[mythtv-users] The $99 frontend is here. Is this too good to be true?

[Michael Cook]

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Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:38:11 -0500
To: Michael Cook <waxrat at comcast.net>
Subject: The $99 frontend is here. Is this too good to be true?

Michael,
I found the list archive of the thread on Gossamer Threads so I can't 
respond on list.

I have also been trying to run Fedora Core 10 on the i3386G-LF (I bought 2).

There appears to be a DMA problem with the CF adapter or Transcend CF 
card.  During Linux boot (also using USB for system), the CF card is 
detected and put into MWDMA2 mode.  Reads of the device then fail so 
from an application perspective the drive is not there, but the syslog 
shows the errors.

If during the boot screen count down you hit return, the hit tab to edit 
the default boot entry, then add "libata.dms=0" to the end of the boot 
line, DMA is disabled in the CF driver and the CF is put into PIO4 mode 
at boot time.  The drive is now visible and can be read.

To test the basic controller DMA, I unplugged the CF adapter and 
attached a 3.5 80GB hard drive.  This was detected during boot, 
configured for DMA, and operates without a problem.

The problem appears to be DMA compatibility with the CF adapter or CF 
card.  I'm looking around for another DMA capable CF card to test in the 
system.  The only thing I have right now is an old IBM Micro Drive and 
it is detected as PIO1 only so it won't test DMA.

Otherwise, the systems are pretty neat.  The day I received them I 
needed to test some NTP configurations on a clean system.  By loading 
Fedora Core 10 on a USB thumb drive I was able to quickly bring the 
system up and run my tests the very first day!

Like you said, the chassis is clean with no scratches.  I resorted to 
resetting the CMOS to get around the BIOS password.

I hope to use the 12V capable system for Emergency Communications 
support eventually.

Regards,
Ron Thornton
N1JKL - ARES/MRC

-- 
Aerostation - The Art of Ballooning
www.Aerostation.org
Littleton, MA USA

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