So here it is. From the readme:

This set of scripts allows to flash a custom image or replace any files inside
the /opt directory of the Reader filesystem using just a flash card. The /opt
directory contains the main Reader UI and supporting files.
Possible uses include:
1) rolling back to an older firmware version
2) customizing the UI look and behavior
3) replacing/adding built-in fonts

As an example, provided xml files add a configurable clock display in the
status bar of the navigation menus and book reader.


Version 1.2 (http://projects.mobileread.com/reader/users/igorsk/sd_flash_1.2.zip): support for firmware version 1.0.02.01300

Does this clock work with the current firmware or will it brick the reader?

changing fonts seems a nice function:)

Perhaps one of our fearless testers or careful machine openers might do us the favor of testing this program - hopefully it can be used to add/change some internal fonts?... I will gladly up the Karma to such brave souls....

Yes, the clock will work fine with the latest firmware. As for the fonts, consult the readme, I have some details listed.

Now I have to find my card reader and see if it supports SD. Otherwise I'll need to buy a new card reader.

Now I have to find my card reader and see if it supports SD. Otherwise I'll need to buy a new card reader.

You could use your SONY reader as a card reader ;-)

If the internal fonts are changed, then the speed of screen redraws is faster than for an embedded font - i'm guessing?

I'd expect you might not need to embed the font in the first place. :smug:

I just glanced over the code and I am more than impressed by Igorsk's work (and Corwin's, and Shade's)... very cool stuff!

So is it save now to upgrade the Reader with the latest firmware without losing USB access?

Yes, the script flashes the firmware directly, without using the USB protocol. So you don't need a signed FS image to use it :)

Thanks Igorsk for this!

I tried it with the new firmware and he keeps saying: "stat_fs not found". Any idea what's going on?

Hm, this is strange. Do you have "stat_fs" in the "bin" folder on the card?

Hm, this is strange. Do you have "stat_fs" in the "bin" folder on the card?


Yes, I extracted the contents from the zip to the SD root and stat_fs is in the bin folder.

Hm, I guess I'll have to test it myself then...

Hm, I guess I'll have to test it myself then...


Can it be the SD card?

Well, I upgraded the firmware and the script worked just the same. Can you try downloading /Data/tmp/make_fs.log from the Reader using ebook.py? Something like this:
ebook.py get /Data/tmp/make_fs.log
It seems there was some error copying stat_fs, maybe there is something in the log file...

Just to confirm it's correct:


1) Extract the zip onto a flash card, keeping the directory structure. It's
best to use a card with not many files on it so that Reader can scan it quickly.
N.B. readme.txt should be in the root of the card, not in any subdirectory!
2) Insert the card in Reader.
3) Wait until the "Run Script" screen appears.
4) Press 5. Wait for the success message (the process will take about one to
two minutes).
5) Press 6. Wait for the success message.
6) Press 9 to reboot.
7) Extract the card.


What does option 3 (run script.sh) do?

Option 3 runs a demo script from the script.sh file, it's not really related to the firmware update process.

Well, I upgraded the firmware and the script worked just the same. Can you try downloading /Data/tmp/make_fs.log from the Reader using ebook.py? Something like this:
ebook.py get /Data/tmp/make_fs.log
It seems there was some error copying stat_fs, maybe there is something in the log file...


I will try that tonight. ;) I tried it also with a MS and also it doesn't work.



Thanks Igor! :shy:

This is awesome! Now maybe someone can build in a "Remove Book" option to the Tools section of the menu.

Thanks for the post igorsk! :thumbsup:

Thank you very much igorsk.
Somehow I'm pretty sure we'll soon see another firmware update from Sony... :p

Okay, now I really upgraded to the new firmware and I can reproduce the problem. Fix will be available soon.

Okay, now I really upgraded to the new firmware and I can reproduce the problem. Fix will be available soon.


What did you do the first time than? Just changed the firmware number? :p

Anyway, I look forward to the fix because I have great plans with modding my Reader. :cool:

I didn't flash the root fs the first time, only /opt.
Version 1.2 (http://projects.mobileread.com/reader/users/igorsk/sd_flash_1.2.zip): support for firmware version 1.0.02.01300

Cool, thanks a lot! 8)

Would this also work with a Sony Memory Stick or is it restricted to SD cards only?

This is so great. I just changed the left and right function on the joystick from history to "next" and "previous" function. So now I can flip with my right hand! 8)

This is so great. I just changed the left and right function on the joystick from history to "next" and "previous" function. So now I can flip with my right hand! 8)
Would you mind posting this hack please?

Would you mind posting this hack please?


No problem!

Just replace the \files\opt\sony\ebook\application\resources\applic ationStart.xml file on the SD card with the one attached and insert your card in the Reader.

Now do option 5 (make image) > option 6 (flash image) > option 9 (reboot) and your all set.

Now that we can get stuff on the reader for the reader to use, would it be possible to add more book formats? I would love to have LIT format on there. No need for it to handle DRM as CLIT strips that anyway.

Now all I need to do is get a card reader so I can install the software. The one i have is too old and does not support SD cards.

Yes, it's possible to add support for other formats. Not easy, but possible. (No, I don't have anything working yet.)
I think it might be a good idea to start a wiki page with a list of all the possible hacks...

The software request list (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8014) we started and addressed to Sony might be a good place to begin. :wink:

I really like this universal flasher because I finally can tweak some things to my likeings.

So now I can flip pages with the joystick and I changed the font size for the book index and menu so I can see the longer titles complete. Also it gives a cleaner look than when you have a short book title with a bigger font and a long book title with a smaller font.

See the picture how it looks now.

Great job!
I have a question: is it possible to add built-in fonts for Asian language, such as Chinese. Any restrictions on the file size of these fonts?

Complete size of the /opt filesystem image cannot exceed 7 megabytes. The script checks that and will tell you if it becomes too big. (Well, it should. I haven't actually tried making a big image myself.)

I'm sensing an near future need for a place to trade customized filesystem images, and maybe pieces of them. :nice:

I really like this universal flasher because I finally can tweak some things to my likeings.

So now I can flip pages with the joystick and I changed the font size for the book index and menu so I can see the longer titles complete. Also it gives a cleaner look than when you have a short book title with a bigger font and a long book title with a smaller font.

See the picture how it looks now.
Mind posting this mod please? Thanks! One thing that you could fix if you get a chance.. the table of contents. I don't like how it uses different font sizes depenind on how long the title in question is. I'd rather it all be the same size.

Yes, diabloNL - I also would love to try your mod... would you mind posting it?

I think this flasher merits its own wiki page... the same as the Book Designer does.

Well DONE!

I have successfully flashed my Reader with Igorsk tool and DiabloNL's joystick mod. The clock is great but being able to turn the pages with the joystick is what really sold me on trying this tool. Well done!

Mind posting this mod please? Thanks! One thing that you could fix if you get a chance.. the table of contents. I don't like how it uses different font sizes depenind on how long the title in question is. I'd rather it all be the same size.


Also the TOC will show the same font size (18) for all items like big and small titles.


To get this replace the \files\opt\sony\ebook\application\resources\script s\main.xml with the one attached. You can change the size in this file to your likings if you don't like the size 18. I made some comments in the source where I have changed it. But only change the size yourself if you know what you are doing! Yesterday I made a typo and bricked mine. Luckily it has recovered doing the "ten times reset" method and upgrading with the original firmware tool.

