also found that, sometimes, a bad starting of the system due, I suppose, to a bad synchronization of the double reset of the NIM and/or FT2232H. It arrives not very often, but it can arrive.
I have never found this kind of event with the model V1, a MiniTiouner V1 + extension or a MiniTiouner Pro.
Using a Serit NIM, the main difference between a MiniTiouner V1 + Extension and a MiniTiouner V2 is the way the FT2232H is powered and reset.
I have found 2 ways to avoid the bad initialization: always power the MiniTiounerV2 before we plug the USB cable or change the way the FT2232H is powered by using the 3.3v produced by the board instead of using the 5v produced by the PC via the USB plug,(this 5v can be not very good, specially with laptop).
The FT2232H works with 3.3v, not 5V. The Mini-module has a regulator to produce this 3.3v, but we can use directly the 3.3v produced by the MiniTiouner V2, and we don't need any 5V supply rail.

As I said this is not systematic, but it can arrive, and on this forum, or Vivadatv forum, I just want to help people that has a problem and understand what can happen. I cannot just answer "it works with my MiniTiouner", that will not help him.
So perhaps you are satisfied with the 5v bus powered by your PC, but I just say that some people using some PC can have troubles.

I just said that, today, after many tries, I think that the USB powered mode is is not the best choice.

We are just trying to find why Dave had sometimes this kind of result ( with his laptop, not with his desktop, if I understand well)

Jean-Pierre F6DZP

[M5TXJ]

Thanks for all your work Jean Pierre. it is greatly appreciated by me, and I'm sure also by all those like me who havn't a clue when it comes to writing software. You are correct in that it is just my laptop that has the problem, the Minitiouner and therefore its FTDI mini module are working fine. I'm more and more convinced that it is a driver or USB port issue but have not had chance to work on it yet. I will post on here when I have something to report one way or the other but please be aware that I'm not blaming the software in any way, I'm just hoping someone might have some clues to point me in the right direction.

73 Dave

[g0mjw]

But, doing many and many tests with my MiniTiouner V2, I have also found that, sometimes, a bad starting of the system due, I suppose, to a bad synchronization of the double reset of the NIM and/or FT2232H. It arrives not very often, but it can arrive.
Jean-Pierre F6DZP

I think there are two main possibilities here - one is the USB power from the laptop. The other is that we are deliberately running the V2 of a low voltage (3.7V) to minimise the power consumption. This is largely good but it does potentially mean it might take a little longer for the 3.3V supplies to stabilise. Perhaps a few mS extra delay would fix this? If you power the FTDI module off the 3.3V that would also explain why the units reset together.

The reason the entire system is not powered from USB is that the 500mA limit would be exceeded. In practice, using just one TS and not high bandwidth with high order modulation the Serit tuner takes much less current than its specified maximum. It could almost be powered from a USB2 port. USB3 is now becoming the standard and can deliver 900mA and USB-C 1.5A. That raises the possibility, with modern PCs and laptops, of powering the tuner directly from USB. This will not support any phantom supply for LNBs etc. but it might be useful. Has anyone tried this?

Mike