ardo
join:2001-12-20
North York, ON
1 edit | reply to Bicephale
Re: Tweaks
said by Bicephale  :I like 'STMT' even better now! I don't see the beta version, whould you mind posting the link? TIA.
NM, just got it here:
»modemtool.de/dl/STMTv0.11_Beta3.zip |
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Bicephale
join:2005-09-24
 ·TekSavvy Solutions..
| %20.GIF "11617 bytes")
VelCom - ST546v6 (FW v7.4.3.2.0-AA, STMT, 2008-Jun-29) |
It can be difficult to engage in long term (24 h) tests
during summer when it seems we can't have at least
two consecutive days without rain and the lightning
which comes with it that contaminates the statistics.
The need to leave 'STMT' running day and night to
gather statistical data from the SpeedTouch doesn't
help it neither but i managed to put one record aside.
The Downstream SNR Margin is very stable and varies
between 12.5 and 17.5 dB while my SpeedStream makes
this more like 5 to 13 dB only. The RCOs are great with
the new SpeedTouch FirmWare as well but i'm not too
sure that those two products can really be compared
on the basis of their SNR margins and RCOs so i'll try
to collect some Error Rate information and i wouln't be
surprized if the SpeedTouch 5x6 comes close or even
beats the SpeedStream 4200, thanks to its FirmWare!
The downside of Thomson's v7.4.3.2.0-AA FirmWare
is that i can't trust 'DMT' any longer because when
i start it there's no way to tell if the MoDem will reboot
or not... I believe they made it 'DMT' hostile but this
pattern seems to occur at random so far and i haven't
read similar reports from the other ST5x6 owners yet.
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Bicephale
join:2005-09-24
·TekSavvy Solutions..
|  .GIF/thumb.jpg "48410 bytes")
VelCom - GNet GBB2060-Xi (2008-Jul-6, Up Time is 72h 14m 28s) |
brought back the "Cooking-Hour Syndrome".
The labelled peaks were caused by turning on
about every electrical appliance i could find
in the kitchen, at exactly one hour intervals. |
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Bicephale
join:2005-09-24 | CRC Error rate: 3539/day |
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Bicephale
join:2005-09-24
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| NOTICE
I announced that i was going to cease posting in
the present thread via a message written today:
From the ground up!, Bicephale, 2008-Jul-9
Rocky from TekSavvy and myself have agreed on a
series of tests meant to compare my MoDems with
HardWare submitted by the ISP he's representing.
Due to delivery delays there might not be more
than a few days left to make those tests under
the phone line conditions which prevaled since
i subscribed to DSL in mid-2005, with all the
modifications explained as they occured. I'll
attempt to post whatever i can when the MoDems
get here but the reader should take note that
once i've moved to Limoilou the background (e.g.
phone-line conditions, etc.) will be different,
obviously. As a result, starting next week i'm
going to post my future tweaker results in the
new replacement thread and device comparisons
will be based on new grounds thereafter...
By the way, i wish to thank Rocky personally
for offering me this opportunity to satisfy my
insatiable curiosity and, perhaps, yours also!
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mlerner
Premium
join:2000-11-25
Nepean, ON
 ·Rogers Hi-Speed
·TekSavvy Solutions..
·Bell Sympatico
| said by Bicephale :By the way, i wish to thank Rocky personally for offering me this opportunity to satisfy my insatiable curiosity and, perhaps, yours also! You two are both nuts but I look forward to the results.
--
"If bullshit was money this guy would be richer that Bill Gates." - quote by olebiker on Mirko Bibic |
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Bicephale
join:2005-09-24 | MouHa! Ha!
Well, thank you MLerner! I can appreciate the
way how "curious" got synonymous of "nuts"!
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andrewsfm
join:2004-07-16
Toronto | Hey, Bicephale, has your research given you any clue as to why a line like mine, can swing from 9db SNR all the way down to -1.5db in a matter of 15 seconds at random? |
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Bicephale
join:2005-09-24
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| reply to Bicephale
 .JPG/thumb.jpg "723268 bytes")
TekSavvy Shipment (2008-Jul-10) |
Here it is, the evaluation can begin!
My only problem: i got disturbed while unpacking so i mixed them up...
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Bicephale
join:2005-09-24
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| reply to andrewsfm
Hi AndrewsFM,
I've seen unexpected readings before, just like those you
described. My impression was that this was the result of
glitches in some mathematical algorythms... This may be
what makes FirmWares so different but i have no evidence. |
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Bicephale
join:2005-09-24
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| reply to Bicephale
%20.GIF "40972 bytes")
VelCom - ST516v6-1 (FW v6.2.16.3, 2008-Jul-10) | %20.GIF "41992 bytes")
VelCom - ST516v6-2 (FW v6.2.29.2, 2008-Jul-10) |
1st of all, we've got a sunny day with dark
clouds at the end of the afternoon. 'STMT'
doesn't update the statics numbers while it
is drawing curves, which means that in this
test the MoDems did not have time to settle
before those numbers were recorded (nor did
my spectral response curves adjust neither).
The main purpose of today's 'STMT' captures
was to obtain "noise" curves to compare the
two MoDems, essentially. Consider the rest
as accessorial, other attempts will be made.