The attached file I tested myself and works fine.


Again I feel the need to thank Igor for giving us this great tool! (karma hint) :cool:

I have successfully flashed my Reader with Igorsk tool and DiabloNL's joystick mod. The clock is great but being able to turn the pages with the joystick is what really sold me on trying this tool. Well done!

Indeed, I'd like to echo a very Well Done Igorsk!

Just noticed that the clock is an hour out (I'm in the UK), any idea how to move it to the correct time?

Just noticed that the clock is an hour out (I'm in the UK), any idea how to move it to the correct time?


If you connect it to your PC and run the connect software it will sync. with the time on your PC.

I did that (well, I used libprs500) and that set the time from 00:00 to an hour earlier than my PC clock is set to).

This is so great. I just changed the left and right function on the joystick from history to "next" and "previous" function. So now I can flip with my right hand! 8)

Wow, this is the most useful hack so far for me :)
I wish Sony would incorporate it into their future upgrade. I really miss right handed flipping buttons.

Wow, this is the most useful hack so far for me :)
I wish Sony would incorporate it into their future upgrade. I really miss right handed flipping buttons.


Why wait for Sony? :wink:

Why wait for the next Sony Upgrade? It is here now!

I am too much coward/fool to try an inovation like that :o
I didn't even upgrade my reader when the last official upgrade became available. I think I should grow up a bit...maybe in 6-8 months I will be ready :)

P.S. Madam Broshkina, have we met on the-ebook.org before? :)

... "ten times reset" method .... Ehm. What rock have I been under to miss that one? Could you elaborate or point me to it please, diabloNL?

Ehm. What rock have I been under to miss that one? Could you elaborate or point me to it please, diabloNL?

Must have been a huge rock. :D

You can find it in the Wiki:

Click (http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Sony_Reader_hack#Recovering_From_Catastrophic_Fail ure_.28Unbricking.29)

Only the last step you don't need ebook.py. Just use the original Sony Reader update software. It works great!

Another method that Igor told me is to start the Sony update tool and after unpacking go to the temp folder on your disk and search for the unpakked Reader update. Inside go to ../assets/updaterAssets/PRSVersion.dat and open that file with notepad. Change the last "0" in a "1". This way the updater thinks it has a newer version and will "upgrade" (fix) your Reader.

It must have been the ruddy Rock of Gibraltar!

Yeah, I somehow missed all of that. Thanks for waking me up! :nice:

Hey all you firmware hackers and flashers. I'd really really like an improvement to how the "by author" and "by title" choices on the main reader menu work.

I want hierarchical navigation through the space of available choices using the 10 buttons to choose from subranges of the total. In programmer-speak, think of it as choosing the n-th subchild of a balanced tree with up to 10 children per node. At each level, you display for each button the first and last book available at the leaves if I choose that button. (No need to implement it as a balanced tree, of course. That just describes the notion, not the implementation.)

This would allow access to any book with Log-base-10(total-number-of-books) button presses. Way better than scrolling through a 50-page list of individual books.

If we can flash the firmware, this ought to be a doable thing.

Anyone up for the programming? Anyone? Beuhler?

I want to say thank you! I've done the upgrades and they seem to work fine. Now if only we could get LIT format on this puppy we'd be golden.

I think this thread deserves a "sticky", wouldn't you say? :D

Where would we find the meaning of all the referenced functions and objects in the XML scripts? It's a bit confusing that (more than) half the code for the key reassignment example seems to be related to the clock example--makes reverse-engineering what was done a bit difficult.

For those who have actually done these, what is the recommended way of finding out what can/cannot be changed? What can the enbedded C scripts actually access? This would help busy (lazy???) people like me try things out.

Resources that would be useful would be a link to an XMK reference, a worked example of changing internal fonts and adding extra ones, a list of objects and key codes/identifiers, and so on.

I love this flasher because I've been itching to have the joystick act as a page turner.

Like a previous poster, I don't understand what the different functions are in the xml file. How would I go about removing the clock? It's a great demo of the flasher, but I prefer to read without a clock right there. I do plan to try changing the fonts, but for now all I want is the joystick mod.

I love this flasher because I've been itching to have the joystick act as a page turner.

Like a previous poster, I don't understand what the different functions are in the xml file. How would I go about removing the clock? It's a great demo of the flasher, but I prefer to read without a clock right there. I do plan to try changing the fonts, but for now all I want is the joystick mod.
go to Settings->About, then cycle through clock modes using button "0".

go to Settings->About, then cycle through clock modes using button "0".

Thank you! Much simpler than I thought.

I did that (well, I used libprs500) and that set the time from 00:00 to an hour earlier than my PC clock is set to).

Well, I figured out how to "fix" the time on my reader.

I changed my Windows timezone to one that was an hour ahead (Amsterdam), re-connected my reader and synced with libprs500 and that worked.

I guess that because my timezone was set to GMT but we're in Daylight Savings Time time at the moment, things got a little confused.

Well, I figured out how to "fix" the time on my reader.

I changed my Windows timezone to one that was an hour ahead (Amsterdam), re-connected my reader and synced with libprs500 and that worked.

I guess that because my timezone was set to GMT but we're in Daylight Savings Time time at the moment, things got a little confused.
If you are in the UK, your timezone isn't GMT. It's BST. That's why your time is an hour off.

... we're in Daylight Savings Time time at the moment, things got a little confused.Doesn't your Windows have the option to check that you observer DST? That'd probably take care of it for you automagically. :nice:

Indeed. My Timezone is set to GMT (London, etc) - as there isn't a BST timezone option, and then the checkbox to allow observe DST is checked.

If I then sync the reader the reader time is set to one hour earlier then my PC time.

If I then change only the timezone to be one that is one hour ahead of GMT and then sync the reader, the time on the reader is then correct (but I guess its internal timezone is wrong).

Note this is on Vista - I haven't tried XP or anything.

Oops, bye-bye bookmarks. :furious3:

Doesn't your Windows have the option to check that you observer DST? That'd probably take care of it for you automagically. :nice:

It would, but not on the reader.
Bear in mind that the Reader runs on Linux. Which, like all Unixen (Unices? :)) keeps the real time clock on GMT, then adds the time zone and DST corrections before displaying it. Windows, on the other hand, adds (/subtracts) the corrections to(/from) the RTC itself...

Ah, well then. :sad:

I like "Unixies" as a plural for Unix. :smug:

Oops, bye-bye bookmarks. :furious3:
The only book info I lost was the book I left open when I shut off before I updated my Reader. So the solution is to make sure you are at the main menu before you update your Reader. It was my fault really. But I managed to figure out where I was in the book and it's all good now.

The only book info I lost was the book I left open when I shut off before I updated my Reader. So the solution is to make sure you are at the main menu before you update your Reader. It was my fault really. But I managed to figure out where I was in the book and it's all good now.


If I'm not mistaking the Reader goes back to the state it was when connected the last time to the Connect software. So before flashing it's good to connect it to your PC and start Connect. That way he should remember where it left of in your book(s).

I've read through the thread and the readme file. Can I rename any font (i.e., I like Georgia) to tt0003m_.ttf or something like that?

I've read through the thread and the readme file. Can I rename any font (i.e., I like Georgia) to tt0003m_.ttf or something like that?
Yep. It seems so.

Just a note of caution here. If you use a font with very different metrics from the default font, certain parts of the LRF may have their formatting ruined. Tables are the best example of this.

