Mediagate MG-35 -- new firmware available [Text View] - Page 17

blinky88

05-01-08, 09:35 AM

To Teddystaker,

Remember whilst reading the following, it isn't nice to laugh at another persons stupidity.

Ted, I received the MG35 today and it is playing everything I can throw at it, I am pretty happy with my buy. So before dinner, I thought I would go into setup and make settings to suit my gear. I ventured into network and saw it was setup for a network ..so.. I removed the IP number etc. then powered off.

After dinner we sat down to watch a movie and was confronted with a blank screen and message "NO SIGNAL". I guess the missing IP must be the reason. I then pressed setup on the remote and nothing, I then pressed every god-dam button I could hit .... nothing.

Question 1: Is there a way to restore factory settings with the remote, if not, how do I get it operational again.

Now members, get up off the floor, it 'really' is rude to laugh.

Question 2. It has F/W 1.5.1 loaded, knowing that it will not be on a network and will be used solely for movie storage (tranfers from my PC) and nothing else, is there a need for me to load F/W 1.5.2 ..ie.. if I do manage to get it going again ???

Members of this thread, it can happen to anyone ..ie.. if you happen to be stupid.

Cheers to all from downunder,
Bob

blinky88

05-01-08, 04:00 PM

G'day Ted,

Found the problem, I'm colour blind and simply plugged the video cable into the wrong socket. Really thought I stuffed up everything by deleteing the IP.

Only question now is: Since it has F/W 1.5.1 and I am using it solely to transfer movies from my computer into the MG35 do I have anything to gain by upgrading to 1.5.2 ???

The grey matter isn't what it used to be.

Cheers,
Bob

J. L.

05-01-08, 04:26 PM

I downloaded the new firmware 1.5.2 for the MG-45 last evening and flashed it before trying to play a ripped copy of Chicago (full DVD9 on my NAS - not in iso form but the actual ifo, vob files).

Unfortunately, I encountered the same problem as before with stuttering after about a few minutes of play. The only thing I could do was to stop play and then it complained that the file was unplayable and then went back to the menu that is presented when the unit is turned on. I navigated back to the file again and fast forwarded to the place where the stuttering occurred and this time it played fine.

Not sure if this was an isolated case - I'll run some more tests over the next few days. Incidentally, the same file plays fine via my computer that is connected by wireless to the NAS (the MG-45 has a wired connection)I just happen to have Chicago in my collection of DVDs. The ISO image plays perfectly here. Looking at it using "gspot" it shows it as having an average bit-rate of 5300 Mb/s. This is nowhere near the highest I've seen. What you described occurs when LAN connectivity is lost and network time-outs occur.

I'm guessing it was some other activity on your LAN that resulted in the breakup of the movie... especially since it played properly on a subsequent try.

Over a wireless link all bets are off. I can sometimes play a DVD ISO over a 802.11G link to my laptop with an occasional stutter, but that has nothing to do with the MG-35. Wireless connections really depends on other traffic on the LAN and activity on other wireless links in the area (translation = interference).

Joe L.

teddystacker

05-01-08, 04:45 PM

Bob,

Sorry for late reply,its my wifes 50th birthday today , so been out pretty much the whole day..

Ok,good to hear u got your 35 working again.

Which firmware are you using? ie are you using the "stock" Al Tech firmware with the awful "Battleship Gray" inteface or "our" spiffy New Blue one?

If you are using 1.5.1 Gray Al Tech one , I suggest you upgrade to the 1.5.2 Al Tech Firmware here:

http://********/yN3Hp

Once you have done this then upgrade to our superb blue one located here..

You must do it in this order..

http://link.pigsinspace.ca/firmware/MG35_1.5.2.0-b1-JD_Eng_User.upgrade

Hope this helps , please feel free to ask any other questions you like..

Regards,

Teddy

G'day Ted,

Found the problem, I'm colour blind and simply plugged the video cable into the wrong socket. Really thought I stuffed up everything by deleteing the IP.

Only question now is: Since it has F/W 1.5.1 and I am using it solely to transfer movies from my computer into the MG35 do I have anything to gain by upgrading to 1.5.2 ???

The grey matter isn't what it used to be.

Cheers,
Bob

Sankar

05-01-08, 05:49 PM

I just happen to have Chicago in my collection of DVDs. The ISO image plays perfectly here. Looking at it using "gspot" it shows it as having an average bit-rate of 5300 Mb/s. This is nowhere near the highest I've seen. What you described occurs when LAN connectivity is lost and network time-outs occur.

I'm guessing it was some other activity on your LAN that resulted in the breakup of the movie... especially since it played properly on a subsequent try.

Over a wireless link all bets are off. I can sometimes play a DVD ISO over a 802.11G link to my laptop with an occasional stutter, but that has nothing to do with the MG-35. Wireless connections really depends on other traffic on the LAN and activity on other wireless links in the area (translation = interference).

Joe L.

I am using a wired LAN, but point well taken. Of course, on a subsequent try it just got stuck elsewhere.

I think that I see your point - what you are saying is that IF the source had been the problem, it should've occured again at the very same spot - right? The fact that it happens again but at a different spot suggests that it's probably a network clog - right? Makes sense.

This could well be the case since the files reside on a NAS that also is accessed from other machines in my home. I could connect a dedicated external drive to the MG-45 and see if that resolves this issue.

I wonder though why this never happened when I was using my earlier media player (a Eureka LX350HD) in exactly the same location and also when I play the movie via my PC (which btw is connected via 802.11n) upstairs. Is it the case that there is some kind of buffering going on with the other units which is not done in the MG-45?

teddystacker

05-01-08, 06:57 PM

I wonder though why this never happened when I was using my earlier media player (a Eureka LX350HD) in exactly the same location and also when I play the movie via my PC (which btw is connected via 802.11n) upstairs. Is it the case that there is some kind of buffering going on with the other units which is not done in the MG-45?

I think the reason might be error checking/error recovery, some players and or playing software is better at recovering from errors than others.
I remember when DVD's first came out,I used to play them on the PC with the "Xing" dvd player software,but this used to freeze over and over again.So i switched to "Powerdvd" and this played exactly the same dvds perfectly.After doing some research,I was not the only one this happened to and I found out that "Powerdvd" has much better buffering and error recovery routines.

I suspect its similar with the MG,maybe your Eureka could recover from errors better for some reason.

@Joe -when you have time , would it be possible for you to rip Chicago and play it as the raw ifo/vobs , to see if it plays ok , as opposed to putting it inside a .iso - maybe putting it into a .iso causes the MG to play it in a different mode with more buffering etc to guard against errors , I think its worth a try , if you have the time..

Regards

Teddy

Sankar

05-01-08, 07:08 PM

I think the reason might be error checking/error recovery, some players and or playing software is better at recovering from errors than others.
I remember when DVD's first came out,I used to play them on the PC with the "Xing" dvd player software,but this used to freeze over and over again.So i switched to "Powerdvd" and this played exactly the same dvds perfectly.After doing some research,I was not the only one this happened to and I found out that "Powerdvd" has much better buffering and error recovery routines.

I suspect its similar with the MG,maybe your Eureka could recover from errors better for some reason.

@Joe -when you have time , would it be possible for you to rip Chicago and play it as the raw ifo/vobs , to see if it plays ok , as opposed to putting it inside a .iso - maybe putting it into a .iso causes the MG to play it in a different mode with more buffering etc to guard against errors , I think its worth a try , if you have the time..

Regards

Teddy
Thanks for the explanation Teddy!

I could save Joe some hassle and create an iso myself from the ripped files to see if that works. Will do that this weekend and report!

:)

J. L.

05-01-08, 07:52 PM

@Joe -when you have time , would it be possible for you to rip Chicago and play it as the raw ifo/vobs , to see if it plays ok , as opposed to putting it inside a .iso - maybe putting it into a .iso causes the MG to play it in a different mode with more buffering etc to guard against errors , I think its worth a try , if you have the time..

Regards

Teddy
Will do. I'll rip them now and transfer the files to my server. It probably will be tomorrow when I'll be able to play the ripped VOBs and see the effects as the den TV (where the MG-35 with the new 1.5.2 version is loaded) is being used right now.

Joe L.

blinky88

05-02-08, 11:28 AM

Bob,

Sorry for late reply,its my wifes 50th birthday today , so been out pretty much the whole day..

Ok,good to hear u got your 35 working again.

Which firmware are you using? ie are you using the "stock" Al Tech firmware with the awful "Battleship Gray" inteface or "our" spiffy New Blue one?

If you are using 1.5.1 Gray Al Tech one , I suggest you upgrade to the 1.5.2 Al Tech Firmware here:

http://********/yN3Hp

Once you have done this then upgrade to our superb blue one located here..

You must do it in this order..

http://link.pigsinspace.ca/firmware/MG35_1.5.2.0-b1-JD_Eng_User.upgrade

Hope this helps , please feel free to ask any other questions you like..

Regards,

Teddy

Hi Ted,

Happy Birthday to your wife, tell her life begins at fifty. We have recently celebrated our 50th Anniversary, I would like to be fifty again.

It has 1.5.1 Royal Blue interface, looks good. I was thinking because I only bought the devise to transfer movies from my computer to watch on TV. Reading the posts I thought 1.5.2 was really for improving streaming over a network.

Ted, can you please tell me if having the IP address allocated is essential or can you choose not to have an IP address.

Have a great day,
Bob

J. L.

05-02-08, 12:11 PM

Ted, can you please tell me if having the IP address allocated is essential or can you choose not to have an IP address.

Have a great day,
BobIf you are not connected to a network, or connected and only use NDAS (which uses MAC Address instead) then I don't think you need to worry about the TCP/IP address. If you leave the option set to DHCP, then one will be assigned automatically if you ever connect to a most networks.

As far as 1.5.1 vs 1.5.2... Altech did say they fixed one or two other bugs... one with navigation in the setup menu, and another when selecting/de-selecting items for a playlist. If those do not affect you, then no need to upgrade at this time.

For many of use who do stream media over the LAN and have a media server with DVD ISO images, 1.5.2 is a huge improvement, and fixes an inefficiency that was first introduced in version 1.4.5. (I've not upgraded until now from 1.4.4 because of that bug)

Joe L.

J. L.

05-02-08, 12:14 PM

Will do. I'll rip them now and transfer the files to my server. It probably will be tomorrow when I'll be able to play the ripped VOBs and see the effects as the den TV (where the MG-35 with the new 1.5.2 version is loaded) is being used right now.

Joe L.
I just finished watching Chicago using the full DVD ripped as VOB files in a VIDEO_TS folder. I selected the VIDEO_TS.IFO file and pressed play. No problems at all, no stutters, no breakup.

Joe L.

teddystacker

05-02-08, 05:58 PM

@Joe,

Thanks for your efforts in testing this..at least we know that its not a firmware issue..

When yuu get a min , can you test .Iso digital sound (I dont have a digital receiver) , as we have had a report that digital sound does not work in 1.5.2 when playing iso's..

Thanks again,

Teddy

I just finished watching Chicago using the full DVD ripped as VOB files in a VIDEO_TS folder. I selected the VIDEO_TS.IFO file and pressed play. No problems at all, no stutters, no breakup.

Joe L.

Sankar

05-02-08, 10:18 PM

I just finished watching Chicago using the full DVD ripped as VOB files in a VIDEO_TS folder. I selected the VIDEO_TS.IFO file and pressed play. No problems at all, no stutters, no breakup.

Joe L.

Thanks Joe! This helps me since I now can focus elsewhere for the solution to my problem. :)

J. L.

05-03-08, 06:56 AM

Thanks Joe! This helps me since I now can focus elsewhere for the solution to my problem. :)When you play the movie, are you pressing "Play" on the top level "CHICAGO" folder, or are you navigating to the VIDEO_TS folder and then selecting the VIDEO_TS.IFO file to play?

The first method will not play smoothly, as the MG-35 will simply load and play each VOB in turn with a slight pause between them. The second method will play smoothly. It is the reason I do not rip to individual files.. too much hassle to find and play the correct VIDEO_TS.IFO file in the movie folder.

In any case, my network performance improved when I put in a different network hub. I use a belkin 1000Mbit 8 port switch. I know the MG-35 is only a 100 Mbit connection, but my media server and some other machines on the lan are 1000Mbit capable. Prior to that I was using a 100Mbit port built into my wireless lan router/switch.

Joe L.

J. L.

05-03-08, 07:01 AM

@Joe,

Thanks for your efforts in testing this..at least we know that its not a firmware issue..

When yuu get a min , can you test .Iso digital sound (I dont have a digital receiver) , as we have had a report that digital sound does not work in 1.5.2 when playing iso's..

Thanks again,

TeddyI have a digital receiver, but the MG-35 is not cabled to use it, as I use the HDTV to do the switching of audio for me. (it has a PCM digital out that is sent to the receiver)

Joe L.

blinky88

05-03-08, 09:10 AM

If you are not connected to a network, or connected and only use NDAS (which uses MAC Address instead) then I don't think you need to worry about the TCP/IP address. If you leave the option set to DHCP, then one will be assigned automatically if you ever connect to a most networks.

As far as 1.5.1 vs 1.5.2... Altech did say they fixed one or two other bugs... one with navigation in the setup menu, and another when selecting/de-selecting items for a playlist. If those do not affect you, then no need to upgrade at this time.

For many of use who do stream media over the LAN and have a media server with DVD ISO images, 1.5.2 is a huge improvement, and fixes an inefficiency that was first introduced in version 1.4.5. (I've not upgraded until now from 1.4.4 because of that bug)

Joe L.

I will upgrade it to 1.5.2. Not too sure if I know the right sequence.
!.) I put the upgrade file in the movies section.
2.) I press play on the remote control.

