Ferrari DM500HD rejuvinated!

OK, my old E2 started giving me problems and then I saw all these offerings from Gods of Japhar and I started to think...

So, here are the results of the Jury of London, regarding this image in Ferrari 500 HD with the mighty Japhar SIM card...

Before all that, CONGRATS on hacking the drivers - well bloody done!!!

=============TO THE BUSINESS AT HAND=============

OpenPLi images are smaller, leaner and meaner, hence more suitable for older machines like F500 HD, with smaller flash memory and RAM. Indeed, flashing was uneventful.

1) After the flashing I set out to delete the stuff I did not need (cable.xml, terrestrial.xml in etx/tuxbox, then cable etc. scanning folder in usr/lib/enigma/python/system plugins or some such path etc. etc.).

2) I checked how much space I have and then I sent to /tmp folder the first 2 attached plugins (thanx to Dimitry from OpenPLi for Device Manager and the author of Flash Expander).

3) I also sent 2 small plugins to set paths for picons and EPG. I find them useful. They go to System Plugins folder. The last plugin is there to fill my quota of 5 attachments maximum...

4) After each change/installation => RESTART!!!

5) Logic commands to install Device Manager first. I tested this plugin properly for Dimitrij and I can vouch it works well on OpenPLi images!

I have a 16GB USB stick mounted internally, in the USB port inside my Ferrari500HD. It is partitioned in 2 parts, a smaller one which I mounted as /media/usb and a bigger one, which I mounted as custom /media/cf partition.

5a) /media/usb is about 1.5GB and it will be used for Flash Expander ONLY!

5b) /media/cf is around 14.5 GB and it will be used for picons, EPG, downloading subtitles, buffering, cash for IPTV Player and alike.

5c) I will add a UBS HDD as /media/hdd later, when I set up these essential functions, so the structure of E2 setup is sound and E2 has enough space to do what is necessary.

6) Flash Expander is used to expand the /usr folder to the first partition of my USB memory stick.

When it was all done, one could read this output in Telnet (sda1 is the /media/usb, now /usr folder, with loadsa space for all you want...):



The description of setting up will continue n another post, due to 5 files limitation to attaching function here...

As you can see, what I described above is functioning well, at least so far.

I should also repeat what I wrote on OpenPLi forum, when I tested the Device Manager for Dimitrij (just a part of what found, when testing)...





I shall continue describing the process in the next post...

And here are the screenshots showing how Flash Expander works, once one has properly mounted and formatted 2 partitions to work with...

I shall continue in another post...

Now we can add USB HDD as /media/hdd and send various bits to their "natural" places...

Then, we are going to send all the relevant files to their best "hiding places"...

Btw, I am now mounting all three of my partitions as "Fixed"...

Continuing later on...

Before I begin, F500HD will run out of RAM, even if flash is now large enough, so we better help it out with installing a SWAP plugin. I found one which works (see attached).

Here is the little "how to"...

It will create a SWAP file on a partition of your choosing and that will be your additional "virtual RAM", which certainly helps when RAM is scarce.

Remember, I mounted /media/cf for precisely that purpose. Namely, flash is too small and HDD has moving parts, so SWAP file can not/ought not go there.

See the images attached...

OK, here is how to send EPG file (which can be big) to a USB stick/partition so it does not clog up flash memory and it does not "tire" an HDD.

After you see the initial screenshot, one usually presses the OK button on one's remote controller to go to other possible destinations, of course or one presses the green button to save the destination...

And here is what you do with Picons...

You get them from the net, unpack them, create a folder "picon" (without the quotation marks) and put all of them in there.

Connect with Enigma2 box using, for instance, FileZilla Client and drag and drop (it's faster to get them in MS Windows Explorer, then drag them from that window into FileZilla Client and release, I find...) the folder into your E2 mounted partition for that purpose.

Like below...

We shall continue in another couple of posts with this stuff...

Keep going until you are in the right place, of course, then SAVE and restart, if necessary, as in all similar situations this is good practice or even a must...

For RECORDING PATHS, including TIMESHIFT path, one should change to a FILE LIST using your remote controllers MENU button, as soon as you enter the menu for this function, as seen below.

One doesn't need to remove a bookmark, one can simply add a new one, using MENU > navigate > OK > Save buttons...

Now, we are ready to send a channel list into our STB, download plugins, do the fine tuning, with all sorts of settinsg etc.

We shall cover that a little later...

Real life awaits...

=======================================================

I used the latest "Ciefp's satellite and VOD TV settings" as the basis...

But I also edited it for my setup, which includes an awesome all-round Zgemma H7S box, with 2 x DVB-S/S2 tuners and a DVB-C/T/T2 tuner:

a) UK terrestrial DVB-T/T2 services (Crystal Palace, south London transmitter), using an indoor, amplified aerial

b) T90 multifocal + a small, single position satellite dish

T90:
1) 39E
2) 28E
3) 23,5 E
4) 19E
5) 16E
6) 13E
7) 10 + 9E
8) 7E
9) 0.8/1W
10) 4 + 5W

Single dish:
11) 30W

Method used:

Firstly, I replaced satellites.xml included in the ciefp's lists with Reinh@rd's file (E2-satellites-xml-29112017).

Then, I used Dreamset app to delete the unused satellite positions and whatever was not needed (German terrestrial services, plus PV from satellites I do not have etc.) => Save As...

Then, I used DreamboxEDIT to open the newly edited list and send it to the box => restart E2.

I then scanned the UK (Crystal Palace) terrestrial services and that automatically created a new folder in the list (Terrestrial). After that, I manually scanned satellite by satellite, for everything that I can get here, in London, with the equipment I have.

After that, I used DeamboxEDIT app to get it out of the box and save in on my PC.

Feel free to edit the Favourites as per your needs/taste, of course...

Enjoy, if anyone has the need for something like this...

Btw, I have added a smaller version of the list, without radio channels, terrestrial ones etc. Just in case...

Thank you very much to share this guide!

I have a problem with mount: /media/cf
After created bigger custom mount "fast" /media/cf and used Flash Expander on it, once reboot the box the plugin devicemanager show changed partiton into "fixed" /usr

That is normal. That's what FE does - copies /usr to the partition of your choice...

I stated that FIXED is the way to go...