Great job!
I have a question: is it possible to add built-in fonts for Asian language, such as Chinese. Any restrictions on the file size of these fonts?

I don't think it is possible for Chinese.

There are actually three fonts in the Reader. With the 7mb limitation in mind, you could pick the most frequent ~ 2,000 characters and put them only in one of the three fonts. It could possibly work for basic Korean or Japanese but I understand that you need much more characters for Chinese, right?

See

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2663
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2665

Just a note of caution here. If you use a font with very different metrics from the default font, certain parts of the LRF may have their formatting ruined. Tables are the best example of this.

To illustrate here is a font that has crazy Japanese characters when the size is small (other sizes are ok).

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2664

I don't think it is possible for Chinese.

There are actually three fonts in the Reader. With the 7mb limitation in mind, you could pick the most frequent ~ 2,000 characters and put them only in one of the three fonts. It could possibly work for basic Korean or Japanese but I understand that you need much more characters for Chinese, right?

See

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2663
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2665

Yeah, I tried to rename a Chinese font which is no more than 5MB to one of these three fonts, it doesn't work and bricked my ereader.
I am thinking the way you mentioned, can you tell me how to put chinese characters into one of these fonts?

In using the Universal Flasher - i am guessing that you only have to include the files you are actually changing?

My guess is that it creates an image by checking whatever is on the reader and adding/overwriting any files included in the SD Card?

So, if I wanted to change the LeftJoystick back to History instead of previous page all I would include is the new file with changes?

Yeah, I tried to rename a Chinese font which is no more than 5MB to one of these three fonts, it doesn't work and bricked my ereader.
I am thinking the way you mentioned, can you tell me how to put chinese characters into one of these fonts?

I have similar problem. After I changed font,
tt0003m_.ttf for Swiss721 BT Roman => a Korean Font,
my reader was bricked. It keeps starting up forever. How can I fix it? Any idea? Please help me.

I have similar problem. After I changed font,
tt0003m_.ttf for Swiss721 BT Roman => a Korean Font,
my reader was bricked. It keeps starting up forever. How can I fix it? Any idea? Please help me.

To fix it:
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10902
on #13

I already got a solution for Chinese support:
http://www.hi-pda.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=361320
It is in Chinese, if you can't read, just check the pics there

My solution is:
Copy glyphs from Chinese fonts to the original tt0003m_.ttf and tt0011m_.ttf, then it does work perfect.

PS:
tt0003m_.ttf is used for file name, book title and BBeB viewer
tt0011m_.ttf is used for TXT

If the modified tt0003m_.ttf and tt0011m_.ttf totally are not more than 4MB in size, they could be flashed into Reader and get any language support for your Reader if you like.

To fix it:
MY COLLECTION OF EBOOK RESOURCES
http://lunarwater.googlepages.com

Since you do know English, would it be possible to make your site have an English section? I can hardly understand it as it is now. it would help mot people on the forum too as I don't think most can read Chinese.

Since you do know English, would it be possible to make your site have an English section? I can hardly understand it as it is now. it would help mot people on the forum too as I don't think most can read Chinese.
I would like to, but most of my collections are in Chinese (such as Chinese newspaper, they provide free PDF downloads for each paper issue). I think I should rename my site to "MY COLLECTION OF CHINESE EBOOK RESOURCES". :rolleyes5

Anyway, I would post more in English for my site.

You could use your SONY reader as a card reader ;-)

How? I wasn't aware that this was possible.

If you put the card in the Reader, and connect the reader to your PC via USB cable, and fire up the ConnSoft, it'll let you drop files directly on the card -- I think that's what he's referring to. But I'm guessing that it won't be too attractive a solution to you. :shrug:

Can I use this tool to change the default font for txt files? I want to set it to something like 16pt tt0003m_.ttf (Swis721 BT Roman). The factory default looks like 10pt tt0011m_.ttf (Dutch801 Rm BT Roman). Thanks

Ken

Several others have done so, Ken. There's a discussion of things to watch out for toward the beginning of the thread, but I think the main things are that you have to name the replacement font exactly the same thing as the original (both the font file name, and its internal name), and you have to replace it in both the Reader and ConnSoft's directories. I'd look back for the exact details, though, apparently it's picky. :wink:

This is really great!

Thanks Igorsk for this great flasher :2thumbsup
and thanx to diabloNL for his great xml- files! :D

I love to have the time displayed, and its great to
use the joystick to turn pages!

I love this forum!

Greetings from Switzerland
_darius :book2:

I've been enjoying the patches here quite a bit (I even tweaked the joystick page flip so that "Up" will get me back to the last displayed page in case I accidentally press one of the page number buttons).

One thing I've wished I could do with the reader is have the page count display include the end of the chapter- or the 1st page of the next chapter. I do a lot of reading aloud to my kids from my reader and like to know how many pages I have to go so I can speed up if needed. Anyone think this is possible?

Thanks, NatCh. Maybe I'm misunderstanding your reply, but I don't want to put a new font on the Reader. I just want to change which of the preinstalled fonts the Reader uses for text files...

Thanks, NatCh. Maybe I'm misunderstanding your reply, but I don't want to put a new font on the Reader. I just want to change which of the preinstalled fonts the Reader uses for text files...Oh! Nah, I misunderstood what you were asking. My bad. :oops2:

I would assume that you could do that, but I don't think it's been specifically discussed. At a guess, you'd have to identify in the XML where it specifies the font it uses for TXT files and change it there. But you probably already figured that much. :shrug:

Can I use this tool to change the default font for txt files? I want to set it to something like 16pt tt0003m_.ttf (Swis721 BT Roman). The factory default looks like 10pt tt0011m_.ttf (Dutch801 Rm BT Roman). Thanks

Ken
When you read a text file, are not one of the other two font sizes suitable?

When you read a text file, are not one of the other two font sizes suitable?

Yes, the scale 1 and 2 sizes are ok. I'm currently using rtf for my ebooks, and I set the font to 16pt Ariel. I don't have any links, images, etc. But since rtf is a terrible format to manipulate programmatically, and I really hate Word, I'm considering going to txt. Text seems to be the "forgotten" format around here :-) Is anybody using it as their main file format on the Reader?

I really prefer the sans serif font to the serif font on the Reader screen though, and a larger default size. If there was some not-too-painful way to change the default font for text files, then I could use txt files and still get most of the benefit of rtf.

The other thing I like about rtf is being able to specify the metadata, but I figure I can write something to update the cache.xml file for txt files with sensible author/title info parsed from the filename.

Ken

The other thing I like about rtf is being able to specify the metadata, but I figure I can write something to update the cache.xml file for txt files with sensible author/title info parsed from the filename.

Ken

libprs500 already does this.

Yah, but he's trying to avoid LRF, Kovid, for nefarious reasons of his own, no doubt. :wink2:

Yes, the scale 1 and 2 sizes are ok. I'm currently using rtf for my ebooks, and I set the font to 16pt Ariel. I don't have any links, images, etc. But since rtf is a terrible format to manipulate programmatically, and I really hate Word, I'm considering going to txt. Text seems to be the "forgotten" format around here :-) Is anybody using it as their main file format on the Reader?

I really prefer the sans serif font to the serif font on the Reader screen though, and a larger default size. If there was some not-too-painful way to change the default font for text files, then I could use txt files and still get most of the benefit of rtf.

The other thing I like about rtf is being able to specify the metadata, but I figure I can write something to update the cache.xml file for txt files with sensible author/title info parsed from the filename.