The unit identified as "ST516v6-1" had the
plain old transformer type of PSU while i've
used the newer switching-mode unit with the
second ST516 MoDem... |
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ardo
join:2001-12-20
North York, ON
| said by Bicephale :The unit identified as "ST516v6-1" had the plain old transformer type of PSU while i've used the newer switching-mode unit with the second ST516 MoDem... I would expect the switchmode PSU to be somewhat noisy, but the SNR difference looks quite dramatic. Did you have any of your patented thoroids on the switchmode PSU? I'm not sure if thoroids are good for anything other than 60Hz suppression, but still...
You are testing the 2 modems with slightly different firmware versions, could this make a difference, too? Is there a way to re-test with one modem & different PSUs?
My ST516 came with v6.2.16.3 and I was just thinking of upgrading to v7.4.3. Would you recommend it? You seem to have tested all firmware releases, I wonder if there's a reason why you're running v6.2.16.3. Sorry for the off-top. |
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Bicephale
join:2005-09-24
·TekSavvy Solutions..
|  .GIF/thumb.jpg "18705 bytes")
VelCom - ST516v6-1, FW v6.2.16.3 (2008-Jul-11, 16h21) |  .GIF/thumb.jpg "52495 bytes")
VelCom - ST516v6-2 (DMT Part 1, 2008-Jul-12) |  .GIF/thumb.jpg "52113 bytes")
VelCom - ST516v6-2 (DMT Part 2, 2008-Jul-12) | %20.GIF "36230 bytes")
VelCom - ST516v6-2 (STMT, 2008-Jul-12) |  .GIF/thumb.jpg "18827 bytes")
VelCom - ST516v6-2, FW v6.2.29.2 (2008-Jul-11, 0h00) |
Last night, slightly past midnight, i put on-line
what i presume to be Thomson's newer ST516v6 unit
and its alledged corresponding switched-mode PSU.
I brought the linear-mode PSU and its counterpart
with me when i travelled between Louiseville and
my new appartment, there was very little time to
try the set previously labelled as "ST516v6-1"...
Static numbers provide poor information sometimes,
perhaps that's what happened with the 'DMT'/'STMT'
captures made after i returned to Louiseville: it
doesn't plead in favour of the new "ST516v6-2" set
and, yes, i did implement RF choking on the power
leads (i used two toroidal cores with five turns
each, actually)... The WAN side's heavy RF choke
has been replaced with multiple lighter cores to
distribute their effect (i noticed that the line
improved, probably because of the season alone;
hence, there may be little or no need for those).
I scavenge ferrite cores from obsolete PSUs so the
operating frequency of those devices is many times
60 Hz, ideally within the A.M. radio range which
DSL shares... I could swap the MoDems vs the PSUs
but there's not much time left as my departure for
Quebec city is imminent, if all goes well i should
have moved permanently next week. As a consequence,
i prioritize my evaluation of those two device by
collecting long term records, 'STMT' curves, ideally.
FirmWare v7.4.3.2 combined to my ST546v6 suddently
inspired respect, as far as i'm concerned. If it
weren't for the fear that i might never be able to
find the exact FirmWares for later re-installation,
euh... i'd sure give FW v7.4.3.2 a thought or two!
Look at my static numbers and conclude for yourself:
this 8 dB DownStream SNR Margin which i could see
at the end of the day felt inferior, miserable!...
An error of interpretation is possible but i was
under the impression that the initial goal should
be to compare the units as they are shipped, then
to dig up a bit further, eventually... Right now,
it wouldn't be normal for me to flash the devices
without a strong motive: it's not what a regular
customer should do only a couple days after he's
received his brand new MoDem, in my opinion! In
any case, please feel welcomed to comment further.
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Bicephale
join:2005-09-24
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| Oups! One word of caution: sometimes you can read
"2008-Jul-12" in the previous post but it was about
the day before (at 0h00 one day got added but my
24 h record is for the day before)... That's an error i
manage to avoid, usually! |
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Bicephale
join:2005-09-24
·TekSavvy Solutions..
2 edits | %20.GIF "46865 bytes")
VelCom - ST516v6-1 (STMT, 2008-Jul-12) |  .GIF/thumb.jpg "50532 bytes")
VelCom - ST516v6-1 (DMT Part 1, 2008-Jul-12) |  .GIF/thumb.jpg "50539 bytes")
VelCom - ST516v6-1 (DMT Part 2, 2008-Jul-12) | %20.GIF "42568 bytes")
VelCom - ST516v6-2 (STMT, 2008-Jul-12&13) |  .GIF/thumb.jpg "52583 bytes")
VelCom - ST516v6-2 (DMT Part 1, 2008-Jul-12&13) |  .GIF/thumb.jpg "52404 bytes")
VelCom - ST516v6-2 (DMT Part 2, 2008-Jul-12&13) | %20.GIF "44637 bytes")
VelCom - ST516v6-2 (STMT, 2008-Jul-14) |  .GIF/thumb.jpg "52217 bytes")
VelCom - ST516v6-2 (DMT Part 1, 2008-Jul-14) |  .GIF/thumb.jpg "51865 bytes")
VelCom - ST516v6-2 (DMT Part 2, 2008-Jul-14) |
Thomson SpeedTouch 516v6 (a switching-mode PSU edition)...
Take note that the static numbers shown by 'STMT' have been
read before the real-time record has begun, hence the need to
join 'DMT' captures where those numbers have been read after.
N.B.:
2008-Jul-18 - It seems the versions were mixed up...
ST516v6-1 is FW v6.2.16.3.0 (ZZQ0DV6.2G3)
ST516v6-2 is FW v6.2.29.2.0 (ZZQ0GE6.2T2)
ST516v6-1 has linear power supply
ST516v6-2 has switched-mode power supply |
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