Joe, is that all there is to it, keeping in mind I am upgrading from 1.5.1 with the Royal Blue Interface.

By the way, this is a great devise.

Again thanks Joe, appreciated.

Sankar

05-03-08, 09:43 AM

When you play the movie, are you pressing "Play" on the top level "CHICAGO" folder, or are you navigating to the VIDEO_TS folder and then selecting the VIDEO_TS.IFO file to play?

The first method will not play smoothly, as the MG-35 will simply load and play each VOB in turn with a slight pause between them. The second method will play smoothly. It is the reason I do not rip to individual files.. too much hassle to find and play the correct VIDEO_TS.IFO file in the movie folder.

I don't have the VIDEO_TS folder at all on my drive - just the VOB and IFO files in a folder called "Chicago" and I believe that I pressed the Play/Enter key on the first IFO file. ...

In any case, my network performance improved when I put in a different network hub. I use a belkin 1000Mbit 8 port switch. I know the MG-35 is only a 100 Mbit connection, but my media server and some other machines on the lan are 1000Mbit capable. Prior to that I was using a 100Mbit port built into my wireless lan router/switch.

I have a 8 port NetGear 1 Gigabit switch that the NAS (an Infrant ReadyNAS) and the MG-45 plug into. There are 3 other wired computers connected via the Gigabit switch (all running at 1000Mb speeds) of which only 2 are on all the time (the third is a media HTPC which was not on when the MG-45 was playing). There is also a 802.11n PC and 2 802.11g computers connected. So its possible that some other file was being accessed from the NAS - though I think it unlikely since no one else was at home then and the machines were idle.

I'll try two tests :
Put the files on media PC hard drive and play them from there. That PC is a brand new build and should be idle
Stick in one of my backup SATA drives with the movie into the MG-45 and try

J. L.

05-03-08, 11:22 AM

I don't have the VIDEO_TS folder at all on my drive - just the VOB and IFO files in a folder called "Chicago" and I believe that I pressed the Play/Enter key on the first IFO file. ...

I have a 8 port NetGear 1 Gigabit switch that the NAS (an Infrant ReadyNAS) and the MG-45 plug into. There are 3 other wired computers connected via the Gigabit switch (all running at 1000Mb speeds) of which only 2 are on all the time (the third is a media HTPC which was not on when the MG-45 was playing). There is also a 802.11n PC and 2 802.11g computers connected. So its possible that some other file was being accessed from the NAS - though I think it unlikely since no one else was at home then and the machines were idle.

I'll try two tests :
Put the files on media PC hard drive and play them from there. That PC is a brand new build and should be idle
Stick in one of my backup SATA drives with the movie into the MG-45 and try
Try selecting the VIDEO_TS.IFO file and pressing play on it. It is not the same as pressing play on the first VTS_01_0.IFO file.

jaipa

05-04-08, 08:47 AM

J. L.

05-04-08, 09:00 AM

>1) Freecom mediagate 35, whith firm 1.52 ip 192.168.0.103
>2) popcorn hour a.100.
>ip 192.168.0.104, mask 255.255.255.0 name pch, user NMT, pass 1234
>
>i need de firm to see de freecom in mi POPCORN in samba, whitout on the
>pc, is posible?
>
>if it is posible, can you gime a firm modificate?
>
>o how can i modificate this?
>It is not possible without the PC. There is no SAMBA server in the MG-35, and probably never will be, as it is simply too big to fit.

With the PC, and with NDAS enabled on the MG-35, and configured on the PC, and with the MG-35 NDAS drive on the PC shared, you will be able to see the files on the MG-35 on the POPCORN (through the PC)

I would not want to try to play much through the link though as the NDAS connection is fairly slow.

Frollo

05-04-08, 12:11 PM

I gotta thank you guys for the links to the new firmware. I was ready to ditch the MG-35 and this firmware has given it a new lease on life. Watched a few hours last night streaming from my PC and no glitches at all - smooth like it was on the hard drive. And the new blue interface - sleek.

Makes me feel like I just got something new!

jaipa

05-04-08, 04:43 PM

:confused:

Thank JL,

but the server is the popcorn, i need create a client and folder in the NMG-35 to access from the popcorn call client NMT and pass 123.

i think is posible,

or is posible why web??

the popcorn is a server the multiplex conexions.

P.D. My english is bad, sorry

tedy, please,tell me what do you think about it

Thanks

jaipa

05-04-08, 04:45 PM

are you shure?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank JL,

but the server is the popcorn, i need create a client and folder in the NMG-35 to access from the popcorn call client NMT and pass 123.

i think is posible,

or is posible why web??

the popcorn is a server the multiplex conexions.

P.D. My english is bad, sorry

tedy, please,tell me what do you think about it

Thanks

Sankar

05-04-08, 07:51 PM

Try selecting the VIDEO_TS.IFO file and pressing play on it. It is not the same as pressing play on the first VTS_01_0.IFO file.

Thanks Joe. Actually that is what I was doing (playing the VIDEO_TS.IFO file). I ran a few more tests and here is where it gets interesting:

I tried playing different movies from my Infrant ReadyNAS using the MG-45. None of the dvd images played without stuttering after a few minutes!
I then copied the files to a different PC on my network and tried playing them from there. The MG-45 played them without a hitch!
The movies on the Infrant play smoothly on all my PCs including the ones with a wireless connection!
I have a movie that is compressed to AVI files (2-cd size) on my Infrant. The MG-45 played them perfectly fine.

So, it's not the MG-45, it's not the Infrant ... but the two don't like each other when the bitrate is high! At lower bitrates they seem to get along fine!

Any suggestions on what I could try? I'm aware of the "obvious" solutions of either compressing all my movies (can't and don't want to - I have way too many images) or copying them to a local hard disk (again, that is not feasible in my setup). Is there some network setting (I tried simple QoS settings) that I could try?

teddystacker

05-04-08, 09:47 PM

[QUOTE=Sankar;13794201]Any suggestions on what I could try? QUOTE]

Has the drive that contains the dvds that are causing the problems been de-fragged of late? , maybe the slight delay a fragged drive would cause is just enough to cause the stutter 9the error correcting thing again) , just a thought..

Regards

Teddy

Sankar

05-05-08, 12:16 AM

Has the drive that contains the dvds that are causing the problems been de-fragged of late? , maybe the slight delay a fragged drive would cause is just enough to cause the stutter 9the error correcting thing again) , just a thought..

Regards

Teddy

I believe that the Infrant has its own hardware based defragmenter that works in tandem with its X-RAID drives ... so no I have not explicitly defragmented it. The read/write speeds are rather fast -- I can even now copy a full dvd-9 in around 5 minutes from the Infrant to any of my other machines that have a wired connection.

One thing that I am considering is to give the Infrant a static IP - currently it gets an IP from the DHCP server (my cable router DLINK DIR-655) ... maybe its losing packets in re-updating its IP? I'm just fishing here ...

jaipa

05-05-08, 09:49 AM

[
Pleasem i think is posible??

I'm attempting to use 10.4 as my file server and was wondering if anyone else has gotten it to work and/or could elaborate on the said process above. I know the MG-35 works via the Network because I can get it to access a shared volume with XP S2 -- but am having no luck with OS X. Of course, the provided documentation is completely mum on the issue.
I had some problems getting my MG-35 to work with SMB under Linux preserving the opportunity to have security = user. This is how I solved the problem (the example is for one share holding your private files, requiring username and password and the other one is a public share granting all users read and write access). You will also need to create a samba user called “guest” (command: smbpasswd -a username), use any password if your not allowed to create a new user with an empty password and reset the password to null (command: smbpasswd -n username):

File: /etc/samba/smb.conf

[global]
workgroup = YOUR_WORKGROUP_NAME
netbios name = YOUR_SERVER_NAME
passdb backend = tdbsam
security = user
encrypt passwords = true
guest account = guest
null passwords = yes
socket options = TCP_NODELAY

[Private]
comment = Private files on server
path = /path/to/privte/files
read only = no
valid users = your_user_account

[Public]
comment = Public files on server
path = /path/to/public/files
invalid users = root
guest ok = yes
public = yes
writeable = yes

i,don´t have linux, can you hel me??

thx

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUOTE=jaipa;13793322]are you shure?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank JL,

but the server is the popcorn, i need create a client and folder in the NMG-35 to access from the popcorn call client NMT and pass 123.

i think is posible,

or is posible why web??

the popcorn is a server the multiplex conexions.

P.D. My english is bad, sorry

tedy, please,tell me what do you think about it

Thanks[/QUOTE]

rinopla

05-05-08, 02:53 PM

Hi. I've been working with my MG-35 during two months. Yesterday I noticed that I can power on the device using the power botton or the remote control as it is supposed to be. Here the problem: I can't power off or control it after it is powered on. I tested removing the hard drive and conecting the network or both. When I plug in/out the network I can see in the TV that "pc-network" turns on/off. It is working fine, but it doesn't responde to
commands through the remote control or the control panel.

NDAS it is working too. I can put files in it using the network or using de usb without problems.

Could anybody help me to solve this problem?
I really appreciate any help.
Thank you a lot.

MG-35 1.5.2
NDAS 3.20.1528
IDE 120 gB

Pablo

Sankar

05-05-08, 03:32 PM

rinopla

05-05-08, 03:42 PM

aljimenez

05-05-08, 04:28 PM

Hi, Sankar. Thanks for your reply

I verified it. The battery is ok. The problem is that I can not control (just power on) the MG-35 pressing the power botton on the front panel or using the remote control.
rinopla

I'm pretty sure your remote control has failed. Early on when I bought my MG, the remote control started mis-behaving. I opened it up and saw a cold solder on the beam device. I was able to solder it and it has been working ever since. At that time I became nervous about this rinki-dink remote control and pursued getting a programmable. Now there are the Harmony remotes with all the MG boxes programmed. I recommend you look into replacing your remote with one of the programmable ones like the Harmonys. Do a search onthis as it has been discussed before... Al

Sankar

05-05-08, 04:37 PM

Hi, Sankar. Thanks for your reply

I verified it. The battery is ok. The problem is that I can not control (just power on) the MG-35 pressing the power botton on the front panel or using the remote control.

rinopla

Hmm ... so you cannot control the MG-35 using neither the remote nor the buttons on the player? That would seem to point the issue at the MG-35 itself.

rinopla

05-05-08, 04:58 PM

Hi, aljimenez.

Actually I have an "One For All" remote Control (URC-8910B02). It is programmed to control the MG-35. I think that the problem is not about the remote control because I can not control the MG-35 using the bottons that are in the mg-35 front panel eather. I have tried connecting and disconnecting the power cord, reseting the MG-35 to the factory default (without success).

Is there any way to reset the MG-35 with a reset botton, a jumper or anythingelse without using the front panel bottons?

rinopla

rinopla

05-05-08, 05:00 PM

Exactly!!
I cannot control the MG-35 using neither the remote nor the buttons on the player.
I only can turn the MG-35 on.

rinopla

aljimenez

05-05-08, 07:30 PM

teddystacker

05-05-08, 07:55 PM

Yes a hardware reset may do it (do a search for it). Sorry that I missed that you couldn't even use the front buttons. Also your power supply (the outside rectangular box between the wall outlet and the MG) may be broken; this is the next likely candidate... Al

Sadly the hardware re-set is for the MG-350HD , as far as I know there is only a software reset for the 35 and you need Remote control access todo that..

Regards

Teddy

rinopla

05-05-08, 08:02 PM

Yes a hardware reset may do it (do a search for it). Sorry that I missed that you couldn't even use the front buttons. Also your power supply (the outside rectangular box between the wall outlet and the MG) may be broken; this is the next likely candidate... Al

Thanks, Jimenez.

I have tested the power supply outputs with my tester. It is given 5v and 12v as it is in PS description. It is ok.

I will look for the hardware reset procedure. I will post if that solved the problem.

Thank you again..

rinopla

rinopla

05-05-08, 10:45 PM

Thanks, Jimenez.

I have tested the power supply outputs with my tester. It is given 5v and 12v as it is in PS description. It is ok.

I will look for the hardware reset procedure. I will post if that solved the problem.

Thank you again..

rinopla

ok. I did not find a way to do a hardware reset to my MG-35. Does anybody know a way to do a hardware reset?

Thank you

rinopla

J. L.

05-05-08, 11:31 PM

ok. I did not find a way to do a hardware reset to my MG-35. Does anybody know a way to do a hardware reset?

Thank you

rinopla
This is a longshot, but... might the infrared sensor on the MG-35 be seeing a source of interference? This might be flooding the controls with spurious signals masking the good ones from your remote.

Plasma TVs often have this problem.

If you move your MG-35 to another location, away from other equipment and strong light, does it still not work?

As already said, there is no hardware reset on the MG-35. Just a software one, but you need the remote to do that.

Joe L.

Topcatwa

05-10-08, 06:41 PM

Its does not suprise me that this is a Windows Issue , its just a case of tracking down what this "Security Update".

If you manage to track down the ID no. of the update concerned , please let us know,as I am sure many other will have this heppen to them also..

Suggest you "de-install" each update one by one , until the sharing styarts working again , I know this will take some time , but will track down your issue for sure..

Regards

Teddy

To Teddystacker.
Went over to the Al Tech forum where you submit Q & A & submitted problem there. So from your suggestion did a system restore back to a time when the problem didn't occur & found after uninstalling many updates that the cause of the fault was an image backup program I use called 'Acronis True Image Home Edition 11.0'. As soon as I unstalled this program the Mediagate was once again able to see my PC shared folders & play the media files. I have emailed Acronis of the problem with their software to see if the network share conflict can be solved as this is an excellent image backup program.

