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Thread: Austar Flinders / Mystar Advice

  1. #1

    Austar Flinders / Mystar Advice

    Hi All,

    Along with many others I've come to the stage that the incompatibility with the Austar Flinders box has totally done my head in. Being an old newbie (had my Tivo for 4 years and as normal can't or don't want to live without it), the Austar Flinders box issue has driven me to total frustration.

    Obviously I can't use the tivo as intended due to this problem and will try anything do regain the experience that most of you are having. I live in Noosa Heads Queensland so sadly, Austar is the only option (I think), I moved here and have been presented with the rotton Flinders useless boat anchor.

    Although there is a hardware fix that has been shown in December 08, I do not have a circuit diagram (or potentially the ability to construct even if I did) for the hardware IR mod to control the flinders box.

    May I please humbly ask :-

    1) Does anyone have any fix whatsoever for the flinders box (no matter the cost)
    2) Has anyone used a Mystar box with the tivo's IR?
    3) Is there any solution whatsoever to use Austar with Tivo if you don't have an old STB?

    Any suggestions or comments and or advice would be most welcome prior to me driving myself off a bridge.


    Wade

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Perth, Western Australia
    Posts
    3,037
    Being in WA I don't know anyone that has Austar as it is not available here even in country areas, but I have followed the various attempts at making this work.

    One thing that I can't remember being raised is using a regular Humax or Digicrystal STB with your Austar card, as we do have good codes for those. Or is this not possible as the card is married to the box? If this is the case has anyone asked Austar if they can get a non married card as they have caused the issue by replacing the old boxes.

    I am not aware of any IR code that has been made to work with the Flinders box. The only solution that has worked is the hardware translator.

    If you can't find any other solution, there is always SelecTV which is cheaper and available Australia wide, but does not have as many channels.

    Peter
    Last edited by petestrash; 05-02-2009 at 02:03 PM.
    Please search this forum and our Website for your TiVo questions before starting a new thread. Thanks!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Christchurch, New Zealand
    Posts
    463

    Lightbulb Dreambox

    It may be possible to receive Austar on a Dreambox (DM-500S). We are going to Hobart next week to stay with the in-laws who have Austar, so I could test it for you. The only disclaimer is that the IR codes on Dreambox clones are not perfect (you could always buy a real one @ 400Euro)

    TiVo Series3 TiVoHD x2

  4. #4
    Thanks for the replies, firstly I would like to keep the full Austar line up, so that leaves Select TV out of the picture so to speak.

    The Austar cards are married to the box, so its my understanding that I can't use another box (considering I have 4 Humax STB's its a real shame and very annoying). I would assume this will also be the case with a Dreambox.

    If anyone has the information on the hardware translator or if a mystar box works with exisiting TIVO IR codes, I would be most grateful. If anyone has a hardware translator that they would sell I would be a most interested buyer.

    Thanks again, hopefully something may come of this.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Victoria
    Posts
    1,239
    Quote Originally Posted by anynamebuttpg View Post
    If anyone has the information on the hardware translator
    I take it you have not used the forum search with the keyword flinders and seen this thread then?
    http://forums.oztivo.net/showthread.php?t=1977
    Darren King
    OzTiVo Repairs and Modifications
    If your TiVo requires repairs or modifications
    then visit: http://kingey1971.wix.com/tivorepairs

    NOW ALSO REPAIRING FETCH TOO!

  6. #6
    Yes I have seen the post, in fact I contacted Bruce and requested to purchase one, however that has not come about for some reason and there has not been a circuit diagram supplied so I'm really not sure how or who to get to make one, as you can tell from the photos, its hard to even read the IC's.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Victoria
    Posts
    1,239
    From what I can see you need an original Flinders remote to mount the "brains" chip on a converter board and then there is a Microchip 16F627A PIC based CPU chip that would be converting the Sony 30035 TiVo codes and essentially "pressing the right buttons" on the Flinders chip which would then output to an IR LED in the usual fashion. The "sharp" 4-pin chip is an opto isolation coupler that would be taking the incoming IR codes from the TiVo and providing an electrically isolated signal to the PIC chip. He would have done this so that there is no loss of IR signal in the air, as the opto isolator is essentially a LED and a receiver in an encapsulated package that no external light can enter.

    As for what the diagram is and the code program for the PIC chip I cannot say, sorry.

    The Flinders remote chip could be abolished if the Flinders IR generation signals were produced in the PIC chip but the problem with that is you need to then be able to view the IR waveforms and create an emulation of them. Raiding the original chip and just providing a means of electronically "pressing the right button" is much easier for a concept prototype.
    Darren King
    OzTiVo Repairs and Modifications
    If your TiVo requires repairs or modifications
    then visit: http://kingey1971.wix.com/tivorepairs

    NOW ALSO REPAIRING FETCH TOO!

  8. #8

    Smile

    Thanks Darren for that info. I would say that is all well beyond me.

    Can I make a possible suggestion that could be mutually beneficial?

    As I know your the hardware wiz when it comes to TIVO's and my first Tivo that came from George in the USA went directly to you for mods, perhaps you could make these translators up?

    I'm able to supply a new remote, and I know this problem is also an issue for several others (Netmedic). I happy to pay what ever you think you need to charge (considering there may be many hours particularly for the first one), so I certainly won't be expecting anything cheap, or for nothing.

    I know this is not intended to be a commercial forum, however it would be a great help to those such as myself in the Tivo community that are frankly suffering.

    Please let me know

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Victoria
    Posts
    1,239
    That's all fine, and I'm sure that Bruce would allow the PIC software to be made available. But.... Where do we source the original remotes from for the controller chip? I know I said that the remote control chip *can* be made redundant but that requires a LOT of reverse engineering and testing the IR codes and such that the PIC chip then emulates in software what is currently the sole purpose of the remote chip.

    Then of course comes the testing. For that I need a Flinders box. Got any ideas where I can get one of those besides having a PayTV subscription?
    Darren King
    OzTiVo Repairs and Modifications
    If your TiVo requires repairs or modifications
    then visit: http://kingey1971.wix.com/tivorepairs

    NOW ALSO REPAIRING FETCH TOO!

  10. #10
    I can supply you a flinders remote, I actually have three and they are available retail. If I (or anyone else) supplies a remote will that do without the flinders box?

    Obviously this would be making the translator without making the remote chip redundant

    If you still need a flinders box I can send you mine with the sub card.

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