Inside Amiko Alien2 / Spark 7162 STB

Inside Amiko Alien2 / Spark 7162 STB

For those who do not want to take the cover off their Alien2, here is a look at the insides. It is a Fulan designed 7162. Unlike what a ROBber here or there might try and claim, all 7162's run this same exact hardware at the same speed and configuration. In Europe a 3rd DVB-C/T tuner is available. This has absolutely no function in North America since we do not have any DVB-C cable or DVB-T OTA. We figured that we should leave the worthless 3rd tuner out. It keeps the cost a little lower plus it is one less thing to produce heat or cause a failure.

These are often referred to as Spark 7111 (Alien) and Spark 7162 (Alien2). Spark is from the operating system and the number is the STi chip used.

All models (single, twin and triple) have dedicated mainboards for their line since tuners and demod chips are onboard.

The only real differences in hardware with 7162 STB's is cosmetic. These can be fitted with different front panels with different switch layouts. They don't even need or all have the fancy display like Alien2.

The significant differences between the different brands are in support and service. Before going with Amiko in late 2011 we investigated several different companies with similar hardware offerings. Karmacom was the only one that could deliver support for the NA market, does substantial development of their 7111/7162's in house and stands behind them. They are also the only ones that have NA Spark Online images and have firmware improvements and fixes for NA in their STB's only.

Here is a brief explanation of the hardware layout:

The big board on the left is the heavy duty power supply. It is bigger than most internal STB power supplies since it delivers 500mA max to both tuners (and the DVB-C/T in Europe) plus the STi7162 requires a bit more power than the less capable STB's.

To the lower right is the cardreader. There is a second one below it. These largely have no use in North America but come standard.

Above the readers you will notice 2 square chips on the mainboard. These are the demod chips. Above them are the twin DVB-S2 tuners. The third tuner would go to the left of them in Europe.

The vertical board is where Ethernet and the rear USB are attached.

The processor is quite sizeable for a STB and is below the big silver heatsink and retainer clip.