Ken
Have you by any chance tried Pielrf? It's used to convert text files into LRF files. And you might find editing your text for use with Pielrf to be easier then using Word. I suggest you try that and see how it goes. There are also two other options. Libprs500 that includes html2lrf for converting html files to LRF and Book Designer. One of those three solutions should work well for editing your text files so they are much easier to read on the Reader.

Jon

Thanks for the suggestions, but for my purposes I don't really see the value of LRF or PDF. My formatting requirements are minimal, and I want an open format that I can easily parse, so my documents remain portable to other devices.

Ken

Thanks for the suggestions, but for my purposes I don't really see the value of LRF or PDF. My formatting requirements are minimal, and I want an open format that I can easily parse, so my documents remain portable to other devices.

Ken
Once you have it in HTML or Book Designer they can be made portable. HTML is easy to save back to plain text. So is the BD file. Also BD outputs in a number of different ebook formats. And HTML is fairly universal to load into some conversion program for some future device you might get after the Sony Reader. So to be honest, I don't see any reason not to convert to LRF. You can always get back to text format easily enough.

Yah, but he's trying to avoid LRF, Kovid, for nefarious reasons of his own, no doubt. :wink2:

Umm I meant it edits cache.xml when you change metadata and upload files to the reader, all files, even TXT.

Ah, I see what you're saying now, Kovid, very handy. :nice: (apparently I was being kinda dense yesterday about a number of things, must have been a Monday ....)

To fix it:
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10902
on #13

I already got a solution for Chinese support:
http://www.hi-pda.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=361320
It is in Chinese, if you can't read, just check the pics there

My solution is:
Copy glyphs from Chinese fonts to the original tt0003m_.ttf and tt0011m_.ttf, then it does work perfect.

PS:
tt0003m_.ttf is used for file name, book title and BBeB viewer
tt0011m_.ttf is used for TXT

If the modified tt0003m_.ttf and tt0011m_.ttf totally are not more than 4MB in size, they could be flashed into Reader and get any language support for your Reader if you like.

Could you (or someone) help me to modify my fonts for Chinese support (simplified). I have the reflash completed, I just don't know how to "copy glyphs" and would like to have some step by step instructions. It would be a huge help. Thanks!

Could you (or someone) help me to modify my fonts for Chinese support (simplified). I have the reflash completed, I just don't know how to "copy glyphs" and would like to have some step by step instructions. It would be a huge help. Thanks!


If you can read Chinese, check here: http://www.hi-pda.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=361320

you will get a whole solution, supporting RTF, TXT and BBeB in Chinese and also, Chinese files name, book title etc.

Hi guys. Was just wondering if any of you had the original firmware from the Reader. I'm being driven mad by this battery bug, and would like to go back to the original firmware. Is that possible?

Thanks!

Try replacing just ebook.so, I'm pretty sure it's the culprit of the battery bug. Put it in /opt/sony/ebook/application/ on the card.

Try replacing just ebook.so, I'm pretty sure it's the culprit of the battery bug. Put it in /opt/sony/ebook/application/ on the card.

Thanks or that. I put it in the folder in the card, in the "application" folder. Now what do I do next, to get that file into the Reader? Not too clear about it. First time using this Flasher. :) Thanks!

*Edit*

I did this part:

4) Press 5. Wait for the success message (the process will take about one to
two minutes).
5) Press 6. Wait for the success message.
6) Press 9 to reboot.
7) Extract the card.

-----

Hope I did the right thing! I will report back if this fixes the battery bug. I needed to charge my Reader anyway so this is a prime time to test this out! Thanks very much!

You did it the correct way. ;)

You did it the correct way. ;)

Ace! Thanks.

Now if it fixes the battery bug, you're my hero. :) Will report back if it does!

As a TIVO owner I have learned that several persons/companies offer hacks/upgrades that include all labor for folks who are afraid of doing such themselves(For TIVO some changes require HW upgrades too). Perhaps someone might be interested in providing such a service to include LABOR for adding/changing font(s), fixing the battery bug and other COMING applications that use the universal flasher.

In the absence of such a service, if someone writes a Windows application that holds the user's hand and has lots of error checking,help and de-bricking options included for those of us who are "procedures challenged",:oops2: even the most timid among us could use the likely many new appls using the universal flasher. "Shareware" perhaps?

i must be weird again...before I could use the flasher, I needed to clear my reader from the books 85MB, otherwise it fails.

I think you have to reload them afterwards anyway, so you don't really lose anything by pre-clearing it ... well except the time to do so. :shrug:

yah, i'm copying them back to the reader at this moment. Man.... that connect-reader is REALLY slow. It's so much faster to just throw the books into the card with a cardreader. And it's not like connectreader need to do a lot of parsing. At least the CPU-usage is below 1%
What Connect is doing is more then just copying the books. It's preconfiguring config.xml so you can change font sizes without waiting and it's also sorting out the title for proper sorting so books that start with The like The Chronicles of Pern sort under Chronicles. instead of The Chronicles.

Is there an ebook.so that will put the reader back the way it is now in case we need or want it back to the way it is?

You can always reflash the Reader with the official Sony firmware (edit PRSVersion.dat to force the update).

But would it not be easier to just reinstall ebook.so?

OK, so this update does indeed seem to fix the battery bug. However, it may just be me, but the display no longer turns off by itself after half an hour?

It never did, WilliamG -- it's a 60 minute shut-off. :nice:

It never did, WilliamG -- it's a 60 minute shut-off. :nice:

Right. Well I left it charging by the AC overnight, and this morning the display was still on.

Ah, yes! That's a totally different thing: the display doesn't power down if it's plugged into a charger. That's the way I work around the 'battery bug' thing now, actually, but I'm leaning toward re-flashing it with the old battery meter like you did, when I get around to it. :nice:

Ah, yes! That's a totally different thing: the display doesn't power down if it's plugged into a charger. That's the way I work around the 'battery bug' thing now, actually, but I'm leaning toward re-flashing it with the old battery meter like you did, when I get around to it. :nice:

Ahh. So you're saying that if you leave the unit on and THEN plug it into the wall charger, the display stays on?

Yes, precisely. It does the same thing for USB charging, actually, but it's less obvious since the image changes to that "USB Connected" message. :shrug:

Yes, precisely. It does the same thing for USB charging, actually, but it's less obvious since the image changes to that "USB Connected" message. :shrug:

Yep, you're right. I guess I must have left the Reader on when I connected it to the AC. That's why I was surprised this morning when the Reader was still on. And I just left my Reader on for the last hour, and it did indeed switch off by itself.

I'm just glad the battery bug woes are over. USB charging had become a total pain in the proverbial rear, since I had to soft reset the device each time, and that's not easy with the cover on.

Thanks so much Igorsk!

I mean no disrespect to igorsk, but it amazes me that Sony can't figure out this stuff by themselves. The Reader rocks, but it takes "us" to make it work properly? Typical Sony... Can't program software to save their lives. Their Reader software is rubbish; Connect software is rubbish; Playstation 3 software is rubbish. I'd love to see a Sony PC OS. :D You'd probably need a third party workaround to get the serial number to install it. :D

I'd love to see a Sony PC OS. :D You'd probably need a third party workaround to get the serial number to install it. :D:laugh4:

Okay. This maybe a dumb question, so I'm giving permission ahead of time to answer something to the effect of "Duh. Here it is ->" :happy:

The question is, do we have a full (or even substantially fractional) list of the function calls available?

