Windows 7 x64 and Two QBOX DVB-S2

[msniper]

Hi Cody

I have a 6980 and a QBOX DVB-S2 in a Windows 7 x64 machine. I added another QBOX DVB-S2 to the machine. It finds the new USB device, names it correctly but them flags it with an exclamation mark and "This device is not working properly because Windows cannot load the drivers required for this device. (Code 31)". It shows the correct driver 2.0.3.5.

If I disable both USB devices and then scan for hardware changes, one will be ok, the other will not.

Thanks in advance!

[cody]

hi, i need to check, because similar bug was fixed in older driver version, but maybe it was re-introduced in newer versions.

[msniper]

Hi Cody

Any update on a fix for this?

Also, these units find less channels and show a much lower signal strength than a 6980 on the same dish. What debugging stuff can I turn on to find out why?

Thanks
Richard

[cody]

Hi Cody

Any update on a fix for this?

hi Richard, this is pending and i will get soon to it.

Also, these units find less channels

they should find the same channels as far as those channels are within specifications of the DVB-S2 tuner and demodulator of Q-box S2, which are different than DVB-S2 tuner and demodulator of TBS 6980/6981. so, can you give me examples, which channels your Q-box S2 can't find, but TBS 6980/6981 can.

and show a much lower signal strength than a 6980 on the same dish. What debugging stuff can I turn on to find out why?

i'm not sure, maybe i already explained it somewhere in the forum, but let me explain it again.

short answer here is - that is not a problem and there is nothing for debugging, because "signal strength" scales are not calculated in the same way and you can't compare them directly, e.g. what 60% for TBS 6980/6981 is, doesn't mean the same for Q-box S2.

long answer is the actual explanation why - Windows use percents for measurement unit, but that's not real measurement unit neither for "signal quality", nor for "signal strength", which respectively are measured and reported by the hardware in dB and dBm. so, every driver use calculation to convert dB and dBm values to percents, but that is not precise calculation - for example: let say "signal quality" is measured by the hardware as 13 dB, but one driver assumes 20 dB should be considered 100% and the other driver assumes 16 dB should be considered 100% then using the simplest calculation for converting the dB value to percents: (13/20)*100 = 65% for the first driver and (13/16)*100 = 81.25%, but from physical point of view the signal measured by both is the same 13 dB. i hope this example give you idea where is the problem - just Windows requires "signal quality" and "signal strength" to be reported in percents and there is no universal/unified/standard way to convert something like dB and dBm to percents or in other words - indeed you can compare hardware in such way, but not with values in percents, but if you know the values in dB and dBm, which is not the case in Windows. for TBS 6980/6981 you can get dB and dBm in Linux and it is also possible to get dB value for Q-box S2 in Linux.

[msniper]

Thanks Cody.
That makes complete sense. Sorry I didn't check the forums first. Promise I normally do
I will post the channels soon.

[cody]

ok, i finally got to this in my list of tasks and looked into it. so, i prepared new test driver for you that should resolve the issue that it's not possible to install more than one Q-box S2 in Windows 7:

File name: qboxs2_win7_test.rar File size: 143.29 KB

please, update your driver using Windows driver update wizard:

"Control Panel -> (System and Maintenance) -> System -> Device Manager -> Sound, video and game controllers -> TBS QBOX DVB-S2 -> Properties -> Driver -> Update Driver"

and let me know your test results - it works good on my tests. if it's OK for you too, we will include the fix in the upcoming driver update for Q-box S2.

thanks,
cody