Thanks for the input & hope this helps others who happen to use Acronis products. :):)

igeorge

05-12-08, 10:31 AM

teddystacker

05-12-08, 11:59 AM

Hi Ian,

And welcome to the Medigate world..

1)Don't forget to visit my MG-35 Yahoo group,where you can download MG-35 firmware with a much better "Royal Blue GUI",makes that standard "Battleship gray GUI" one look so sad.. Details are in my Sig..

2)Yes , it can be done , you need to "Share out" the NDAS Mg-35 once its mounted (details on how to setup drives for "sharing" are in the manual).The you can connect both machines to your wired network , and you can stream from the NDAS MG , but NDAS is a little slow , so depending on what you want to stream , you may get some stutter , esp on dvd's,as the NDAS conection is just not fast enough sometimes.

I have also connected one MG-35 to my computer via USB , and streamed from it that way also..

Please feel free to ask any questions , either here or at my Yahoo group , as we were all "newbies" once..

Regards

Teddy

Hi All

Do you know if the MG-35 can play media off another MG-35's HDD (with
NDAS enabled)? If so, what are the settings required.

At the moment, my non-HDD MG-35 cannot see the other MG-35, and I'm
not sure if I need to change some settings, or whether its impossible.

Thanks
Ian

J. L.

05-12-08, 12:58 PM

Hi All

Do you know if the MG-35 can play media off another MG-35's HDD (with
NDAS enabled)? If so, what are the settings required.

At the moment, my non-HDD MG-35 cannot see the other MG-35, and I'm
not sure if I need to change some settings, or whether its impossible.

Thanks
IanA MG-35 cannot directly play media off of another MG-35.
However, you might be able to play low bit rate files (mp3's perhaps) by installing NDAS software on one of your windows PCs, then mounting remotely the MG-35 that has the files you wish to play.

Once you have an NDAS "disk drive" on the PC that represents the files on the MG-35, it might then be possible to share it on your LAN.

This "share" would then make the contents of the first MG-35 available to a second MG-35.

As I said, it might work for low bitrate files, you will have to see if it is fast enough to work in your situation. I tried it here and was able to play mp3 music files, but not able to play .avi files without them stuttering.

Joe L.

igeorge

05-12-08, 01:41 PM

J. L.

05-12-08, 03:40 PM

Teddy,Joe thanks for the replies...

It seems I'll have to get a proper NAS box, as I was hoping to not have the interoperability dependent on a PC being on for that to work. I'd hoped to use one of my 2 MG-35 as a NAS device, but it falls over if they need a PC for the one to see the other. :(

Any recommendations on a NAS box (that can stream?). I've a PS3 in the mix as well, besides the MG-35's and XP pc's....

Cheers
IanI have an unRaid server from lime-technology.com It can easily stream to multiple clients. I store full size ISO images of my DVDs to make it easy for my family to play movies on several MG-35 players in the house.

It is basically a slightly modified version of raid4, uses one drive for parity, and I can add and upgrade the other drives as I find sales. I've currently got about 4TB of storage in 10 drives of various sizes. One huge advantage of unRAID is the drives do not need to be identical, they can even be a mix of IDE and SATA.

The basic version is free, you can download it and use it on a spare PC. It will handle up to three drives (usually parity + two data drives) so you could get as much as 2TB of storage fairly easily. The OS boots from a flash drive, and for the "Plus" or "Pro" versions can handle 6 or 16 drives.

Joe L.

d0gbyt3

05-15-08, 05:55 AM

Hello guys..
Great to see theres a community supporting and even upgrading the MG machines.
I got my hands on a Freecom Network Mediaplayer-45 yesterday. These are supposedly brand new. The 45 isn't even on the freecom website (yet).
all they mention over there is the 450, which is basically just a 45 with wlan.

To Teddystacker;
Could you tell me whether the custom firmwares are likely to work on my model?
And if you'd like i could do some testing with your assistance..

grtz

d0gbyt3

05-15-08, 07:39 AM

Well, i was getting impatient already :)
So I tried upgrading the firmware. I first did the official 1.5.2 from Airlink and then the modded GUI version.
I wasn't able to find anything wrong. I.e. it worked perfectly.
However, I'm very much interested in the really modded firmware versions. Specifically ftp and samba support?
I saw something about FTP support on an older version of the modded firmware.
Maybe I could get in touch with you via mail or MSN? Since I have a couple more questions to bother you with.

grtz

teddystacker

05-15-08, 09:28 AM

@d0gbyt3

Welcome to the MG World.. hope you enjoy your player , made even better by the Royal cBlue GUI firmware..

Ok, yes , as you already found out the MG-45 and Freecomm player 45 are exactly the same and firmwares are interchangeable.

The 450HD adds much more than just Wlan , it adds, HD support via HDMI , FTP server and clinet , UPNP so you can use third party programs like TVersity,and also NFS for the Linux guys! and SKIN support! , so you can change the GUI yourself!!

The Developer firmware for the MG-35/45 is available at my MG-35/45 yahoo group located here, and is also discussed there - suggest you spend a few hours reading some of the older posts and also the MG35/45 Wiki to being yourself up to speed..

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mg-35_firmware_mods/

http://mediagate.pbwiki.com/

However unlike the (non developer) MG-45 firmware with New GUI , the "Developer" versions REALLY are beta , and before using them we suggest you purchase a "Serial Recovery Cable" (details at the Wiki) , so should anything go wrong you can recover your machine.

Also , if you are going to use the "Non developer" , Royal Blue GUI , please consider making a small $ donation towards the development group , details on how todo this are on the front page of the Yahoo Group..

Please feel free to any any other general questions here , but questions on the "developer" version of the firmware , should be asked at the Yahoo group..

Kind Regards,

Teddy

Well, i was getting impatient already :)
So I tried upgrading the firmware. I first did the official 1.5.2 from Airlink and then the modded GUI version.
I wasn't able to find anything wrong. I.e. it worked perfectly.
However, I'm very much interested in the really modded firmware versions. Specifically ftp and samba support?
I saw something about FTP support on an older version of the modded firmware.
Maybe I could get in touch with you via mail or MSN? Since I have a couple more questions to bother you with.

grtz

d0gbyt3

05-15-08, 10:59 AM

Oh damn,
That sounds like I shouldn't have bought the 45 but the 450.
Would you recommend me to switch to the 450? Because i already have a buyer for my 45 :)

grtz

teddystacker

05-15-08, 12:17 PM

Yes,as the 450 does have lots more features..

Regards

Teddy

Oh damn,
That sounds like I shouldn't have bought the 45 but the 450.
Would you recommend me to switch to the 450? Because i already have a buyer for my 45 :)

grtz

Grendel666h

05-22-08, 04:22 PM

Hi,

I have tried just about everything on my Freecom 350. I have been through the manual a lot and searched a bit on the internet, but whatever I try, I cannot get my box to see the share on my pc.

My pc can see the box and I can transfer files wirelessly without a problem. But I cannot stream from my pc down to the box.

It's very frustrating! It's not that much of an issue, as I have a hard drive in and I can just copy files across as I need them. But the hard drive is full, so it would be nice to be able to access my library of files on my pc.

Any ideas? I've tried DHCP and static ip addresses, but just can't seem to get them right.

I can access the internet and internet radio, so I know there is some connection.

Do I need the ftp server setting up? When I try to access that I just see 'C' but nothing else and it cannot connect.

Any advice, help, extremely welcome.

Thanks,

Gareth.

Grendel666h

05-22-08, 04:36 PM

Ok, scrap all that.

I found somewhere that told me to use the SAMBA protocol and make sure my local security settings, user rights assignments didn't have guest in the deny option.

I can now access any share on my pc! Cool!

teddystacker

05-23-08, 11:23 AM

Hi Everyone,

I am trying to compile a database on which 1TB hard Disk Drives have been *confirmed* to work in the MG-35 or MG-45 (or its many clones).
If you use a 1TB drive in your unit,could you please post details of the drive's make and model number here , and I will add it to the database at the main Al Tech site.
Thanks for your help..
Regards,

Teddy.

sreev

05-23-08, 05:03 PM

Sorry if this has been answered before - could not find with search. My MG-35 is connected to a Denon receiver with a digital audio coax cable. Audio is fine when playing DVD iso files but when I play MP3, there is no audio. I tried both encoded digital and DPCM settings. Do I need to connect analog stereo cables too? I was expecting the digital out to work for all media.

teddystacker

05-23-08, 05:20 PM

@sreev

This has never been reported before..

1)Did you reboot the MG in between changing the Analog/digital setting?

2)Are you using the latest 1.5.2 firmware?.

I don't have a digital receiver myself,so cannot confirm this..

Can anyone else confirm?

Regards

Teddy

Sorry if this has been answered before - could not find with search. My MG-35 is connected to a Denon receiver with a digital audio coax cable. Audio is fine when playing DVD iso files but when I play MP3, there is no audio. I tried both encoded digital and DPCM settings. Do I need to connect analog stereo cables too? I was expecting the digital out to work for all media.

teddystacker

05-24-08, 12:59 PM

@sreev

I created a thread on this, at my MG-35 Yahoo group , as you will see from the answers here, I don't this this is a problem with the MG-35..

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mg-35_firmware_mods/messages

Regards,

Teddy

teddystacker

05-24-08, 05:00 PM

J. L.

05-25-08, 12:13 PM

Here are a couple of Youtube videos that my wife and I created today , nothing that professional,but they do detail the basic look and functions of the New Mediagate MG-250HD,and were also fun to do.
Comments are welcome here or at the MG-250,350,450 Yahoo user group.
TeddyTeddy,
Nice job on the videos.

Questions: I see the MG-250 comes with a small pouch that can be used when transporting it, but I'm a bit confused when you would need the pouch.

From what I saw, the MG-250 must be plugged into the docking station to be used. Is this true, or will the unit work with some kind of adapter cable if you want to use it at a friends house to play a movie?

When would (or could) you use the MG-250 when not in the docking station?

Does the unit simply work as an external USB disk when not in the docking station? Or can it be used in the car to play videos and music, without the bulky docking station?

If used as a USB drive, must the unit be unplugged from the docking station to connect the USB cable?

When used as a USB drive, does it get all its power from the USB cable, or do you still need to plug in the power pack?

If you need a power pack when used as a USB drive, do you have to unplug the power pack from the back of the docking station and use it? (Would seem to make the docking station far less convenient if true)

Is it similar to the MG-35/45 in that all media playing functions are disabled when a USB cable is plugged in?

I know it does not have network capabilities, but can it access files on an external USB hard disk plugged into it?

Are additional "docking stations" available? to make that feature actually something that adds value?

I guess I am saying, if I want to add a new movie to the MG-250's hard disk, would I have to remove it from the docking station,
put it in its protective pouch, move it to my PC, remove it from its pouch, plug in the USB cable, go back to the docking station, unplug the power adapter, (put it in the pouch :confused:) move to the PC, plug it into the MG-250, plug the MG-250 into a USB port via a USB cable, transfer the file, repeat the steps in reverse finally ending up with the unit back in the docking station and the power adapter reconnected?:eek: If I'm only moving the unit to the next room to be adjacent to my PC, do I really need the pouch?

Quite honestly, I would prefer that the docking station would offer something that would not be available otherwise. In my opinion, the docking station should have included a LAN network adapter. When docked, the MG-250-N-D (the non-existent network model in my dreams) could then access LAN based content. When un-docked, it would play content from its own disk. A less bulky video interface cable (less bulky than the docking station) would let you take it to a friends to play content on their HDTV, or use it in the car when traveling (finally, the pouch would serve a true purpose) Am I missing something?

Is a "travel cable" and additional power supply available, or must you always use the docking station to play ANY content?

Joe L.

teddystacker

05-25-08, 10:24 PM

Hi Joe,

Thanks for your kind comments , and these are some great questions.As you may have guessed there is a "bigger picture" here - that cannot be explained in just a 2 min video..

The 250 is really part of the Medigate "Anydrive x2" that will be released later on this year - there is a great Korean review here:

http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ko&tl=en&u=http://www.anydrive.co.kr/atboard_view.php%3Fclass1%3Dclub%26class2%3DeReview%26page%3 D1%26kind%3D%26uid%3D550%26keyfield%3D%26key%3D%26product%3D

I think the idea also is that users will also buy a extra docking station that will make the unit much more portable.I have suggested to Al Tech that it would be great if they could come up with just a simple AV cable that could plugin to the bottom of the unit,as a "cheaper" soloution to buying a extra dock.But I guess that would be only a Composite type cable , so you would loose the HD functions , unless you buy another cradle to provide the HDMI output etc..

The drive can be used with a "double head" USB cable , to eliminate the need to plugin the PSU while connected to USB (I use one myself).But this is something that the user would have to buy themselves,as some USB ports put out more than 5V , you cannot blame Al Tech for not including one as standard,as they don't want to be responsible for blowing up your nice 2.5" 200gig drive.This has happened to me with anpother brand standard USB 2.5" enclosure in the past,so I understand their logic here.All 2.5" hard drives have a different tollerence to how much over voltage they can take.

So if you use a "Anydrive X2" or another docking station the famous .50c pouch would get some use :-)

Yes the 250 does have to be unplugged from it dock to connect to USB , there is no USB connection on the cradle..

Yes , when used as a USB,the player function are disabled.

Usb operation is Slave only like the MG-35 , ie you cannot access files if you pligin a USB external drive to it , ie there is no HOST USB connection like the 350/450.

Yes , I am pretty sure extra dockings stations will be sold.

I agree the docking staion has its plus and minus , but as you see, the main idea of this unit is to be unsed in conjunction with the Anydrive x2..

But I also agree , depending on how the user wishes to use it , some "tweaking" with external cables etc could make it much more user friendly..