I'd like to play around with some of the basic stuff reachable through the XML pieces, but I don't know what to call to, for instance, pause the MP3 playback. I always thought that putting a mute function on holding down the Volume button was rather pointless in a device with no built in speaker, pausing the same way would at least make some sense. :shrug:

igorsk wrote:

You can always reflash the Reader with the official Sony firmware (edit PRSVersion.dat to force the update).

Can someone pls tell me how to do this on Windows XP? I've got the Sony update tool, but it won't run, because it thinks my firmware is current. Thanks,

Ken

Nevermind, found the answer in this thread:
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11080&highlight=PRSVersion

Ken

So what's the preferred method for getting the current contents of the /opt directory off the Reader filesystem? Can I unpack the IMG file, or should I use ebook.py to copy the files? The flasher works great, but I'd like to see what files I can conceivably change.

Ken

I think either would do, but the ebook.py might be simpler (if you're already set up to use it). :shrug:

If you're going to do that anyway, kenbaldwin, how about zipping the lot of them up and posting them? :grin:

You can use cramfsck to unpack the FS image.

Thanks, guys. I'm a little over my head here :-) I'm on Windows, but I've installed the Cygwin cramfs package, unpacked the latest PRS-500 Updater, then used cramfsck to extract cramfs.Fsk.img. It looks like the contents of this image correspond to what can placed in /files/opt on the SD card for the flasher, correct? TIA

Ken

As a TIVO owner I have learned that several persons/companies offer hacks/upgrades that include all labor for folks who are afraid of doing such themselves(For TIVO some changes require HW upgrades too). Perhaps someone might be interested in providing such a service to include LABOR for adding/changing font(s), fixing the battery bug and other COMING applications that use the universal flasher.

In the absence of such a service, if someone writes a Windows application that holds the user's hand and has lots of error checking,help and de-bricking options included for those of us who are "procedures challenged",:oops2: even the most timid among us could use the likely many new appls using the universal flasher. "Shareware" perhaps?

Agreed, would be very helpful. I'm trying to figure out how to get this stuff working through libprs500 and I'm having trouble figuring out where to dump all these files. Help would be appreciated, although by no means required. :)

I'm running into an odd problem trying to run the flasher. I copy everything
onto the sd, no problem, put the card into the sony eReader, the run script screen comes up, I choose 5, the script runs awhile and then fails. Below is the final part of the log file that is produced. Does anyone have any ideas?


--------
-24.90% (-65 bytes) offset 4110496 switcher.xml
-59.22% (-1905 bytes) offset 4110692 storage.xsb
-53.68% (-54652 bytes) offset 4112004 switcher.so
-55.42% (-2128 bytes) offset 4159160 tinyhttp
-56.33% (-14016 bytes) offs

Check that you have enough space in data partition (15 megs should be enough). If you have a lot of books, try deleting some.

Thanks, that's exactly what the problem was. After posting, since I pretty much have the device filled up with books, I decided to try removing all my books and try that and it worked. I'm in the process of putting everything back (yes, I did copy all the books off first). Pretty cool. Now I need to figure out what customization I can do. I've already added turn page with joystick. Very nice and the clock is pretty cool also. I'm a happy camper once again!

Thanks for both the quick response and the truly cool software.

Whew! Just ran the update and my palms were literally sweating!

:D Pretty much threw in all the hacks that have been posted in this thread and they're all working beautifully. Many thanks to all our intrepid explorers for this great flasher + hacks.

Gotta admit I only tried it to fix up the damn battery problem that's been plaguing me since the "official" firmware, and it seems to have worked like a charm.

I am trying to understand how this universal flasher works. It is right on the edge of my technical knowledge so sorry if I am a bit vague about the details. I mainly want to be able to use the joystick to turn pages because I sometimes have a problem with the joint in my left thumb and have often wished I had the option to switch page turning to my my right thumb!. So far I have unzipped the flasher onto an empty SD card and replaced applicationstart.xml with the one which enables joystick page turning (I think) and also the battery fix. I put the card in the reader and wait until the screen appears then I press 5 and after a few mins the screen says "Failure running script..."
Can anyone help me with this one please?
Thanks.

Please paste the .log files from the card, if there are any. You could also try deleting some books.

I've been lurking for a while, but just took the time to register. The million-dollar question I have is exactly which files in Sony's official firmware updater are required for an update?

I irrevocably hosed my first PRS-500 the day after I bought it while trying to use Sony's updater on a virtualized Windows XP system (I run Linux). Yes, I did try all the unbricking instructions in the wiki. Thankfully, the Sony store people replaced it without any questions.

I want to update my firmware from the stock one that came with it, but I don't want to go that route again. What are the steps using the universal flasher to do this?

Thanks, guys!

Is there a full list available of all the current hacks/upgrades to the Reader? You know, something in a list format that is easily accessible without having to re-scan 4 pages of a thread (if this is the only thread detailing updates). Perhaps a sticky would be cool, or maybe it's already on the wiki (haven't checked yet). Thanks!

If it's not in the Wiki, that would be a good place for it.

I think the difficulty is going to be that a lot of the tweaks are changes to the same files, which makes them difficult to post a full list of. I suspect it's going to require some cleverness to come up with a comprehensive list, the best we're likely to get for a while is on the order of "okay, this file includes the tweaks for X & Y but not Z -- put it in directory such-and-such."

Please paste the .log files from the card, if there are any. You could also try deleting some books.

Screen says:
creating new cramfs image. This might take a few minutes.

Then:
Failure while executing the script. Check make_fs.log.

Log follows:
Begin upgrade -> Sun Jan 1 00:07:05 UTC 2006
Copying helper binaries
Copying B:/bin/stat_fs
/Data/self_upgrade Created!
Free space in /Data: 3563520, used space in /opt: 0
Begin copy of /opt
./
./sony/
./sony/ebook/
./sony/ebook/FONT/
./sony/ebook/FONT/tt0011m_.ttf
./sony/ebook/FONT/tt0419m_.ttf
./sony/ebook/FONT/tt0003m_.ttf
./sony/ebook/bin/
./sony/ebook/bin/tinyhttp.sh
./sony/ebook/bin/UsbUpdater
./sony/ebook/bin/writescreen
./sony/ebook/application/
./sony/ebook/application/FskBBeBViewer.xso
./sony/ebook/application/FskCache.xsb
./sony/ebook/application/FskCore.xsb
./sony/ebook/application/FskDMF.xsb
./sony/ebook/application/FskDocumentViewer.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskDocumentViewerPDF.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskDocumentViewerRTF.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskFhGAACIntDec.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskFhGMP3IntDec.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskImage.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskMediaPlayers.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskMobileMediaDevice.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskSecurity.so
./sony/ebook/application/Fskin.so
/Data/self_upgrade Created!
Free space in /Data: 3547136, used space in /opt: 0
Begin copy of /opt
./
./sony/
./sony/ebook/
./sony/ebook/FONT/
./sony/ebook/FONT/tt0011m_.ttf
./sony/ebook/FONT/tt0419m_.ttf
./sony/ebook/FONT/tt0003m_.ttf
./sony/ebook/bin/
./sony/ebook/bin/tinyhttp.sh
./sony/ebook/bin/UsbUpdater
./sony/ebook/bin/writescreen
./sony/ebook/application/
./sony/ebook/application/FskBBeBViewer.xso
./sony/ebook/application/FskCache.xsb
./sony/ebook/application/FskCore.xsb
./sony/ebook/application/FskDMF.xsb
./sony/ebook/application/FskDocumentViewer.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskDocumentViewerPDF.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskDocumentViewerRTF.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskFhGAACIntDec.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskFhGMP3IntDec.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskImage.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskMediaPlayers.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskMobileMediaDevice.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskSecurity.so
./sony/ebook/application/Fskin.so
/Data/self_upgrade Created!
Free space in /Data: 3518464, used space in /opt: 0
Begin copy of /opt
./
./sony/
./sony/ebook/
./sony/ebook/FONT/
./sony/ebook/FONT/tt0011m_.ttf
./sony/ebook/FONT/tt0419m_.ttf
./sony/ebook/FONT/tt0003m_.ttf
./sony/ebook/bin/
./sony/ebook/bin/tinyhttp.sh
./sony/ebook/bin/UsbUpdater
./sony/ebook/bin/writescreen
./sony/ebook/application/
./sony/ebook/application/FskBBeBViewer.xso
./sony/ebook/application/FskCache.xsb
./sony/ebook/application/FskCore.xsb
./sony/ebook/application/FskDMF.xsb
./sony/ebook/application/FskDocumentViewer.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskDocumentViewerPDF.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskDocumentViewerRTF.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskFhGAACIntDec.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskFhGMP3IntDec.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskImage.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskMediaPlayers.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskMobileMediaDevice.so
./sony/ebook/application/FskSecurity.so
./sony/ebook/application/Fskin.so

