X2 Shop Tests

Pixl

Pixl

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I brought the X2 into our workshop at the Radio Station. Here we have a commercial 12' dish parked at 139w for radio feeds. The X2 did well with these feeds from Global America, Premiere, Clear Channel, and Cumulus radio networks, 562 in all. Over 100 0f them were active today. These have a mix of DVB-s2, AC3, and aac audio, the X2 played them all.
When sorting thru the radio channel list I had the box lock up a few times. Seems you can't get to fast fingered with the X2 or this will happen. Without a power switch you have to pull the plug, kind of a nuisance.


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I then set up the variable loading to test the LNB voltage and current. Set for 18v @ 400 ma, the X2 maximum rating, I held it at this level for an hour. The box runs quite warm, but not hot, and no more than under normal load.


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Next was to see what this box can handle. I turned up the load to draw 502.6 ma, 100 over the max rating. Voltage held at 17.99v and no extra heat was observed.


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Final test was to take it as high as it would go. As I got up to 650ma the voltage started to fall to 17v. Then somewhere around 700ma the receiver shut down and re-booted.

I was wondering how this little box could easily meet and exceed it's max ratings. Inside under the card reader is the LNB regulator, 2SA928a rated at 2 amps, far beyond the .4 amp LNB rating.
The power supply itself has heavy diodes and a transformer that makes a shame out of the Openbox S-10. Anyone posting that they don't have enough power to move a motor has something else wrong. The X2 has the capability.


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I'll post more after I've had the box a few more days.
 
Very nice! Good to see the testing platform and results.

...and no over current protection shutoff until 700ma ?

As you elude to your findings seem contrary to reports elsewhere of a "light" PSU.
 
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Elsewhere, you have a MicroHD distributor that gets a commission for every MicroHD sold. What information can you expect to get from a person like this?

BTW, Notice the MicroHD guy never mentions the blind scan of the X²?
 
el bandido said:
Elsewhere, you have a MicroHD distributor that gets a commission for every MicroHD sold. What information can you expect to get from a person like this?

BTW, Notice the MicroHD guy never mentions the blind scan of the X²?
Click to expand...


Exactly. The blind scan on the X2 is very good and quick as well.
 
Thanks pixl, Its a quite well build unit. My first one which I'm using since October 2012 is handling 8 double outputs LNB's via (4) 4x4 and (4) 1.0 diseqc switches. I have a 1TB HDD connected to the USB port for movies and an ethernet cable for Internet, 7 days a week almost all the day all long!! The X2 has pulled TPs and channels that I wasnt able to scan in with any of my oldest Stbs (Coolsat 8100HD, Openbox S9 and S10) including TPs with 2000 or lower SRs!!
 
My final thoughts after working with the X2 for a week now.

The good...
The best feature already mentioned by others is the blind scan. Faster by far than any box I've worked with, and it finds everything.
The menus and other operations are easy to figure out, very well designed.
Support for wireless is easy. Most any wireless usb adapter with a Ralink chip will work, just plug it in and all the wireless signals in your area will appear, select one, add user name and password if needed and it connects.
Plug in a usb hub and you can run additional devices simultaneously such as a HDD or usb stick.

The X2 has been out for a few months now and they quickly released several FW updates to fix most of the bugs. There are a few still lingering..
When keying in your local lat and long for USALS there is no save button available. But by some quirk you can save it by exiting that screen to a preset country location and then back and it sticks. Not a big problem as you only need to do this once.
It is disappointing that there are only 32 motor positions that can be saved, 64 would be better, 99 would be the best as it would match the 99 positions in most 1.2 diesqc boxes.
The SD picture quality is not as good as other boxes. HD is better, I've been spoiled by the Raptor I have with great SD and HD.
For the money, you get more than what you paid for.
 
Excellent write up.

I have come to the same conclusions with the exception of picture quality.

I would only add that picture quality is subjective and there are alot of variables involved with it especially when talking about DIY FTA satellite tv/radio.

Nice to see some tests done on the bench too.
 
I have to agree with Pixl.
The X² does not have the picture quality that most higher priced receivers have. I tested the X² on two televisions and compared it to three different fta receivers, The X² came up short in the picture department every time. But what can you expect from a fifty dollar receiver? EB
 
the x2 and the picture quality could it not be improved through firmware? since I have tried a lot of different firmware's on my open box I have noticed that when I went back to older firmware the picture quality on the older firmware from 2010 was not as sharp as the new firmware of 2011 and 2012

so along the way this got fixed in the firmware on the open box and the sd and hd both look and play better

so maybe it could be asked of the x2 folks if they to can look into working ON a better sd picture in an added firmware?

what ever open box did in there firmware realy did improve there picture quality on the open box a lot I know the open box uses a different chip but the x2 chip I think is a lot stronger of a chip.. I hear the tuner is more sensitive?

so if it already has it all going for it why couldn't the picture quality be improved?
 
This is a tube video I came across today from PRO96 from satguys comparing the blind scan of the x2 to the Micro HD that costs double the price.

 
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