THanks again for your great questions..

Regards

Teddy

Teddy,
Nice job on the videos.

Questions: I see the MG-250 comes with a small pouch that can be used when transporting it, but I'm a bit confused when you would need the pouch.

From what I saw, the MG-250 must be plugged into the docking station to be used. Is this true, or will the unit work with some kind of adapter cable if you want to use it at a friends house to play a movie?

When would (or could) you use the MG-250 when not in the docking station?

Does the unit simply work as an external USB disk when not in the docking station? Or can it be used in the car to play videos and music, without the bulky docking station?

If used as a USB drive, must the unit be unplugged from the docking station to connect the USB cable?

When used as a USB drive, does it get all its power from the USB cable, or do you still need to plug in the power pack?

If you need a power pack when used as a USB drive, do you have to unplug the power pack from the back of the docking station and use it? (Would seem to make the docking station far less convenient if true)

Is it similar to the MG-35/45 in that all media playing functions are disabled when a USB cable is plugged in?

I know it does not have network capabilities, but can it access files on an external USB hard disk plugged into it?

Are additional "docking stations" available? to make that feature actually something that adds value?

I guess I am saying, if I want to add a new movie to the MG-250's hard disk, would I have to remove it from the docking station,
put it in its protective pouch, move it to my PC, remove it from its pouch, plug in the USB cable, go back to the docking station, unplug the power adapter, (put it in the pouch :confused:) move to the PC, plug it into the MG-250, plug the MG-250 into a USB port via a USB cable, transfer the file, repeat the steps in reverse finally ending up with the unit back in the docking station and the power adapter reconnected?:eek: If I'm only moving the unit to the next room to be adjacent to my PC, do I really need the pouch?

Quite honestly, I would prefer that the docking station would offer something that would not be available otherwise. In my opinion, the docking station should have included a LAN network adapter. When docked, the MG-250-N-D (the non-existent network model in my dreams) could then access LAN based content. When un-docked, it would play content from its own disk. A less bulky video interface cable (less bulky than the docking station) would let you take it to a friends to play content on their HDTV, or use it in the car when traveling (finally, the pouch would serve a true purpose) Am I missing something?

Is a "travel cable" and additional power supply available, or must you always use the docking station to play ANY content?

Joe L.

Grumpa

05-26-08, 07:35 AM

teddystacker

05-26-08, 10:15 AM

Hi,

I really have little insite to what it "coming" in this regard , but Al Tech are not unique in their NDAS approch as oppsed to the device operating as a real NAS.The reason for this is that the networking features of most of these units (not just Al Tech's) are built into the Sigma Designs processor chip that carries out network functions.Take the New Popcornhour and Istar players for example, network functions on these plays are similar to that of the Medigate, ie slow..
But I think that both Al Tech and Sigma know that shortcomings networkwise , and I would suspect the next generation of players will have a better type of network support , but like all things these days , this will come at a increased cost.. For all these player makers its a balance between cost and increased features.. TVix for example are great units but some of them are three times the price of a Mediagate unit..

Regards

Teddy

Teddy ... thanks for the YouTube videos. Is there any chance any of AirLinkTek's products will ever come with a "real" LAN NIC connection, and not the NDAS type? If you are running a home LAN it just seems to cripple it use without one. (in my opinion)
As the previous poster hinted, the docking station would have been the perfect location ...

J. L.

05-26-08, 10:16 AM

Teddy ... thanks for the YouTube videos. Is there any chance any of AirLinkTek's products will ever come with a "real" LAN NIC connection, and not the NDAS type? If you are running a home LAN it just seems to cripple it use without one. (in my opinion)
As the previous poster hinted, the docking station would have been the perfect location ...Many of AlTech's products have a real LAN connection. That is not the underlying reason for the NDAS type of connectivity. We already have LAN connectivity, we do not have the ability to write to the disks through the LAN except when using NDAS.

The underlying reason is that the existing NTFS file system in the MG-35/45/250 is a read-only implementation. The NDAS driver bypasses the file-system driver and simply presents the disk blocks to the windows PC and takes advantage of your PC's knowledge of how the file-system should be managed.

There has been some progress towards making a read/write NTFS filesystem under Linux. A real breakthrough came with the ntfs-3g project. This however is not part of any official MG-35/45 release, and probably not part of the MG-250 either.

Very Recently,(last week) an unofficial MG-35 alpha "developer only" upgrade for the MG-35 was created that incorporated the ntfs-3g driver. It is the first that allows full read/write capability to the NTFS file system. The ntfs-3g driver uses a lot of memory, so playing some media types cannot occur with it loaded. It does work with MPEG4 media. The developer suggests unloading the ntfs-3g module and using the stock ntfs module to actually play MPEG2 based media (play DVD images) once files are moved to it. (to allow the memory to be used in decoding the MPEG2 content instead of for the ntfs drive) In addition, he described the writing of files to an NTFS file-system extremely slow as the process of allocating space took a long time.

So, one limitation is the amount of RAM, the other a limitation of processor speed. Both get in the way of what many would love to see, a fully writable NTFS file system from over the LAN. Both limitations are in the basic hardware... something we cannot change.

I do expect that the unofficial "developer releases" of firmware will figure out a compromise of some kind in time. Perhaps some kind of auto-mount of the read/write driver, only when necessary, or an easy script of commands that can be run to put it in place before moving files to the MG-35/45 and remove it when done.

In my opinion, the MG-250 docking station would have been a perfect place to add a network interface. I have no idea if the docking connector has the pins available to do this, but in my opinion, they made a big mistake if they did not.

I see from the link Teddy supplied, the mg-250 is designed to eventually dock in a mobile media player/navigation display. That is one product I could never use, as a navigation system MUST be visible to the driver, and a media player (by law) MUST NOT be visible to the driver when the car is in motion. It should only be visible to the vehicle passengers.

It appears as if the mobile nav-system/display can take a video feed and that is where the MG-250 is used. Personally, I use an LCD display mounted on the passenger sun-visor. It is connected to one of my MG-35's when we are traveling. I play the audio through the car sound system via an RF modulator.
The passenger can watch movies. I use a seperate nav-system for directions, it is a smaller display visible to the driver.

I believe that the recent iPod docking station craze has gotten to the marketing folks at AlTech. I wish them luck, but the MG-250 product line does not make much sense to me so far.

To be useful, the MG-250 should be able to be used out of the docking station. (Just like the iPod) with a simple cable to let you play via composite video, or component video at a friends house, or in the car, on the car's built in media display (many have the ability to be fed a video input). Have two cables available... two sales, most will buy both if priced right)

I looked at the MG-250 manual, available at the AlTech site, it says the power adapter must be connected to the MG-250 when using the USB cable. Unfortunately, only one power adapter is supplied. Since it is connected to the back of the MG-250 docking station, it is inconvenient to move new media to the MG-250 unless you unplug the power adapter from the docking station. Great, a docking station, designed so we don't have to deal with plugging in a lot of cables, and we are still forced to turn it around to plug/unplug the power cable every time we want to load media on the MG-250. At a minimum, have spare supplies available for purchase, so we can put one near the PC... and spare docking stations too.

The docking station would be a perfect place to have a LAN connection, and even a processor of its own to reduce the overhead of the processor in the media player. Perhaps, sometime soon, an upgraded optional docking station with a LAN adapter built in can be developed. Then, finally the fabric pouch will be used... transporting the MG-250 from home to car, and to a friends house to play a movie. When at home, the LAN connection would allow access to all the media on our home servers... I can dream, can't I :D

In the interim, check out Teddy's MG-35 Yahoo group for developments in the unofficial MG-35 firmware projects, but be warned,the ntfs-3g read/write capability is very much an "alpha" release at this time. It has nothing to do with AlTeck, and is completely unsupported by them. You probably should have a serial cable to be able to de-brick your MG-35... just in case.

Joe L.

sreev

05-27-08, 05:47 AM

teddystacker, thanks for kindly creating a thread at your Yahoo group. I have 1.5.1 now but will also try 1.5.2. I didn't think of the possibility that the receiver might have a problem decoding MP3 stream. Excellent group you have there!

@sreev

I created a thread on this, at my MG-35 Yahoo group , as you will see from the answers here, I don't this this is a problem with the MG-35..

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mg-35_firmware_mods/messages

Regards,

Teddy

sreev

06-01-08, 11:09 AM

I finally figured out what the problem was. Although I was passing 'encoded digital' to my receiver, for non Dolby Digital streams, volume needs to set on MG-35. I was not expecting this for any digital stream so was not looking at the volume setting on MG-35 which was at 0. Now, it works fine with just digital coax cable.

blinky88

06-10-08, 11:46 AM

I am looking for an additional power supply for my MG-35 and am unable to buy one for a reasonable price in Australia.

I did find one at the following address for $24 however they will not post to Australia:
<http://www.xpcgear.com/psmg35.html>

Looking for suggestions from anyone who might be able to point me in the right direction.

Cheers from downunder.

teddystacker

06-10-08, 01:24 PM

The Mediagate Distributor in OZ should have them in stock.
Http://www.anyware.com.au

Their "contact us" page , has all the phone numbers etc..

Regards

Teddy

I am looking for an additional power supply for my MG-35 and am unable to buy one for a reasonable price in Australia.

I did find one at the following address for $24 however they will not post to Australia:
<http://www.xpcgear.com/psmg35.html>

Looking for suggestions from anyone who might be able to point me in the right direction.

Cheers from downunder.

blinky88

06-11-08, 01:30 PM

Thanks Teddy, could not find that company in my google searches, appreciated.

Cheers.

Frenik

06-12-08, 06:40 AM

That's because Anyware are a wholesaler.

Another option may be to see if you can find a cheap 3.5" external hdd enclosure, as a lot of them have a 5v/12V power supply using the same type of plug. However, be warned as some also have different pinouts and the 12V and 5V lines are reversed. This will surely fry your mediagate should you plug it in without checking first.

MrDanka

06-12-08, 10:18 AM

Oh my! I have been able to find somewhere someone that speaks about this unit :D

I really want to buy the one without HDD , called Network MediaPlayer-45 Drive-In Kit,
but I'm struggling really to find the difference between this and the 450.

As far as I can see the only missing thing is the WLAN connectivity, which is absolutely fine for me.

Unfortunately the Freecom webpage is doing a poor job in linking the detailed product description :

45 Model
http ://www .freecom-shop.ch/freecom-network-mediaplayer45-drivein-inside-p-1394.html

Details : http :// www .freecom-shop.ch/redirect.php?action=url&goto=freecom.concertopro.ch%2Fproductinfo%2Fpdf%2Fkm%2FDatas heet_Network_MediaPlayer-450_DEF.pdf

450 Model

http:// www .freecom-shop.ch/freecom-network-mediaplayer450-drivein-inside-p-1397.html

Details : http :// www. freecom-shop.ch/redirect.php?action=url&goto=freecom.concertopro.ch%2Fproductinfo%2Fpdf%2Fkm%2FDatas heet_Network_MediaPlayer-450_DEF.pdf

As you can see they link the same product for both models.

Of course I do need the HDMI connector :)
And I will install the 1TB Hitachi HDD, but buying it separately costs lots less.

Thanks for helping me out.

teddystacker

06-12-08, 12:06 PM

Hi,

The 450 offers many more features than just wireless over the MG-45..

Skins - you can have 10 custom Skins for the GUI.
FTP server - The 45 Does not have this.
Iradio - you can listen to Iradio Shoutcast radio stations.
The ability to stream from one 450 to another.
The ability to play HD files such as XvidHD,.TS , and display them in TRUE 1080P rez (with HDMI).
Other protocols than just Samba.
You can add a USB external drive for more storage by the 450's USB host port - the 45 only has a slave port.

Be careful with the 1TB drives , as remember , the 450 was designed before 1tb drives came out - so ensure you can return it, if it does not work in your unit.
You can find a list of drives that are working 100% at my MG-250/350/450 Yahoo group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MG-350HD_Support

or here at the main Al Tech Website.

http://www.airlinktek.com/english/atboard_view.php?class1=cs&class2=faq&page=1&notice=y&kind=&uid=2184

Pleasse feel free to ask any other qiestions here or at the two other locations mentioned above,

Full specs on both products are here at the main Al Tech site:

http://www.airlinktek.com/english/product.php?prod=mg450hd

Regards

Teddy

Oh my! I have been able to find somewhere someone that speaks about this unit :D

I really want to buy the one without HDD , called Network MediaPlayer-45 Drive-In Kit,
but I'm struggling really to find the difference between this and the 450.

As far as I can see the only missing thing is the WLAN connectivity, which is absolutely fine for me.

Unfortunately the Freecom webpage is doing a poor job in linking the detailed product description :

45 Model
http ://www .freecom-shop.ch/freecom-network-mediaplayer45-drivein-inside-p-1394.html

Details : http :// www .freecom-shop.ch/redirect.php?action=url&goto=freecom.concertopro.ch%2Fproductinfo%2Fpdf%2Fkm%2FDatas heet_Network_MediaPlayer-450_DEF.pdf

450 Model

http:// www .freecom-shop.ch/freecom-network-mediaplayer450-drivein-inside-p-1397.html

Details : http :// www. freecom-shop.ch/redirect.php?action=url&goto=freecom.concertopro.ch%2Fproductinfo%2Fpdf%2Fkm%2FDatas heet_Network_MediaPlayer-450_DEF.pdf

As you can see they link the same product for both models.

Of course I do need the HDMI connector :)
And I will install the 1TB Hitachi HDD, but buying it separately costs lots less.

Thanks for helping me out.

