Just what's inside a Sony DHG-HDDxx0? - Page 3

post #14

This thread is VERY informative. KUDOS.

If there's ever to be a TVGOS 10.1 patch, they'll need a USB network adapter at the least. At the most, what's a bill-of-materials for getting the missing Ethernet port going?

CN701: 8-pin RJ-45 jack, manu?, model?
T700: 10base-T filter, manu?, model?
Uxxx: MAC/PHY chip, National, DP83815 or DP83816?
Edited by davygrvy - 11/9/12 at 11:43am

http://www.encompassparts.com/model/SONDHGHDD250/_/_/Sony/DHGHDD250/

Looks like everything is unavailable, including (of course) the service manual

EDIT: oh wait.. replacement remote is still available

Probably part of the contract with Cable Television Laboratories, Inc.

There might be some clues for hacking this @ http://www.ariweinstein.com/prevue/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=291

sometimes unix defaults to the first tty to be a service shell. Has anyone tried a USB serial device to see? I don't have one. Also, there's a serial page in the tvgos service menu which, I think, is trying to talk to a modem. Could this be for an unused header on the main board? In my junk pile I just might have a 56k modem

It reports three ports, though, as it tries to ping a modem on the first. I bet there's an 8-pin header on the main board just waiting for us.

With TVGOS going away, an alternate means of setting the Date & Time is required to continue using the recorder. Date and Time can be set from a Linux command prompt, however, you need a serial port, and you must be logged in as root.

I looked over the DVR Linux source code: https://products.sel.sony.com/opensource/source_settop.shtml?CSRT=5386418577508945855

The source code refers to an ati-xilleon_x220-mips_nfp_le processor. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xilleon. MIPS is a popular instruction set. Free development tools are available for this platform. The Sony code appears to support TTY, USB and Ethernet ports.

Has anybody found an on-board serial port connector?

haha! I have the lid off and I'm staring at it now. You read my mind. CN502 looks to be for the JTAG plug. It's a standard 2x7. I don't see an obvious comport, yet...

I'll take a guess and assume there are pins for tx and rx on cpu, but they go nowhere and we'll have to add the level shifter IC.. I'll go through the cpu dox, but this'll take me a while..
Edited by davygrvy - 11/13/12 at 2:12pm

in the Xilleon 220 (ours is the 226), the serial port is multiplexed with the PCI buss. This isn't looking easy.

Also, a reference I came across for the 226 mentions three serial ports and the guide's service menu reports three, so we're good so far. No pinout ref for the 226, though... apparently, very secret
Edited by davygrvy - 11/13/12 at 4:43pm

See IC8001
See page 10 in the schematics for the pinout names.

go to lower right corner for "DM 15". Follow TXDA and RXDA to the pins #406,7 for pins known as TDA and RDA, done!

I'm not taking mine apart, sorry... Because of the size density of these things and that it contacts on one side, I highly doubt a visual could find where the traces go

IC 7300 mostly unreadable. On QM(4/8) is UARTB called "service port"

Ok, found it. Serial-A is on QM(2/8). 407 and 406 lineup
Edited by davygrvy - 11/13/12 at 8:55pm

It's only the Linux operating system. I did not see any of the DVR application software in the package.

The next step is to gain access to a command prompt through the serial port. From that point, once the root password is cracked (or deleted), we can see what processes are running. Setting time and bringing up network access should be doable.

Comport pinouts for Xilleon 226

TDA 407 Serial Transmit Data
RDA 406 Serial Receive Data
CTSAb xxx Clear to Send
DCDAb xxx Data Carrier Detect
DSRAb xxx Data Set Ready
DTRAb xxx Data Terminal Ready
RIAb xxx Ring Indicator
RTSAb xxx Request to Send


Not sure of the others yet. I'll have to spend time reading more service manuals for other gear.

I would venture a guess that port 2 or 3 could possibly be a shell. port 1 appears to be for a modem. I just found-out that Rovi no longer supports dial-up for guide data retrieval. <- and I thought they still did, drat!
Edited by davygrvy - 11/14/12 at 12:06pm

4T anyone? StarTech.com IDE to SATA Adapter Converter

All that's left now is cracking the boot rom so we can install our own code. And fill those empty spots for Ethernet. And lots more other stuff

That's an adapter that allows you to use an IDE (parallel-ATA) drive with a SATA host adapter, not vice versa. It won't let you use a SATA drive with an IDE controller.

Did ATI ever have any reference designs for the Xilleon 220/226 chips? I can't find any yet

oops. sorry. CableCard slot would become worthless, so maybe replace the space with an embedded PCI SATA card. Still no clue on the pinout of that flat cable
Edited by davygrvy - 11/16/12 at 9:46am

Huh? The CableCard slot will still work for encrypted channels that are not SDV'd.

Don't forget to get ready to start replacing those electrolytic caps that have been powered 24/7 for the last 7 years.

It won't after we crack the bootrom and get our own kernel in there, guaranteed. Same might be true for the HDMI output, too.
Edited by davygrvy - 11/16/12 at 11:50am

Wonderful... so we're gonna give the DHG a complete lobotomy in order to get the time and listings? What good is that?

What'd you expect? DRM isn't in FOSS for so many reasons. About the only exception is DeCSS, but you're a criminal for using it.

I would expect the channel tuning capability (OTA and Cable) and the video outputs (including HDMI) to remain fully functional. We're talking about setting the date/clock, not about destroying the DVR.

You guys are way over my head but I am cheering you on. I love my DHG-HDDs. In the end though, it seems like I am going to have to try to replicate as many of their functions as possible with an HDPC if you guys don't come up with something to save the DHG-HDDs. Thanks for trying in any case. Individual innovation is the mother of all...