./sony/ebook/application/libfreetype.so.6
./sony/ebook/application/libfreetype.so.6.3.10


There are no books on the card to delete. I used an empty card.

Screen says:





There are no books on the card to delete. I used an empty card.

Igor meant that you maybe need to delete book on the internal memory. I believe there has to be 15 MB free space in order to use the flasher.

If it's not in the Wiki, that would be a good place for it.

I think the difficulty is going to be that a lot of the tweaks are changes to the same files, which makes them difficult to post a full list of. I suspect it's going to require some cleverness to come up with a comprehensive list, the best we're likely to get for a while is on the order of "okay, this file includes the tweaks for X & Y but not Z -- put it in directory such-and-such."
Actually, all the changes made can be made together. I took the menu font changes and the page count change and put them together since the page count change put the font size back to normal. So I can post that one if you want to put it in the wiki as well.

Oh, yes, that's so, I didn't mean to imply that at all.

What I was trying to say is if someone wants change A but not change B, then they'll need a different file than the person who wants B but not A or both A and B.

What I did to figure out the changes made was to do a diff on the two files and then I found where the changes I wanted to put in were and went and did it. What we could maybe do is make a set of files that has seperate changes and a set that combines them all.

What I did to figure out the changes made was to do a diff on the two files and then I found where the changes I wanted to put in were and went and did it. What we could maybe do is make a set of files that has seperate changes and a set that combines them all.


You could also have asked me.;)

Igor meant that you maybe need to delete book on the internal memory. I believe there has to be 15 MB free space in order to use the flasher.

Ah...I understand. Now the flasher seems to have installed OK (Having deleted the books on the internal memory). Now all I have to do is learn how to fiddle with the settings.
One thing though. When I replace the other memory card in the reader none of my books show up, even after a restart. Does this mean I have to reload all my books back onto the SD card and the internal memory via the Connect software?

Is there a site with full docs for the flasher, and perhaps an inkling of what internal file changes what (in English)? ;-)

:Ah...I understand. Now the flasher seems to have installed OK (Having deleted the books on the internal memory). Now all I have to do is learn how to fiddle with the settings.
One thing though. When I replace the other memory card in the reader none of my books show up, even after a restart. Does this mean I have to reload all my books back onto the SD card and the internal memory via the Connect software?


:oops2:EEk!!! Sorry everyone I posted too soon. My reader has found all my books:book2: Just took a while to find them. Looking forward to finding out what else this little prog will do.
Thanks igorsk for this nice reader tweak!

Nice Hack, thanks to all been working on this

I'm curious, would there be a way of making the joystick up and down function as history while retaining left and right as page turns?

You guys are lucky!

I did a couple of flashes from the SD card (interspersed with a couple of flashes over USB with the original firmware). And all of the sudden I started getting "stat_fs not found", although the files were still there. Flashing the original firmware didn't help, and neither did copying of the universal flasher back and forth to the card. All in all, I made the image that I wanted and flashed it via cable, but totally lost the adventurous spirit :oops2:

DiabloNL, you experienced the problem. What was it that solved it for you?

mikolaj

I'm curious, would there be a way of making the joystick up and down function as history while retaining left and right as page turns?
That's a really good idea.

You guys are lucky!

I did a couple of flashes from the SD card (interspersed with a couple of flashes over USB with the original firmware). And all of the sudden I started getting "stat_fs not found", although the files were still there. Flashing the original firmware didn't help, and neither did copying of the universal flasher back and forth to the card. All in all, I made the image that I wanted and flashed it via cable, but totally lost the adventurous spirit :oops2:

DiabloNL, you experienced the problem. What was it that solved it for you?

mikolaj

Did you try the "ten times reset" method he described? Far as I could tell that was how he solved this.


That's a really good idea.

I thought of it while I was at the airport, put my reader in my pocket, and of course forgot to hit the power switch before doing so, so the Reader was on a page flipping spree when I took it back out. I got back to my page using history tho. I was thinking about applying the joystick pageturn mod, but don't want to lose the history function for instances like that.

What someone else did was just modify the joystick forward to go forward a page and left the joystick back to go back in history.

You guys are lucky!

I did a couple of flashes from the SD card (interspersed with a couple of flashes over USB with the original firmware). And all of the sudden I started getting "stat_fs not found", although the files were still there. Flashing the original firmware didn't help, and neither did copying of the universal flasher back and forth to the card. All in all, I made the image that I wanted and flashed it via cable, but totally lost the adventurous spirit :oops2:

DiabloNL, you experienced the problem. What was it that solved it for you?

mikolaj

What solved it was the newer version of the flasher from Igor. The first version worked only on the previous version of the Reader firmware and gave the stat_fs error on the upgraded Reader firmware. Do you have the newest Reader firmware or the old?

Any chance of getting the files for that mod on here JSWolf?

I looked at the files myself and the wiki entry on hacking the Reader, but, frankly, couldn't make heads from tails, and don't want to experiment and brick the Reader.

If anyone could post the joystick mode that has: Right - Page Forward and Left - History, I would be very thankful.

Since the new firmware is out, can anyone here give any tips for using the universal flasher method to update my reader? (No Windows here.)

Since the new firmware is out, can anyone here give any tips for using the universal flasher method to update my reader? (No Windows here.)
I cannot say this will work, but if it does not work, it won't be a problem as it won't work at all.

The exe for the newest firmware is just a ZIP file. Unzip it keeping the directory structure to the root of the SD card. Then inster the SD card into the Reader while the reader is off, turn on the reader and follow the menu.

igorsk, are you going to make a version of the universal flasher for the new firmware?

P.S. I just tried the flasher and guess what? it works with the newest firmware! Hot damn!

OK so I have a question. I updated my Reader with the Universal Flasher to fix the battery bug sometime ago, and to add the clock to the bar at the bottom. I'd like to now flash to the newest firmware released by Sony today. Is there a problem just using Sony's updater, or do I need to do something funky?