MrDanka

06-12-08, 06:14 PM

Thanks Teddy for your answer.
Then ok, my choice must be the 450.
Got myself an F1 and the 450 Drive-In Kit.
Hope it will work and surely you'll see me bothering you more on this :D Althought I really hope that for what I need it just needs a little configuration and no tweaking.

Thanks again and have a good day

teddystacker

06-12-08, 07:20 PM

Well, if you have any problems , I will be very pleased to help you at the official Al Tech forums...

http://www.airlinktek.com/english/atboard.php?class1=cs&class2=qna

As you can see , people always get quick and concise answers,

Regards

Teddy

Thanks Teddy for your answer.
Then ok, my choice must be the 450.
Got myself an F1 and the 450 Drive-In Kit.
Hope it will work and surely you'll see me bothering you more on this :D Althought I really hope that for what I need it just needs a little configuration and no tweaking.

Thanks again and have a good day

blinky88

06-13-08, 02:46 PM

The Mediagate Distributor in OZ should have them in stock.
Http://www.anyware.com.au

Their "contact us" page , has all the phone numbers etc..

Regards

Teddy

Contacted the distributor to find they do not import additional power supplies, I just cannot win. Left my phone number with them as they may be able to help me sometime down the track.

supraeon

06-14-08, 12:34 AM

blinky88

06-14-08, 07:28 AM

eviktor

06-24-08, 10:30 AM

Dear Teddy,

May I ask you, that the "MG-35/MG-45 1.5.2 NEW GUI Firmware" is compatible with the Freecom Mediplayer 350 HD (kit)?

Thanks, Viktor

teddystacker

06-24-08, 02:10 PM

NO , you cannot interchange firmware from different models..

The latest firmware for the MG-350HD (Freecom Mediaplayer 350 HD ) , is located here:

http://www.airlinktek.com/english/atboard_view.php?class1=pds&class2=swfw&page=2&kind=&uid=1955&keyfield=&key=&product=

Regards,

Teddy

Dear Teddy,

May I ask you, that the "MG-35/MG-45 1.5.2 NEW GUI Firmware" is compatible with the Freecom Mediplayer 350 HD (kit)?

Thanks, Viktor

eviktor

06-24-08, 02:24 PM

Dear Teddy,

Thanks for your advice. I have already upgraded this firmware (1.1.11), but the FTP server function of the 350 Hd is very very very unstable. It is behind a linksys router, but the router seems to me to be functioning well. But after 2 or 3 successful connections I have to reboot the mediaplayer.

Have you got any ideas to manage this problem?

Thanks, Viktor

teddystacker

06-24-08, 07:11 PM

@Viktor,

To be fair the 350's FTP sever is VERY usable , its all about the setup, and many people including myself use it on a regular basis.

Suggest you read thru the many tutorials I have compiled and also look at the video one of the users at the Al Tech forum has composed.If the FTP in the 350 was "very very unstable" I very much doubt that he would have gone to the trouble of filming a tutorial would he?

http://www.airlinktek.com/english/atboard_view.php?class1=pds&class2=manual&page=1&notice=y&kind=&uid=1833

http://www.airlinktek.com/english/atboard_view.php?class1=pds&class2=manual&page=1&notice=y&kind=&uid=1980

http://www.airlinktek.com/english/atboard_view.php?class1=cs&class2=faq&page=1&notice=y&kind=&uid=1981

http://www.airlinktek.com/english/atboard_view.php?class1=cs&class2=faq&page=1&kind=&uid=2359&keyfield=&key=&product=

Regards,

Teddy

Dear Teddy,

Thanks for your advice. I have already upgraded this firmware (1.1.11), but the FTP server function of the 350 Hd is very very very unstable. It is behind a linksys router, but the router seems to me to be functioning well. But after 2 or 3 successful connections I have to reboot the mediaplayer.

Have you got any ideas to manage this problem?

Thanks, Viktor

eviktor

06-26-08, 08:15 AM

I read carefully all the istructions, and I reconfigured the server. Within my home (Mediagate-Router-Pc) I can easily access to MG, read and write files.

But when I try to acces the MG from anoter pc, through the internet, I get the following error message from the client software (smartFTP):

"Passive ip address returned from server different from server ip." (connection timeout)

Is the possible that MG is still improperly configured such that when the FTP client sends the PASV command, the server responds with a LAN (local area network) address, rather than the Internet addressable IP address?

My MG is behind a linksys router, but the portforwarding is configured.

Thanks for your help!

Viktor

blinky88

06-26-08, 10:57 AM

Oooh - so close!
Blinky88, I find that the power supply that comes with NexStar3 external USB harddrive enclosures have the same power supply except the +5 and +12 lines are swapped.

If you have some electronics ability maybe this will help, but obviously as-is it can't be used.

-Another Ian.

G'day supraeon,

I got to thinking about an external USB hard-drive enclosure and found one that I haven't used for a long time in my cubboard of unused gear. Sure enough it is 5v x 2A + 12v x 2A ..but.. it has 5 pins whereby the Altech adapator only has 4 pins 5v x 1.5A + 12v x 1.5A .... the external enclosure is not a NexStar3. I do not know if the different amperage will be compatable. I will follow your lead and make enquiries at a nearby electronics store to see if I can get the NexStar3 adaptor and check the amps. It really cannot be too difficult to change the wiring to the right configuration if the adaptor has 4 pins as the Altech.

Thanks again for your input, appreciated.

J. L.

06-26-08, 12:57 PM

G'day supraeon,

I got to thinking about an external USB hard-drive enclosure and found one that I haven't used for a long time in my cubboard of unused gear. Sure enough it is 5v x 2A + 12v x 2A ..but.. it has 5 pins whereby the Altech adapator only has 4 pins 5v x 1.5A + 12v x 1.5A .... the external enclosure is not a NexStar3. I do not know if the different amperage will be compatable. I will follow your lead and make enquiries at a nearby electronics store to see if I can get the NexStar3 adaptor and check the amps. It really cannot be too difficult to change the wiring to the right configuration if the adaptor has 4 pins as the Altech.

Thanks again for your input, appreciated.Being able to supply more current than the MG-35 original supply is not any problem at all. Being able to supply less current could be an issue.

It sounds as if you just need to cut the end off the one cable and get it connected to the replacement power supply making sure the correct voltages are on the right pins.

I do know that some USB external cases have the same connector, but the voltages are transposed, so it will cause damage if you were to use it without modifications. (I remember a post of someone who fried their MG-35 doing exactly that)

Joe L.

teddystacker

06-26-08, 06:25 PM

Hi Viktor

Couple of questions...

1)Can you "ping" the MG from the "other" pc you are trying to connect to? , if you cannot ping the server from every PC then its a network config issue I think..

2) Apart from this "remote access" issue that you still have - in general do you still consider the MG's FTP server "Very very unstable" as you said in your previous post? , or was it,just that it has not been setup correctly to start with?

Kind Regards,

Teddy

I read carefully all the istructions, and I reconfigured the server. Within my home (Mediagate-Router-Pc) I can easily access to MG, read and write files.

But when I try to acces the MG from anoter pc, through the internet, I get the following error message from the client software (smartFTP):

"Passive ip address returned from server different from server ip." (connection timeout)

Is the possible that MG is still improperly configured such that when the FTP client sends the PASV command, the server responds with a LAN (local area network) address, rather than the Internet addressable IP address?

My MG is behind a linksys router, but the portforwarding is configured.

Thanks for your help!

Viktor

supraeon

06-27-08, 05:58 AM

G'day supraeon,

I got to thinking about an external USB hard-drive enclosure and found one that I haven't used for a long time in my cubboard of unused gear. Sure enough it is 5v x 2A + 12v x 2A ..but.. it has 5 pins whereby the Altech adapator only has 4 pins 5v x 1.5A + 12v x 1.5A .... the external enclosure is not a NexStar3. I do not know if the different amperage will be compatable. I will follow your lead and make enquiries at a nearby electronics store to see if I can get the NexStar3 adaptor and check the amps. It really cannot be too difficult to change the wiring to the right configuration if the adaptor has 4 pins as the Altech.

Thanks again for your input, appreciated.

First, the one I have (sorry, but I do need it!) is a Welland brand and has slightly higher current ability (12v is 1.8A), so is eminently suitable.
Second, the connector is the same - it will plug in to the Mediagate.
Third, the 'correct' way to do it is to literally crack open the powerbrick (they're glued or plastic-welded closed), find which wires connect to the relevent pins and unsolder/resolder in the desired place.

-Ian.

blinky88

06-27-08, 12:00 PM

First, the one I have (sorry, but I do need it!) is a Welland brand and has slightly higher current ability (12v is 1.8A), so is eminently suitable.
Second, the connector is the same - it will plug in to the Mediagate.
Third, the 'correct' way to do it is to literally crack open the powerbrick (they're glued or plastic-welded closed), find which wires connect to the relevent pins and unsolder/resolder in the desired place.

-Ian.

Hi supraeon,

I did think of doing that way ..but.. decided it may be easier to cut the connection end, stick my multi-meter on to establish which of the wires is 5v/12v and reverse them. My thinking is 2 of the pins run to ground the other 2 are power, if that assumption is correct, it shouldn't be to difficult to splice.

The reason for wanting an additional power supply, my living room is upstairs and my office downstairs. I have the original power supply hidden behind a 50" plasma screen and it is a pain in the @### to remove it when I need to attach it to my computer.

Thanks again & thanks to Joe for his response.

eviktor

07-01-08, 08:53 AM

Hi Teddy,

I don't think I could ping the MG from outside the router because the outside world only sees the routers IP address. Obviously the internal computers and my MediaGate player are using private addresses like 192.168.1.101. You can't ping to that address because it isn't unique on the web. So I can ping my router but I can't ping the MG. :)

Inside my home - of course - I can ping everything, and the MG's ftp server is functioning well, for a while. After 2 or three successfull connection, and reconnection, I often get an error message through the client: SERVER IS BUSY.:mad:

After closing an ftp connection, I wait a few seconds, and I try to estabilish a new connection, but server is said to be busy. The client reports closed ftp connection, but I cannot connect again. I have no idea why. The "busy" period takes approx. 2-3 minutes. Then it works again well. That's why I said, the MG's ftp server is unstable. Do you think it is a wrong word for this? :confused:

Unfortunately if I try to connect th MG from outside, right after that, the "inside" connection fails, too. I have to reboot the MG, to get a successful "inside" ftp connection. I do not understand this situation.:confused:

Thanks for your help.

bye, Viktor

Hi Viktor

Couple of questions...

1)Can you "ping" the MG from the "other" pc you are trying to connect to? , if you cannot ping the server from every PC then its a network config issue I think..

2) Apart from this "remote access" issue that you still have - in general do you still consider the MG's FTP server "Very very unstable" as you said in your previous post? , or was it,just that it has not been setup correctly to start with?

Kind Regards,

Teddy

blinky88

07-17-08, 12:44 PM

The Mediagate Distributor in OZ should have them in stock.
Http://www.anyware.com.au

Their "contact us" page , has all the phone numbers etc..

Regards

Teddy

Hi Teddy,

I previously contacted them by phone on reading your message in the first instance which was some time ago. I sent an e-mail to customer support a couple of days ago and they responded with this quote, "are you one of our resellers". It would have been a simple exercise to say Yes or No ....
.... this is the type of response one would expect.

Hi Bob,

Yes we do have power supplies for the MG-35 in stock ..or.. no, we only import complete units.

If you have an account with us simply phone your order in and we will get it to you ASAP ..or.. if you do not have an account with us, please send your postcode and I will point you the nearest store to pick it up, the RRP is $30.

Best Wishes,
Simple Simon

When I was in business, had any member of my staff responded to a customer wanting to buy MY PRODUCT in that manner, he wouldn't have had a job, to me, customer satisfaction was absolutely essential regardless of the $$$ involved. I don't think 'ANYWHERE' is going anywhere quickly.

Getting off that subject, I found a gent on e'bay selling Mediagate products and enquired privately if he could supply a power adaptor. Well, he has far more inititive than the Australian distributor (ANYWHERE) who has offices in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. He said yes and quoted $35 + $10 postage which I copped on the chin because I really wanted the adaptor.

Anyone in Australia wanting to buy an additional adaptor should look for the adaptor that belongs to the NexStar CX 21/2" external drive, it is the identical power supply. If you happen to live in Melbourne contact neil@exatek.com.au, he will be only to happy to make the sale.

teddystacker

07-17-08, 01:11 PM

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the info here.Are you 100% sure that the NexStar CX 21/2" has EXACTLY the same pin config as the MG-35? - I know the power supply looks the same, but if the pin config is different it will fry your unit.If it is the same , then this is great news..

Regards,

Teddy

Hi Teddy,

I previously contacted them by phone on reading your message in the first instance which was some time ago. I sent an e-mail to customer support a couple of days ago and they responded with this quote, "are you one of our resellers". It would have been a simple exercise to say Yes or No .... this is the type of response one would expect.

Hi Bob,

Yes we do have power supplies for the MG-35 in stock ..or.. no, we only import complete units.

If you have an account with us simply phone your order in and we will get it to you ASAP ..or.. if you do not have an account with us, please send your postcode and I will point you the nearest store to pick it up, the RRP is $30.

Best Wishes,
Simple Simon

When I was in business, had any member of my staff responded to a customer wanting to buy MY PRODUCT in that manner, he wouldn't have had a job, to me, customer satisfaction was absolutely essential regardless of the $$$ involved. I don't think 'ANYWHERE' is going anywhere quickly.

Getting off that subject, I found a gent on e'bay selling Mediagate products and enquired privately if he could supply a power adaptor. Well, he has far more inititive than the Australian distributor (ANYWHERE) who has offices in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. He said yes and quoted $35 + $10 postage which I copped on the chin because I really wanted the adaptor.

