BATC Forum

Is it absolutely necessary to have the MiniTiouner PC only software? In other words, is it needed for something Portsdown 4 can't do?

I use Apple Mac computers and have no wish to make life any more complicated than it already is. I'm hoping to build a Portsdown 4, which doesn't appear to need Windows, but I'm not sure about the MiniTiouner.

All the Wiki pages refer to Windows for loading software on SD cards, but all of that is so easy on a Mac. So my question; is it possible to get into DATV without a Windows PC?

The MiniTiouner PC software provides a lot more information about received signals than either the Portsdown or the Ryde receivers. However, none of this information is essential, and both the Portsdown and the Ryde receivers provide a readout of the received MER (~signal quality).

As long as you can load an image on to an SD Card, write an additional file to the card and then log in to a Raspberry Pi connected to a wired network, then there is no reason to need Windows.

Dave, G8GKQ

Thank you Dave. This is very good news.

So now I'm wondering if the Portsdown 4 really needs an LCD. I.e. would it be possible to operate it via VNC ?

The Portsdown 4 does need a 7 inch display for normal operation.

Unlike the Portsdown 2020, a number of the features are only available from the touchscreen. The business logic required to make them run reliably was too difficult (time-consuming) to write in a bash script.

Portsdown 2020 is going that way - for example the DVB-T feature that I have just added only works with the touchscreen.

We don't use VNC with the Portsdown - only ssh to a terminal to build it. After that, almost everything is done from the touchscreen.

The philosophy of Portsdown is that it is an "appliance" not a computer. So you turn it on, control it from the touchscreen, and it just works. Think Microwave Oven, not computer.

Dave