Also, will the *unofficial* battery fix be overwritten by Sony's new firmware (hoping so, since I'd prefer an official Sony fix).

Thanks in advance.

My main concern now with the flasher, is I think that the flasher might overwrite the battery fix in the Sony Update

My main concern now with the flasher, is I think that the flasher might overwrite the battery fix in the Sony Update
I'll tell you what happens once my battery meter shows less then all full and I give the reader a charge.

My main concern now with the flasher, is I think that the flasher might overwrite the battery fix in the Sony Update

Doesn't using the official Sony update overwrite everything in the Universal Flasher?

Doesn't using the official Sony update overwrite everything in the Universal Flasher?
Everything you've updated with your Sony yes. But I was able to use it to put it all back.

What solved it was the newer version of the flasher from Igor. The first version worked only on the previous version of the Reader firmware and gave the stat_fs error on the upgraded Reader firmware. Do you have the newest Reader firmware or the old?

When I tried it I had the firmware numbers.numbers.01300 and it worked a couple of times, so I suppose that means I was using the right version of flasher. I also did the "10 times reset", the reader is still not in the mood for flashing via sd card. Maybe it's the sd card that's faulty...

But it doesn't really bother me that I can only flash via cable, I have all that I wanted on it and am happy with that...

When I tried it I had the firmware numbers.numbers.01300 and it worked a couple of times, so I suppose that means I was using the right version of flasher. I also did the "10 times reset", the reader is still not in the mood for flashing via sd card. Maybe it's the sd card that's faulty...

But it doesn't really bother me that I can only flash via cable, I have all that I wanted on it and am happy with that...

Could indeed be the SD card. I don't know if you have too many books on the internal memory if it could give that error. Maybe Igor knows. ;)

I have one doubt about this flasher. I want to flash the last sony firmware to get the battery fix, but I also want the clock (really neat). I know the flasher works with the last firmware, but, I don't know if the flasher acts as an incremental update on top of what it reads from the unit, or if the zip already contains the full image to be flashed (and thus will overwrite the last update until the flasher itself is updated).

Can someone clarify? Thanks...

BTW it would be great if the flasher incorporated the "left-history / right-turnpage" mod...

Thanks to everyone involved with these mods, in any case!

I have a similiar question as Mosteo. Last night, I updated my new Reader with the new firmware released by Sony. This morning, I learned of this flash and its abillity to turn the joystick into a turn paging button--which is incredibly cool and I must thank you Diablo and Igorsk for all of this, as well as HarryT who pointed me in this direction--so I used the flash and now everything is fine on my new unit. However, did I just erase the firmware I installed last night? Not that big of a deal, because the battery fix isn't as important as being able to turns pages with the joystick! Just wondering as I am new at all of this.....

I have a similiar question as Mosteo. Last night, I updated my new Reader with the new firmware released by Sony. This morning, I learned of this flash and its abillity to turn the joystick into a turn paging button--which is incredibly cool and I must thank you Diablo and Igorsk for all of this, as well as HarryT who pointed me in this direction--so I used the flash and now everything is fine on my new unit. However, did I just erase the firmware I installed last night? Not that big of a deal, because the battery fix isn't as important as being able to turns pages with the joystick! Just wondering as I am new at all of this.....


No worries. You just changed some parts in the UI so the battery fix from Sony will still work. ;)

I'm not sure; up/down is used for navigating links. There are three functions we ought to have (page turning, history, link navigation) but only two axis. So at least one of the axis must share functions. I guess this is very open to personal preferences, but I wouldn't want to lose any of them.

I see two configs I'd like equally:

left-backhist; right-pageturn; up/down-linknav
left/right:pageturn; up-backhist; down-linknav

but I lean slightly towards the first one because it shares more in common with the one shipped by default.

Last question: I had that custom ebook.so file that sort-of fixed the battery bug. If I update with the official Sony firmware, will it overwrite the old ebook.so? I'm hoping so... :)

Last question: I had that custom ebook.so file that sort-of fixed the battery bug. If I update with the official Sony firmware, will it overwrite the old ebook.so? I'm hoping so... :)

Yes and if you are planning to use the universal flasher don't forget to remove it from the SD card otherwise it will probably overwrite the Sony one. ;)

The up/down is used for the ToC inside the book. If you make that histoory, you lose the ability to traverse the ToC.

Just occurred to me what about using modifier keys? Is it possible to adjust the firmware so that holding down for e.g. the 0 key and then moving the joystick is mapped to a different function than just moving the joystick?

How exactly would one go about removing the battery fix in the Universal Flasher? Or did it even come with one included? I'm kind of grey here, the one thing I loved about the flasher was the clock and the ability to remap keys. I wasn't all that worried about the battery fix, I figured I'd wait for Sony to fix it.

As long as you did not install ebook.so then you did not try to fix the batty issue. But, now that we have a new firmware that "supposedly" fixes the battery meter issue. You don't need to install ebook.so. If you have it as part of your flash, then you need to remove it before reflashing or you could screw something up. All the other things flash fine with the new firmware.

Just occurred to me what about using modifier keys? Is it possible to adjust the firmware so that holding down for e.g. the 0 key and then moving the joystick is mapped to a different function than just moving the joystick?


Tried that but the Reader didn't like it. I tried to change the joystick functions when the ENT button is pressed. Didn't spent too much time on it though so maybe there is a way. I will take a look soon when I have the time.

A few weeks ago, I reflashed my Reader to get the clock and the ability to use the joystick to turn pages.

With the new firmware, of course, I lost both those functions. How do I go about putting them back without losing the new firmware?

Thanks,

Bob

:oops2:

A few weeks ago, I reflashed my Reader to get the clock and the ability to use the joystick to turn pages.

With the new firmware, of course, I lost both those functions. How do I go about putting them back without losing the new firmware?

Thanks,

Bob

:oops2:
All you have to do is flash with the flasher all over again. It won't kill the new firmware.

Well I finally updated to the new reader version, but now when I try to flash for the clock and joystick hacks, I get the message error copying mcopy to /tmp/. Note this process worked fine on last version

sometimes this happens on step 5 and sometimes it happens on step 6 after step 5 has successfully created image. I have 3 books in the reader and none on the sd card. Any ideas?

edit: the reader has 86 megs of capacity

edit2: evidently when I switched sd cards i neglected to format the sd card to fat, but did to fat32. Afer a reformat of sd card all is well.

Well I finally updated to the new reader version, but now when I try to flash for the clock and joystick hacks, I get the message error copying mcopy to /tmp/. Note this process worked fine on last version
I am having this exact same problem.

Anybody have any ideas?

I am having this exact same problem.

Anybody have any ideas?
Do you have too much content on the reader and not enough memory left? Does the memory card have enough free space to make the image?

I have 85.7MB free on my Sony Reader and my memory card has 479MB free

OK, I found the solution at http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=85815&postcount=20

The files need to be in the root directory of the SD card.

I have 85.7MB free on my Sony Reader and my memory card has 479MB freeThat should certainly be enough.

OK, I found the solution at http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=85815&postcount=20

The files need to be in the root directory of the SD card.Ach! :smack:

Yeah, that'll do it. Always somethin' simple that trips a body up. Unless it's a bunch of somethings simple.