Anyone in Australia wanting to buy an additional adaptor should look for the adaptor that belongs to the NexStar CX 21/2" external drive, it is the identical power supply. If you happen to live in Melbourne contact neil@exatek.com.au, he will be only to happy to make the sale.

blinky88

07-18-08, 11:11 AM

bym231

07-20-08, 02:24 AM

I've got a couple of MG-45's and have installed a couple of other MGs for neighbors. Overall it seems to be a pretty stable and versatile device and inasmuch as I am currently stationed in Latin America I was interested in promoting and possibly distributing the product. However, every attempt to contact Mediagate has been ignored so they are apparently not interested.

I'm wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a competing product? I'm particularly interested in talking to anyone who has used the Playtime HV0102. I know there are a LOT of similar devices using the same chipset but the implementation can obviously be more or less the same stability and quality as Mediagate. Any suggestions welcomed, here or privately--thanks.

<<Brad>>

blinky88

07-21-08, 02:17 PM

Hi Teddy,

IT IS EXACTLY the same configuration ....

I forgot to mention in that post, the ebay seller I bought from, gave me excellent service, more importantly ....
.... he boosts he will not be beaten on price on any Mediagate product.
http://exatek.com.au/osc/index.php?cPath=33&osCsid=311340df7843c4dfe139b721c759ff8f

I think it will pay members to check his prices before buying any Mediagate product.

teddystacker

07-23-08, 09:24 AM

Thanks again for the info..

Regards,

Teddy

I forgot to mention in that post, the ebay seller I bought from, gave me excellent service, more importantly ....
.... he boosts he will not be beaten on price on any Mediagate product.
http://exatek.com.au/osc/index.php?cPath=33&osCsid=311340df7843c4dfe139b721c759ff8f

I think it will pay members to check his prices before buying any Mediagate product.

lbwats

07-30-08, 09:25 PM

I'm very interested in purchasing the MG-35. The only specific I can't find on the player is if it will shuffle video files within a folder. From what I've read so far it supports random play for audio. If it shuffle videos I'd definitely buy it. If it doesn't can someone suggest one that does.

TheKrell

09-09-08, 05:38 AM

I'm very interested in purchasing the MG-35. The only specific I can't find on the player is if it will shuffle video files within a folder. I just tested this with the "3" button on the remote. It works.

criseste

09-11-08, 06:41 AM

Wow, this thread is very informative but VERY long. :P

I just got the new MG350HD unit, and I've been poking around in it. The firmware's boot monitor is different and the memory is very different.

Maybe we should create a new thread specifically for the MG350HD and it's technical issues.

I've also updated jcurless's mg35tool (newly named mg350tool) to work with the MG350HD upgrade files. I'll post a link to my update after I've made my token 5 posts. :D

Bit.
Update - Here's the link to the mg350tool
Props to :cool: Jeff Curless :cool: for writing the original mg35tool!

Hello, serious possible to create one mg450tool for the .upgrade like mg350tool?

Thank you.

Mr.Gadget

11-13-08, 12:38 PM

Did I miss something? What happened to this forum? No activity since September? Is anybody still doing development work on the MG35? Perhaps the forum moved to a new location/thread?

Just curious.:confused:

teddystacker

11-13-08, 05:55 PM

These days most of the "development" chat takes place at my Yahoo group- although things have been a little quite on that front of late also..

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mg-35_firmware_mods

Regards,

Teddy

Did I miss something? What happened to this forum? No activity since September? Is anybody still doing development work on the MG35? Perhaps the forum moved to a new location/thread?

Just curious.:confused:

teddystacker

12-12-08, 08:32 AM

For those of you who are maybe looking for a replacement power supply for your MG-350HD or MG-35 , a user over at the main Al Tech Q and A , has released details of a supplier - all credit goes to Simon , I am just reposting the info to help users here.

Regards,
Teddy
----------------------------------------------------------
As posted at the Altech Q and A forum by Simon_the St

"After going through 3 power supplies (not bad for a problem that's supposed not to exist) and a dealer that no longer wants to discuss power supply problems with anybody I decided to track down a third party replacement. The Power supply to the Lacie D2 and D2 Bigdisk is an exact match for the MG-350HD or MG-35.

http://www.lacie.com/AU/products/product.htm?pid=10913

The Australian Part number is 710448A and a google search on that part number will show you the stockists.

I paid $46 which included same day delivery. After getting it home and checking the configuration one last time I plugged her in and everything works perfectly. I've been running it for over three weeks now without any problems

For those outside Australia I believe the corresponding part number is 710199 and a google search using that part number brings up retailer botn in North America and Europe.

In The UK you can obtain one here:

http://www.it-buy.co.uk/Harddisk_drives/External_Hard_Drives/External_HDs/710199.htm

I hope this helps those suffering the same problem I was experiencing"
----------------------------------------------------------

dakiwi

12-14-08, 03:21 AM

that was a great idea mate to make lists of the places that have replacement PSUs for those products

supraeon

12-15-08, 03:21 AM

Hope I'll never need to refer to it, though!

teddystacker

12-15-08, 08:13 AM

Hope I'll never need to refer to it, though!

I doubt it to be honest , as contary to what many seem seem to believe, failure rate is less than 2% , which is much lower than many similar electrical devices of its type.Many at the various forums don't seem to want to believe this , but it really is true..

Kind Regards to all,

Teddy

tohands

12-16-08, 06:28 PM

my tv is dead so I have to use my old tv, but my video setting was at 1080i (and my old tv doesnt support that)

so yeah, worst than that, the remote is broken. Now I'm wondering, is anyone can tell me the step to do on the mediagate to do a factory reset without the remote? or is there another way? I bought a new remote but it will take arround 2 week to have it.

Thanks

teddystacker

12-16-08, 07:40 PM

@tohands

What model of Mediagate?

Regards

Teddy

tohands

12-17-08, 03:55 PM

mg35

I was able to select the option blindfolded, it took a while but I managed to do it.

Dam it's been a long time since I've been here, I remember when we were trying to add some php stuff on the mg35, good old days.

I will post the step to do blindfolded later today so it could be useful for other people with that problem.

teddystacker

12-17-08, 05:28 PM

mg35

will post the step to do blindfolded later today so it could be useful for other people with that problem.

Its ok (but thanks for offering) , I did this a while ago:

http://www.airlinktek.com/english/atboard_view.php?class1=cs&class2=faq&page=2&kind=&uid=2204&keyfield=&key=&product=

I was just not too sure which model you had (as you cant do it on the 350/450) , otherwise I would have posted it yesterday...

Regards,

Teddy

richandpaula

01-05-09, 07:10 PM

i have read most of this thread, but i still am struggling trying to debrick my MG35 via serial cable.

I get the following messages, but then nothing - Any pointers in the right direction will be most appriciated.

Jasper Bootloader v1.0.0 (May 29 2008 16:42:00)
Supports BootMenu Flash Network
This version of fips use micom with power control, version[3]

MediaGate.
0031.0033 mfr 0001 id 22c4 Bottom boots
Flash 0 at address 0x00000000
ID : AMD/Fujitsu Standard
Size : 4096 KB
Regions : 4
0 : 0x00000000 - 0x00008000 * 1
1 : 0x00008000 - 0x00004000 * 2
2 : 0x00010000 - 0x00010000 * 1
3 : 0x00020000 - 0x00020000 * 31
Found DM9000 chipset at I/O address 3f0000
DM9000 open

supraeon

01-06-09, 03:35 AM

Check here first: http://mediagate.pbwiki.com/MG35SerialConsole which will get you into the console.
From there you can either send a firmware and flash it: http://mediagate.pbwiki.com/Debricking or it might just be a bad IP address in the NVRAM - use 'config net' and 'net config' to examine and adjust.

-Another Ian.

richandpaula

01-06-09, 04:18 AM

Hi and thanks for the reply.
Yeah, i've read the great wiki about debricking and am trying to send the romfs but dont get as far as boot>
as said on my 1st message it stalls just before on "DM9000 open".

I recently flashed to MG35_1.5.2.0-b1-JD_Eng_User.upgrade = Stock Altech Firmware + The New Royal Blue GUI. from the yahoo group (great work guys) and 2 weeks in after viewing some photos over the network i get the blue flashing LED of death !

I'm not sure how an ip address will affect me if i'm using the serial cable to try and flash ?

TheKrell

01-06-09, 06:01 AM

I recently flashed to MG35_1.5.2.0-b1-JD_Eng_User.upgrade = Stock Altech Firmware + The New Royal Blue GUI. from the yahoo group (great work guys) and 2 weeks in after viewing some photos over the network i get the blue flashing LED of death !Congratulations! You have found another killer jpeg. Please post it's characteristics here or on teddystacker's yahoo group (or the jpeg itself), so that Al Tech can address the problem. This has been killing Mediagates for as long as I can remember.

IIRC, killer jpegs do their dirty work by overwriting the Mediagate's Ethernet MAC address with zeros. So... The solution is to get into the serial console and set it back to it's original address. This condition is not quite "bricked", though it appears that way. Supraeon's suggestion is right on, except that he meant to write "MAC address", rather than "IP address". Note that your Mediagate almost certainly has an invalid MAC address, since it hangs as it's trying to start up the network. Any valid MAC address will fix this problem and allow the Mediagate to continue it's boot. It will not, however, make it safe from another killer jpeg.

richandpaula

01-06-09, 08:13 AM

TheKrell

01-06-09, 12:45 PM

Found DM9000 chipset at I/O address 3f0000
DM9000 open

And i cant do a thing with it...any ideas guys ? I'm running out of ideas.

If you don't have it connected to any network, try connecting it. If do DO have it connected, try disconnecting it.

J. L.

01-06-09, 01:32 PM

Thanks for the warning, i know not to try viewing photos on my other MG35 then !

I would love to be able to change the mac address back, but the unit doesn't respond to anything right after the following:

Jasper Bootloader v1.0.0 (May 29 2008 16:42:00)
Supports BootMenu Flash Network
This version of fips use micom with power control, version[3]

MediaGate.
0031.0033 mfr 0001 id 22c4 Bottom boots
Flash 0 at address 0x00000000
ID : AMD/Fujitsu Standard
Size : 4096 KB
Regions : 4
0 : 0x00000000 - 0x00008000 * 1
1 : 0x00008000 - 0x00004000 * 2
2 : 0x00010000 - 0x00010000 * 1
3 : 0x00020000 - 0x00020000 * 31
Found DM9000 chipset at I/O address 3f0000
DM9000 open

And i cant do a thing with it...any ideas guys ?You must "interrupt" the boot-loader and type in the password, then you can issue the command to set the MAC address. (It suggests holding down the space bar as the MG-35 boots)

See the detailed instructions here in the Wiki: http://mediagate.pbwiki.com/Debricking

Once you get to the bootloader prompt, you can type "config net" as shown in the wiki:
boot> config net
Protocol : (0) None (1) Static IP (2) BOOTP (3) DHCP : (3) 1
MAC Address : (FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF)
IP Address : (192.168.1.6)
Netmask : (255.255.255.0)
Gateway : (192.168.1.1)
DNS : (192.168.1.10)
Server : (192.168.1.10)
Writing : 0x00025250
.
boot>

More detail here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8798540&highlight=config+net#post8798540

Obviously, respond with values appropriate for your network. Netmask should be 255.255.255.0.

Joe L.

richandpaula

01-06-09, 06:05 PM

i got a little further tonight...after quite a few attempts at connection via serial cable, i finally got in (sometimes).

tried config net and it looks like the MAC address is intact:

Welcome to JASPER boot loader

boot> config net
Protocol : (0) None (1) Static IP (2) BOOTP (3) DHCP : (0) 1
MAC Address : (ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff) ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
IP Address : (192.168.1.6)
Netmask : (255.255.255.0)
Gateway : (0.0.0.0) 192.168.1.254
DNS : (0.0.0.0) 192.168.1.254
Server : (192.168.1.254)
0 from 0x00022758 address is not writable (4)
0 from 0x00022758 address is not writable (4)
10, not writable
Formatting :

but it hangs here.

then i tried to download serial romfs

boot> download serial romfs
Download image by serial:
Serial loader image download address is 0x1400000
Send data to serial port using by YMODEM protocol...
C

and on trying to send the romfs.mg35 it hangs here too...no response from remote system.

Its been 2 nights and lots of swearing upto now to get this far !

TheKrell

01-06-09, 07:42 PM

MAC Address : (ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff) ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff That is not a valid MAC address! Change it back to what is written on the bottom.

richandpaula

01-07-09, 03:42 AM

Sorry, i should of explained that i didnt actually type the 'REAL' MAC address here on the forum.
I promise that the real one is still held in the MG35 though, and just to make sure i typed it in again copying it from the sticker.

One thing i noticed last night is that the connection seems to be flakey at best when using the serial cable - the mg35 wouldnt even power up at first, until after about 10 attempts of redoing the connections on the PCB it will finally allow acess to the bootloader, but you will know from reading my previous posts - I still didnt have any luck debricking the unit.

supraeon

01-08-09, 05:16 AM

Is your terminal program handshaking set to Xon/Xoff or 3-wire and not hardware or DTS RTS?
You're selecting Send by YMODEM protocol?
Does your terminal program show that the file was sent or not?

(Long time since I've done this!)

richandpaula

01-08-09, 05:24 AM

Phew, i was beginning to think that you guys had given up on me !
Thanks for the reply.

The terminal program handshaking set to Xon/Xoff.

