My Review of the Skybox S12 Micro-HD receiver

I wanted to see how the new Micro-HD receivers performed so I purchased a Skybox S12. This receiver is about 6 inches wide, 4 inches deep, and about an inch and a half in height. The power supply for this receiver is mated to the wall plug, and there is not a display or any buttons on the front of the receiver. The RS232 port is 4 pins on the back of the receiver so an adapter is required to use the RS232 port.
You may post any questions you have about this receiver in this thread. I plan to post some pictures and comment on what I find out about this receiver after I have ran it a bit. EB

Just got mine as well EB, micro definitely describes this unit. I'm going to swap out my power adapter from my s9 and test it out before reporting back.



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2 pics, one on power up and partial European sat list. Starts at T12 at 15w and descends into eastern European sats:



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Just did a blind scan on Galaxy 17 at 91w, scanned in 140 tv channels and 55 radio channels in about 2 1/2 minutes.

I found it quite odd that the CW channels scanned in on Galaxy17 on a blind scan. There isn't any audio or video as pid numbers didn't scan in- keep trying to see where I can insert them but no can do.

Some sat files have the 91 CW channels in them.

How does this stb compare in price to the S-9 or S-10?

The price is about the same for all Openbox receivers.
IMO, the S12 should be about 40 dollars less because of its size and missing hardware.

Connector 1	Connector 2	Function
2	3	Rx <-------		Tx
3	2	Tx -------->		Rx
5	5	Signal ground

Connector 1 represents the DB9 connector pins for the computer's serial port.
Connector 2 represents the pins on the S12 receiver.
Only three pins are needed to make the RS232 connector work.
The diagram shown above got the RS232 working on my S12. EB

Very user friendly receiver and remote. I think I prefer its colourful menu to the s9 and its blind scan is definitely quicker then the s9 with the the latest files. I had a slight issue trying to save a couple of sats on the list and had to reboot(no 0/1 button) the receiver by unplugging power cord- worked like a charm. I will report all issues that arise but right now I'm still scanning in sats and I have quite a few to go.

With the external power supply is this micro box running cool? and what is the software dated as in the information menu?

I haven't checked the s12 for heat issues yet, I'll report on that later once I keep it on for a while. The software is dated for July 14.

I've had the unit powered up for almost 2 hours and just a bit of heat near the middle of the box but nothing to concern oneself with.

The tip of an usb stick gets warm, about 120 degrees (Fahrenheit) when you leave it in the S12 for a while. This is nothing to be concerned with.
The S12 firmware is nothing special. It is S10 firmware.

I just finished scanning all my sats, 41 in all. I noticed when I powered off today and repowered on that 2 of my last sats which I had saved were totally erased, not quite sure why but I think I'll leave this on at all times. I havent noticed any screws, I'd like to open it up and have a look.

Can we get a dump of this firmware for the file section... even though it may be S10 software..It would be nice to have it off a confirmed S12 box.

To disassemble the S12:
1. Turn the receiver upside down.
2. Remove the four hole plugs or feet(4).
3. Remove the screws under the hole plugs(3).
4. Remove the bottom lid.
5. Remove the screws in the circuit board(2).
6. Remove the board from the case

DDR = HY5DU121622DTP-D43 Hynix(2 chips)
Tuner = Sharp
It takes 3 minutes or less to disassemble the S12. The S12 is the cheapest fta receiver that I have disassembled to date. I doubt there is 2 dollars worth of parts in it. EB

I think the remote is improved over previous versions. But I do not worry about remotes much anymore because the universal learning remotes are better and cheaper. EB

The S12 contains the Ali M3501 chip. This should allow the reception of DVB-S2 QPSK/8PSK/H8PSK/16APSK. More information on this can be found in the link. EB

Code:

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http://www.ali.com.tw/index.php?option=com_product&view=product&cid=12&id=21&Itemid=8

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Any update on the performance so far? How is it at driving a motor?

The S12 drives a motor with no issues, the same as a S10 or S9.
Maximum S12 performance will probably never be realized but the two year old Openbox firmware works very well.

I cannot find much technical information on the S12 but when I Google the numbers on the two long rectangular chips just below the square heat sink, the numbers come back as RAM, 512MB. So looking at the board, it appears that the S12 has 1 gig of RAM. I am still looking for info about this. EB

love that cap tacked on.
The s12 firmware is dramatically different from the s10
Bootloader looks more like euro stuff. HS11

I had that confused with the italian version,sorry
Russians have their own s9/s10 which are totally
different and confusing also,especially when they mix files in the same threads.

The version I was confused with is called the InetCOMBOhds12,which people are mixing in with the other.
That firmware is totally different.

I have never heard of the InetCOMBOhds12. The only other receiver I know of that is related to the S12 is the INETHD S12 receiver.

So where is a cheap source for these? What advantages does it have over the openbox s9? Is it the same chipset and processor?

I have posted a lot of information on the S12.
Read more Here: [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

Most of your questions should be answered in that thread. If not, feel free to post!! EB

I order mine already, don't know when will it get here, found this thread very helpful, only thing confusing was when it seems the openbox S9 is compared to this Skybox S12 or am I lost?
Anyway this will be my first HD receiver I'll get my hands on for testing. LOL I know it is late but today I found out that it has Blind Scan something I should of have answered before ordering. Thanks in advance TURBO

The S9 and the S12 are about the same thing. The S9 has less memory than the S12. Other than that and the size of the receiver, there are very few differences between the Openbox receivers.

Ah I just notice the power supply is different I need an USA power supply lol going to r@dio sh@ck.