On 1 July 2010 15:29, <a href="mailto:toby@np.co.nz">toby@np.co.nz</a> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:toby@np.co.nz">toby@np.co.nz</a>></span> wrote:<br><div class="gmail_quote"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
I'm due for a backend upgrade and thinking of picking up a Dell 2650 or<br>
2850.<br>
These have PCIx slots.<br>
<br>
Does anyone have any experience running a Skystar2 and or PVR150 card in<br>
these slots.<br>
<br>
I understand the PVR150 needs modification, but am not sure what it is.<br>
<br>
Any suggestions would be useful.<br></blockquote><div><br>I thought I'd give this a go myself, and I have not had a great deal of success unfortunately.<br><br>PVR-150s are notched as universal (3.3 and 5v) cards[1] so they physically fit, however they will not work in a PCI-X slot without having a couple of surface mount capacitors or something replaced. I have two PVR-150MCEs and inquired with Hauppauge about what modifications were required. After being bounced around the world I got put in touch with a chap in Singapore who said that they could modify the cards to work in PCI-X slots, and it would cost USD$50 per card, plus shipping and handling. I elected that that was too much to spend so didn't get it done (a big factor was the 6 weeks or whatever it would have taken which is a long time to have no Sky feed into Myth = WAF--).<br>
<br>The Skystar2 I have is notched for 5v only[2] so it doesn't even go into the PCI-X slots in my server (which are notched for 3.3v only)[3].<br><br>On the upside, the Nova-TD500 works perfectly, and even comes with a low profile bracket, allowing me to use one of the three free low profile PCI-X slots in my server, theoritically leaving the free full height ones for the PVR150s or Skystar. Hrm.<br>
<br>As a result my plan to do what you are planning resulted in the database, master backend and Nova-TD500 being in the server and the Skystar2 and one of the PVR150s being in a slave backend on an old P4 2.4 I had lying around. It's not terribly clean but it's working for now.<br>
<br>Sounds like a good idea, and probably would be pretty good with USB tuners, but PCI-X slots are more trouble than they're worth for this sort of application unfortunately.<br><br>My 2c anyway. :)<br><br>[1] <a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PcZW7qTDL._SL500_AA300_.jpg">http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PcZW7qTDL._SL500_AA300_.jpg</a><br>
[2] <a href="http://img261.imageshack.us/i/skystar2bx4.jpg/">http://img261.imageshack.us/i/skystar2bx4.jpg/</a> <br>[3] <a href="http://linuxtidbits.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/pci-pcix.jpg">http://linuxtidbits.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/pci-pcix.jpg</a><br>
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