And i get the following:

boot> download serial romfs
Download image by serial:
Serial loader image download address is 0x1400000
Send data to serial port using by YMODEM protocol...
C

Edit: Protocol is set to YModem.

and on trying to send the romfs.mg35 it hangs here too...no response from remote system.:confused:

Edit 2: I get the following when just tried to make sure the MAC address is still held there.

boot> config net
Protocol : (0) None (1) Static IP (2) BOOTP (3) DHCP : (0) 1
MAC Address : (00:02:a8:0a:64:29)
IP Address : (192.168.1.63)
Netmask : (255.255.255.0)
Gateway : (0.0.0.0)
DNS : (0.0.0.0)
Server : (192.168.1.254)
0 from 0x00022758 address is not writable (4)
0 from 0x00022758 address is not writable (4)
10, not writable

Should i be concerned at the "not writable" comments ?

gadgetmind

01-08-09, 08:07 AM

Should i be concerned at the "not writable" comments ?

Yes.

The configuration data (including MAC etc.) is stored in the flash. Whenever it gets changed, a new set of data is written on the end of the current set and a bit is cleared in an array to indicate that another "slot" is used. It looks like your MG-35 is trying to do this, but the next slot (which should be all FFs) is actually used.

The "formatting" is (guesswork!) the bootrom noticing this and trying to completely clear the config data area using a flash format. It can then start from scratch with new data. (I chickened out and never added this capability to my mg35_config proggy)

It worries my that it hung after saying formatting. How long did you leave it? Is your config data now even more screwed than before?

If you read the section on the wiki regards my reverse engineering of the config data storage system, then this will all make more sense.

Ian

gadgetmind

01-08-09, 08:16 AM

OK, using your 0x22758 number, subtracting 0x20048, we get 10000, so you have used 10 slots of config data and it's trying to write to the 11th.

See here -
http://mediagate.pbwiki.com/NVRAM

Can you dump a few bytes starting at 0x20000 ? We should only need 6 bytes.

See here for commands -
http://mediagate.pbwiki.com/MG35SerialConsole

I would expect to see
"BOOT"
Then a byte containing zero
Then a byte with the bottom two bits cleared, so 0xFC

Of course, there is a lot of guesswork here, and I could be totally wrong!

Ian

richandpaula

01-08-09, 08:30 AM

heres what i got:

boot> dump 0x20000 6
00020000 : 42 4F 4F 54 00 FC BOOT..
boot>

:confused:

oh bugger...i tried the following:

boot> dump 0x0022758
00022758 : 04 20 FE CA 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 . ..............
00022768 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00022778 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00022778 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00022798 : 00 00 00 00 03 00 00 00 03 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
000227A8 : 08 00 00 00 02 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
000227B8 : FF FF FF FF 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
000227C8 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
000227D8 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
000227E8 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
000227F8 : 03 00 00 00 03 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00022808 : 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00022818 : 01 00 00 00 43 4F 4E 46 00 02 A8 0A 64 29 01 00 ....CONF....d)..
00022828 : 3F 01 A8 C0 00 FF FF FF FE 01 A8 C0 FE 01 A8 C0 ?...............
00022838 : FE 01 A8 C0 6C 6F 63 61 6C 64 6F 6D 61 69 6E 2E ....localdomain.
00022848 : 63 6F 6D 00 FF FF FF FF FF BF FF FF 6C 6F 61 64 com.........load
boot> config net
Protocol : (0) None (1) Static IP (2) BOOTP (3) DHCP : (0) 1
MAC Address : (00:02:a8:0a:64:29)
IP Address : (192.168.1.63)
Netmask : (255.255.255.0)
Gateway : (0.0.0.0)
DNS : (0.0.0.0)
Server : (192.168.1.254)
0 from 0x00022758 address is not writable (4)
0 from 0x00022758 address is not writable (4)
10, not writable
Formatting : .

i think i may of done something either very nasty or brilliant - how long should i leave it now ?

gadgetmind

01-08-09, 08:46 AM

It normally only takes a few seconds to erase and rewrite the config data. Something is wrong.

If/when you get back to the prompt, can you try dumping at 0x22B40? This is 1000 bytes later, so the next "slot"

If this next slot (slot 12) is empty, then the byte that's set the 0xFC needs to be changed to 0xF8

My guess is that the MG-35 rewrote the data into slot 11 but never changed the bit to a zero to reflect this.

NOTE THAT I COULD BE WRONG! Off-by-one errors may abound in my mental maths.

Ian

richandpaula

01-08-09, 08:51 AM

I Left it for a few mins and it had hung.

so, tried the following:

boot> dump 0x22b40
00022B40 : FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF ................
00022B50 : FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF ................
00022B60 : FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF ................
00022B70 : FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF ................
00022B80 : FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF ................
00022B90 : FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF ................
00022BA0 : FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF ................
00022BB0 : FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF ................
00022BC0 : FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF ................
00022BD0 : FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF ................
00022BE0 : FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF ................
00022BF0 : FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF ................
00022C00 : FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF ................
00022C10 : FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF ................
00022C20 : FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF ................
00022C30 : FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF ................
boot>

And have to admit - i'm in well over my head now and don't know what to do !!!

Dont worry if it all goes wrong, because whatever ends up happening to this unit has got to be worth a try than just a flashing blue LED !

gadgetmind

01-08-09, 09:19 AM

OK, that backs up what I thought.

But someone *really* needs to sit down with a pencil and paper and check my hex maths.

I think that 0xFC needs changing to 0xF8. This will flag slot 10 (numbered from 0) as containing valid data, so it will be used and slot 11 will be the one written to.

Your slot 10 looks OK based on a quick look at what you dumped.

After changing the 0xFC to 0xF8, you will need to reboot. With your fingers firmly crossed!

Of course, we may then hit other issues, but being able to change your config will *really* help.

Ian

richandpaula

01-08-09, 09:29 AM

Thanks Ian, very much appriciated your taking the time to help.

"After changing the 0xFC to 0xF8, you will need to reboot."

how do i do either of these ?

:confused:

gadgetmind

01-08-09, 10:04 AM

flash writeb 0x20005 0xF8

maybe try -

mem rb 0x20005

first and check you get 0xFC

The reboot is just be a power cycle. Try and get back to bootloader console and use config net.

I really hope this works out for you.

Ian

richandpaula

01-08-09, 10:16 AM

OK - a little further on i tried:

boot> flash writeb 0x20005 0xf8
00020005 : fc => f8
boot> mem rb 0x20005
Read 1 : Addr = 00020005, Data = f8 (248)
boot>

Then a power cycle which now gets me:

Jasper Bootloader v1.0.0 (May 29 2008 16:42:00)
Supports BootMenu Flash Network
This version of fips use micom with power control, version[3]

MediaGate.
0031.0033 mfr 0001 id 22c4 Bottom bootsector
Flash 0 at address 0x00000000
ID : AMD/Fujitsu Standard
Size : 4096 KB
Regions : 4
0 : 0x00000000 - 0x00008000 * 1
1 : 0x00008000 - 0x00004000 * 2
2 : 0x00010000 - 0x00010000 * 1
3 : 0x00020000 - 0x00020000 * 31
Found DM9000 chipset at I/O address 3f0000
DM9000 open

And this is where we first met !
I'll keep trying to gain access to the bootloader in the hope that it lets me in eventually.

richandpaula

01-08-09, 10:39 AM

I'm now getting this:

Jasper Bootloader v1.0.0 (May 29 2008 16:42:00)
Supports BootMenu Flash Network
This version of fips use micom with power control, version[3]

MediaGate.
0031.0033 mfr 0001 id 22c4 Bottom bootsector
Flash 0 at address 0x00000000
ID : AMD/Fujitsu Standard
Size : 4096 KB
Regions : 4
0 : 0x00000000 - 0x00008000 * 1
1 : 0x00008000 - 0x00004000 * 2
2 : 0x00010000 - 0x00010000 * 1
3 : 0x00020000 - 0x00020000 * 31
Found DM9000 chipset at I/O address 3f0000
DM9000 open

Welcome to JASPER boot loader

boot> config net
Protocol : (0) None (1) Static IP (2) BOOTP (3) DHCP : (1) 1
MAC Address : (00:02:a8:0a:64:29)
IP Address : (192.168.1.63)
Netmask : (255.255.255.0)
Gateway : (192.168.1.254)
DNS : (192.168.1.254)
Server : (192.168.1.254)
boot>

Looks like we might be on the right tracks...

gadgetmind

01-08-09, 10:49 AM

Well, that's quite a victory! We have just hand-patched your config data structures, which is something of an achievement given it's been done remotely!

Hopefully, nothing in your config is corrupt, but it looks OK so far. But I have no idea why you get the hang after "DM9000 Open". The network isn't coming up, which is odd.

But I think there is also something dodgy with your serial connection.

Ian

richandpaula

01-08-09, 11:17 AM

It is quite an achievement and all due to your help, to which i will be eternally in your debt !

still getting the "DM9000 Open" problem and struggling to get into the bootloader now - which i'm starting to suspect could be a dodgy chip ?

i've tried the serial connection on my laptop and on my PC now - could be the cable i recently bought from hong kong on ebay i guess.

Edit: got the boot loader after approx. 2 hundred times, tempted to try and send new romfs.

Edit 2: Bad idea - still no response.

gadgetmind

01-08-09, 11:28 AM

I'm not sure when the bootloader generates the DM9000 Open message. I suspect it's only when going to the bootloader prompt as this is the only time the bootloader needs to configure the network chip. If it's booting Linux as normal, well Linux does all of that.

It may be that the DM9000 Open hang and the failure to download the new romfs is entirely down to serial issues. I have never failed to get into the bootloader when I have managed to get to the space key in time.

Are you in the UK? If I can find my serial adaptor, you're welcome to borrow it to help you do this debricking.

Another option is for you to configure a tftp server and download the romfs that way.

Ian

richandpaula

01-08-09, 11:38 AM

Yep - still hanging on DM9000 open.
I am in the NW UK to be precise.

Might be an idea to try tftp, but i'd need a whole lot more help again if you've got the time spare ?

I'm only in work at the moment so have lots of free time to spare.

Edit: erm - this doesnt look good....

Jasper Bootloader v1.0.0 (May 29 2008 16:42:00)
Supports BootMenu Flash Network
This version of fips use micom with power control, version[3]

MediaGate.
0031.0033 mfr 0001 id 22c4 Bottom bootsector
Flash 0 at address 0x00000000
ID : AMD/Fujitsu Standard
Size : 4096 KB
Regions : 4
0 : 0x00000000 - 0x00008000 * 1
1 : 0x00008000 - 0x00004000 * 2
2 : 0x00010000 - 0x00010000 * 1
3 : 0x00020000 - 0x00020000 * 31
Found DM9000 chipset at I/O address 3f0000
DM9000 open

Jasper Bootloader v1.0.0 (May 29 2008 16:42:00)
Supports BootMenu Flash Network
This version of fips use micom with power control, version[3]
0031.0033 mfr 0001 id 22c4 Bottom bootsector
Flash 0 at address 0x00000000
ID : AMD/Fujitsu Standard
Size : 4096 KB
Regions : 4
0 : 0x00000000 - 0x00008000 * 1
1 : 0x00008000 - 0x00004000 * 2
2 : 0x00010000 - 0x00010000 * 1
3 : 0x00020000 - 0x00020000 * 31
Bootconfig reset : .

Or does it ?

Edit: had massive trouble getting back into bootloader - kept on with DM9000 open message.
finally got in.
would it make sense to try the following ?

boot> net down
Networking is disabled
boot>

gadgetmind

01-08-09, 12:55 PM

I'm not sure what the bootconfig reset is all about. Maybe something odd in the configuration data so it's been rewritten with defaults? Try "net config" again.

You can also try "net arp x.x.x.x" on an address that you know works.

I'm pretty sure "net down" won't be "sticky"

Ian

richandpaula

01-09-09, 04:48 AM

This unit is still hanging at DM9000 open, i'm really struggling to get into the bootloader again now.

when i do eventually get in, i cant send the new romfs, no response from remote system.

I would be interested in the tftp side of updating it, if anyone has the time to hold my hand through it ?

Once again, thanks for all your help Ian - you are by far a legend and a gentleman.

Rich

gadgetmind

01-09-09, 05:18 AM

The offer of a loan of my serial adaptor still stands. Should eliminate one possible problem and help narrow things down.

The tftp side of things at the MG-35 end are fairly easy. See this page -
http://mediagate.pbwiki.com/Reflashing

But you need to configure a tftp server, which I have only ever done on Linux. And let's just say that it didn't work first time!

I'm still not sure what your issue is and whether a reflash will even help. The "killer jpg" takes out the MAC, and your MAC seems OK. Might be worth trying some network commands from the console and seeing what you can discover. Hopefully, the issue is just more corruption in your configuration data, which should be fixable.

Ian

richandpaula

01-09-09, 05:38 AM

lets make sure i have the serial connections correct...

from the pin nearest the HD power connector (with the silkscreen arrow) going towards the ribbon connector for the front panel:

RXD
VCC
TXD
GND

RTS & CTS are left disconnected.

Got to admit, i do struggle to power on or get into the bootloader when the unit is 'cold' until after approx. 10 attempts - then it seems to warm up and work ok - very odd i know !

Edit - Im in - after 23 attempts at pulling the power cable and retrying - gotthe dm9000 open about a dozen times and missed the chance to enter the password even though i was holding down space each time.

Edit 2: just read the wiki about reflasing via tftp. I'm in work and haven't even got anywhere to plug the network side of things in here, let alone set up a tftp server. :(

gadgetmind

01-09-09, 05:50 AM

Those connections look right, and there's no way you could work the console if at least gnd, txd and rxd were connected correctly.

I have no idea why the serial console is being such a struggle for you. Neither do I understand why your box is trying to bring up the DM9000 network chip at that point. I thought "net up" was required for that.

Anyway, I can lend you a serial lead, or might even be able to take a look at the box if you send it to me. I'm in sunny Leeds.

Ian

supraeon

01-09-09, 05:57 AM

DM9000 is the ethernet controller, and on the Wiki page 'DM9000 open' is a normal message. Some possibilities: the Bootloader is trying to initialize the ethernet controller but is getting stuck, or the next step after is hanging.

I assume it's not connected via ethernet while the debricking is going on?
Maybe dump the ethernet eeprom and compare with a good one?
Ensure networking is turned off? (Maybe set 'Protocol' to 'None'?)

Of course, all this depends on getting into the console in the first place!

P.S. Looking at the 'Reflashing' page of the Wiki, 'DM9000 open' is in response to a 'net up' command...

richandpaula

01-09-09, 06:06 AM

Looking at Solarwinds free tftp server software.

will i have to plug both pc and mG35 into a router/switch or will an ethernet cable between pc and mg35 suffice ?

Edit: neither standard patch or crossover cable work, and i've now disabled a network printer to get the MG35 on the network.
i'm gonna get shot for this...

Edit 2: Struggling like hell to get past DM9000 open, so i took the PCB out of the housing...to find a couple of dry solder joints on the RJ45 connector !

I'll head off to the workshop now and try resoldering these...I'll let you know how i get on.

Edit 3: resoldered - no different - still hanging on dm9000 open.

Edit 4: This is new:

This version of fips use micom with power control, version[3]

MediaGate.otMenu Fla
0031.0033 mfr 0001 id 22c4 Bottom bootsector Regions : 4
0 : 0x00000000
Flash 0 at address 0x000000002c4 Bottom bootsector
ID : AMD/Fujitsu Standard
Size : 4096 KB00008000 - 0x000
Regions : 4
0 : 0x00000000 - 0x00008000 * 1t address 0x00000000
1 : 0x00008000 - 0x00004000 * 200010000 * 1D/Fujitsu Standard02275
2 : 0x00010000 - 0x00010000 * 1
3 : 0x00020000 - 0x00020000 * 3120000 * 31
Found DM9000 chipset at I/O address 3f0000po

Found DM9000 chipset at I/O add
DM9000 opens BootMen

Jasper Bootloader v1.0.0 (May 29 2008 16:42:00)
Ouch!! error on cmd status 0x5fffffff
Ouch!! error on cmd status 0x5fffffff
Ouch!! error on cmd status 0x5fffffff
Ouch!! error on cmd status 0x5fffffff
Error when set leds, led staus must be same below
POWER , Ouch!! error on cmd status 0xfc7fffff
Ouch!! error on cmd status 0xfc7fffff
CD1 OFF, Ouch!! error on cmd status 0xfc7fffff
Ouch!! error on cmd status 0xfc7fffff
Ouch!! error on cmd status 0xfc7fffff
Error when set leds, led staus must be same below
POWER , Ouch!! error on cmd status 0xfff1ffff
Ouch!! error on cmd status 0xfff1ffff
Ouch!! error on cmd status 0xfff1ffff
Ouch!! error on cmd status 0xfff1ffff
USB1 OFF, Ouch!! error on cmd status 0xfff1ffff
Error when set leds, led staus must be same below
POWER , NET1 OFF, Ouch!! error on cmd status 0xffffc7ff
Ouch!! error on cmd status 0xffffc7ff
Ouch!! error on cmd status 0xffffc7ff
Ouch!! error on cmd status 0xffffc7ff
Ouch!! error on cmd status 0xffffc7ff

Edit 5: Cant get into bootloader at all now - keeps hanging on dm9000 open.
think this is heading for the bin now, but on the plus side i have a spare remote & power supply for my other one.

TheKrell

01-09-09, 02:37 PM

think this is heading for the bin now... Don't toss it! Send it to Mark on the yahoo group so that he can unsolder the 8511 and trace the known jtag pins.

supraeon

01-09-09, 10:25 PM

My considered, technical opinion is: it's Possessed!

-Another Ian.

gadgetmind

01-12-09, 01:57 AM

Those errors suggest that maybe the main CPU isn't communicating with the front panel processor correctly, but the whole architecture is getting fuzzy in my head. Maybe you didn't get the cable to the front panel back in properly?

Dry joints on large components, including RJ45 connectors and magnetics, are rather common. They have a lot of thermal inertia, so if the reflow oven thermal profile isn't set right, they don't reflow properly.

Ian

kavorka21

01-12-09, 05:03 AM

Did anyone try to use the MG-35 with the Windows 7 beta? I shared a couple of folders, but i cannot acces them from the MG-35. It does see my computer, but then it says that there are no shared folders.

Settings:

user guest enabled
firewall off
added everyone to permissions of shared folder
Network discovery: ON
Public Folder sharing: ON
File Sharing: ON
Printer sharing: ON
Password Protected sharing: OFF
Media Sharing: ON
Added share name to: "Network access: Shares that can be accessed anonymously"
Disabled Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console logon only

Did anyone did have success with Windows 7?

J. L.

01-12-09, 09:04 AM

kavorka21

01-13-09, 11:36 AM

The mg-35 will try to log in as guest without a password, and if that fails, it will use an id of "media" with a password of "gate"

You might need to set those up in windows7.

Didn't help either :( I think it's impossible to use the MG-35 in combination with Windows 7 beta...

MrCyberdude

01-14-09, 05:24 PM

teddystacker is looking for the following, maybe someone here can help.
.
.

Does anyone have the following firmware file that they can
email/upload to Rapidshare for me:

MG-35 1.5.2 Hebrew version with "new GUI" added

MG35_1.5.2.0-b1-JD_Heb_User.upgrade

With "Pigs-in-space" being down , I can no longer grab it from the
source , and I never kept a copy for myself.. now a Hebrew user would
like a copy...

Would be very grateful if anyone could help..

Kind Regards,

Teddy
mg-35_firmware_mods aATa yahoogroups D0T com

outkastm

01-30-09, 12:30 PM

Somebody know if i can use MD-350 on a Packard Bell Store & Play that now have iZak firmware ? I want that because i need HDD to be formated with ext3 file system and iZak firmware not recognaize ext3 partition.

tieme002

03-06-09, 02:48 PM

anybody knows where i can get a de-bricking cable? i bricked my device and dont know where to get a cable, and im not sure if i want to try and solder one myself....

boainfot

03-11-09, 05:28 PM

Does anyone have the MG-35 1.5.2 Greek version firmware? If yes, could you please upload it somewhere (eg rapidshare) or send it to me via e-mail?

Thanks!!

mkez1

04-08-09, 11:01 PM

My MG-35 just started acting up. I was watching a show and it froze. When I rebooted it loads the first screen and then sometimes stays on the first screen and sometimes goes to a gray page with media select at the top but no icons for HD or network. At the same time you can hear the drive make to 2 attempts to seek and then stop - clunk, clunk. It works just fine when connected by USB and scandisk gives it a clean bill of health but won't boot as a network drive. The power supply seems a little warm and I'm wondering if it's not getting enough juice to run the drive and boot? If I remove the drive it seems to load OK in network only mode.

Anyone seen this before? Is there anything I can do?

samsung12

04-19-09, 02:46 PM

Hi ive happily been using my mg35 for a year or two but today a picture fell of the wall and dameged the usb connection. Everything else works fine on it but not connecting to pc via usb.

Ive tried looking for an enclosure on its own but cant find any so looks like i will have to buy a new one.

But i thought i may aswell get a newer one. Would i be able to retain all data if i put the harddrive out of the mg35 into say a mg45 or even a mg800hd? or any other harddrive media player enclosure?

I hope you can help

Many thanks

Chris

teddystacker

04-21-09, 09:17 AM

@Chris

Sorry to hear about your problems s**t happens as they say...

You will not be able to take your hard disk out of the 35 and put it into a MG45 , as the 45 uses a totally different type of hard disk.I dont know how good your PC skills are , but you would put your mg-35's hard disk into your PC as a "slave drive" and then copy the data contained on it over to a new media player of any brand , this may be a slow process but would work that way

You could just take the hard disk out and place it in a new mg-35 if you can find one , this would work perfectly.

Many of the newer media players use a non standard file system , so you cannot just do a "disk to disk" replacement without loosing your data.

Sadly, we do not really know much about the MG-800 here at the AVS , as the unit is not made by Al Tech , and dispite my efforts to get the current maker on board here , they have not done so..

Kind regards

Teddy

samsung12

04-21-09, 02:15 PM

Thanks for the reply Teddy

Ah thats a pain.

I know you can connect it to the pc via ethernet cable but would i be able to transfer files from my pc to the MG35 as easy as i could with USB?

If not it looks like i may buy a new mg35 but its hard to find a company in the UK that does one without a harddrive.

Thanks

Chris

teddystacker

04-21-09, 09:27 PM

J. L.

04-22-09, 08:52 AM

There are many inexpensive IDE to SATA converters. You might be able to use one on your existing IDE drive and still use it in a new MG-45 enclosure.

You might need to make sure it fits, but many are pretty slim and plug into the back of the IDE drive like this one
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10407&cs_id=1040701&p_id=327&seq=1&format=2

Joe L.

mktnews

07-22-09, 05:59 PM

Mediagate has new item: MG-M2tv. It looks like WD TV but has more feature, and the price is cheaper.

freddyso

09-30-09, 01:56 PM

first of all sorry for my bad english.

i don't know if this is the right place for this question, but i don't know where hit my head :o .

the question is simple a figure is better than 1000 words

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/5588/immagine016i.jpg

there is something to do before i throw in to the rubbish ?

tanks

Derek K.

10-01-09, 01:29 PM

wow. that is a lot of fried parts. even if you could id and replace the burned parts, there is no guarantee that the cause of the fire has been fixed (it could be a fault in the board or some other component).

I'd toss it and buy something new. not worth the aggravation.

teddystacker

10-01-09, 07:11 PM

I would sell the power supply and remote control on Ebay , at least you will get a few $ (or whatever currency is yours :-) ) back,that way.

Regards,

Teddy

Wxffles

10-08-09, 04:49 AM

teddystacker

10-08-09, 09:16 AM

My guess would be:

1) Faulty power supply.
2) Faulty hard disk , did you check for bad sectors when you ran scandisk?

Regards

Teddy

J. L.

10-08-09, 09:23 AM

I have the exact same problem. Anybody have any ideas?And one of my mg-35's just started exhibiting the exact same symptoms... I tried the unit with the power supply from my second mg-35, and it works just fine, so my guess is your (and my) power supply is defective.

Joe L.

alfa

10-10-09, 11:45 PM

Hi guys i'm trying to use my mediagate as a mainstay with the wifi system. Anyone tried pairing it with an outboard DAC? Did it improve the sound or its will be just the same. I'm hooking it up to a tube amp. Any inputs are welcome

TheKrell

10-11-09, 01:08 AM

Anyone tried pairing it with an outboard DAC? Did it improve the sound or its will be just the same.Seems unlikely. The internal stereo DAC is a Wolfson WM8728S (24-bit, 192 kHz), though according to the wiki the Wolfson volume control is not wired up and the Mediagate scales the input to change the volume. :( The default volume in the firmware is 50%. It's unclear to me if 50% will give you the full dynamic range of the DAC, or rather you should run it up to some higher value such as 100%. I think the latter is a bad idea since I definitely hear horrible distortion at 100%. Maybe your tube amp will do soft clipping so it won't sound so bad to you. ;) ;) ;)

Wxffles

10-21-09, 02:39 AM

My guess would be:

1) Faulty power supply.
2) Faulty hard disk , did you check for bad sectors when you ran scandisk?

Regards

Teddy

And one of my mg-35's just started exhibiting the exact same symptoms... I tried the unit with the power supply from my second mg-35, and it works just fine, so my guess is your (and my) power supply is defective.

Joe L.

I finally got hold of another power supply to try, but it didn't help. I even tested it with a multimeter and it was fine. The HDD checks out fine in my PC too. Oh well, I might just have to go out and buy a M2TV. How sad.

J. L.

10-21-09, 05:19 PM

I finally got hold of another power supply to try, but it didn't help. I even tested it with a multimeter and it was fine. The HDD checks out fine in my PC too. Oh well, I might just have to go out and buy a M2TV. How sad.I replaced the power supply on my MG-35 and it now works properly once more. I purchased a "generic" supply from e-bay and had to use the connector and cord from the original supply and splice them together.

I too checked the old supply with a multimeter. Without a load, it did not look bad... apparently it was just not regulated well enough to power the MG-35 any longer. I'll try to open its case to see if I can see any bulging capacitors...

Edit: I got it open... The circuit board inside looks like this:
http://i38.tinypic.com/jsj1ci.jpg

There were two capacitors that looked a tiny bit suspicious, their tops were very slightly bulged. They are blue-green in color and can be seen better in this close-up:
http://i37.tinypic.com/mms8j8.jpg

I then removed the two capacitors from the circuit board. They are labeled:
Suncap 1000uF 16v 105C Low ESR, and Suncap 2200uF 10v 105C Low ESR

I own an ESR meter, so I checked them... Their ESR measured 3.3 Ohms and 7.2 Ohms. They should have had an ESR of a few tenths of an ohm or less. I'm certain they are the cause of the failing supply.

I tried to find a web-site for Suncap. If they have one, it sure isn't suncap.com.

One paper I found on the web said:
low ESR and low impedance capacitors are used extensively in switching power supplies to maintain the performance of the power supplies. Capacitors with too high an ESR will self-heat too much and not regulate the current properly. Obviously the self-heating will also reduce the operating life of the capacitors, and the switching power supply performance and life will be reduced accordingly.

I expect my second MG-35's supply will eventually fail in the same way but I'm ready now. When I ordered the replacement supply, I ordered several spares.

Joe L.