Anyway, glad you got it worked out. :pleased:

igorsk (or anyone who knows), when you say to connect the reader to the USB and then run Connect to save the info before turning it off or flashing it, what exactly needs to be done? Does that mean to double click on Sony Reader in Connect once Connect is running and the Sony is plugged into the USB?

PDB support would be soooo nice :-) I have sooo mamy books in PDB :-)

PDB support would be soooo nice :-) I have sooo mamy books in PDB :-)

Me too have some lots of pdb. I guess at the very least, a pdb->lrf must be if not easy, quite doable, given already existing tools.

Me too have some lots of pdb. I guess at the very least, a pdb->lrf must be if not easy, quite doable, given already existing tools.
if the PDB is not full of DRM, Book Designer should be able to load it.

if the PDB is not full of DRM, Book Designer should be able to load it.
For sure my pdb aren't.

PDB support would be soooo nice :-) I have sooo mamy books in PDB :-)

.pdb is just a container. It could contain e-books in the eReader format, as well as e-books in other formats such as iSilo, Plucker, ...

I just want to be able to drop a pdb onto the memory card without having to do any conversion. I have over 9000 of them :-)

I just want to be able to drop a pdb onto the memory card without having to do any conversion. I have over 9000 of them :-)
you can do that. But your Sony won't display any of them. not without conversion.

Does the flasher work under the latest firmware 1.0.03.07170? Has anyone tried it? I receive my reader today, can't wait to install all those hacks!

Does the flasher work under the latest firmware 1.0.03.07170? Has anyone tried it? I receive my reader today, can't wait to install all those hacks!
yes, they all work with the latest firmware. Have fun!

Might be a dumb question, but can the universal flasher be used to unbrick from a wanton hack application session?

I must've gotten something wrong in the last one I made up and I get stuck on the "Starting Up" screen.

I just need /opt re-flashed. My firmware should be fine. ;-)

If the menu comes up when you insert the card, then yeah, just reflash with a good set of files.

If not, and you're still bricked after a reset, you'll likely have to reapply the firmware.

Heheh. I'll just wait to see how your testing goes on the delete-books feature hack before trying to diff it myself next time.

Now I *know* there's a Windows computer around here somewhere...:smack:

Now I *know* there's a Windows computer around here somewhere...:smack:Yeah, they're kinda like cockroaches that way ... lurking in the shadows and cracks. :wink2:

Yeah, they're kinda like cockroaches that way ... lurking in the shadows and cracks. :wink2:

And the Windows computer made it worse. No real surprises ;-)

Just flashed reader to a new firmware. Flasher 1.2 does not work.I have a error while flashing partition!It is recomended to switch to recovery mode and use sony flasher to flash a stock image. Tried couple diferrent modules and still does not have symbols I use to got when flased it with previous firmware.:smack::smack::smack:

Just flashed reader to a new firmware. Flasher 1.2 does not work.I have a error while flashing partition!It is recomended to switch to recovery mode and use sony flasher to flash a stock image. Tried couple diferrent modules and still does not have symbols I use to got when flased it with previous firmware.:smack::smack::smack:
After flashing my reader with multiple hacks, I kept getting the same error when trying to put new fonts. Then I was recommended to put the latest firmware again (I had it already so had to change the version number in a .dat file) and flashing went fine without an error. I used 1.2 version in both cases (failing and successful) so I don't think it's the flasher's problem.

Hi

Could you write little more detailes how to change the version number in a .dat file ( where is it) or help me how to reload the firmware? after couple attempts ereader will not boot anymore.

Hi

I just fix it I dont knowhow.When I get a firmware from sony it shows that my reader have a version 00000000000 so I reflashed it with their firmware and then with 1.2 flasher.Everything works fine know.

Hi

Could you write little more detailes how to change the version number in a .dat file ( where is it) or help me how to reload the firmware? after couple attempts ereader will not boot anymore.

Sorry, didn't think about it, it was late.
I'm glad, you fixed it.

Just in case, directions for applying the same firmware that's on a reader are here: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12962, second post, by Nogg. This has helped me few times (too many experiments with all possible hacks and fonts :)

So here it is. From the readme:


Version 1.2 (http://projects.mobileread.com/reader/users/igorsk/sd_flash_1.2.zip): support for firmware version 1.0.02.01300

Please explain how the flashing utility works? I'd buy a PRS500 and do my own hacking on it...:book2:

I have firmware version 1.0.03.07170 and I'm trying to implement the joystick page turn hack. I put the files onto my flash card as such (via dir /s /b):

L:\SONY READER
L:\bin
L:\files
L:\mtools.conf
L:\mcopy
L:\flash_opt.sh
L:\make_opt.sh
L:\script.sh
L:\libfskLoad.so
L:\readme.txt
L:\myvm2.xml
L:\SONY READER\software
L:\SONY READER\database\cache.xml
L:\SONY READER\software\autorun.js
L:\SONY READER\software\autorun.xml
L:\bin\stat_fs
L:\files\opt
L:\files\opt\sony
L:\files\opt\sony\ebook
L:\files\opt\sony\ebook\FONT
L:\files\opt\sony\ebook\bin
L:\files\opt\sony\ebook\application
L:\files\opt\sony\ebook\application\resources
L:\files\opt\sony\ebook\application\resources\appl icationStart.xml
L:\files\opt\sony\ebook\application\resources\scri pts

When I turn the reader on with the card in, all it does is add the readme file as another book, which I am able to view. There's no "Run Script" screen or anything of the sort. Am I doing something wrong?

I could be wrong, but since the reader uses Linux, the filesystem is case sensitive. I noticed that your directory "SONY READER" is in all caps. On mine, the directory is "Sony Reader". It might make the difference.

Thanks beartard!

Case-sensitivity didn't even cross my mind. I assumed that if reading books from the directory worked, then so would the flasher. Apparently not.

No problem. I'm usually the one being helped. This is a new, fun experience. ;)

Thanks everyone for your help. I finally added the hacks I liked at this point and they are great. good Job

I tried to change the fonts on my Sony 500 and now all I get is the starting up page when I turn it on. Is there any way to undo the flash?

Instructions for unbricking are here:

http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Sony_Portable_Reader#Unbricking_Instructions

Hi!

I apologize if this question has been treated before (I didn't do a very thorough search).

When I do "Run Script ... 5: make a new image" it stops immediately and says:
"Failure while executing script. Check make_fs.log". (#3: run script.sh says "Script finished" but I don't see any results on my screen?!?)

But on my SD card is no make_fs.log. There is a new "autorun_log2.0" which just says:
"copy error: Fsk error, code = -41"

I am no programmer, alas!

What goes wrong, what could I do, why can't I get those wonderful hacks onto my PRS500 ???

Thanks for any hints or solutions (links to threads I didn't find welcome!!!) !

Clemens

I have just bought a PRS-505 and may want to sell my PRS-500 on eBay. I have upgraded my 500 with a clock, the direct page hack, and making the toggle act as a page turner. If the buyer wants it in its original mode, can I revert to the original firmware by following the instructions in the MobileRead Wiki - Sony Reader Hack? Or is there an easier way?

Thanks.

If you select the Default Config option in HackBuilder and flash from that, you'll get what you want.

When I do "Run Script ... 5: make a new image" it stops immediately and says:
"Failure while executing script. Check make_fs.log". (#3: run script.sh says "Script finished" but I don't see any results on my screen?!?) [ ... ]
Thanks for any hints or solutions (links to threads I didn't find welcome!!!) !

So here is my own hint and solution:

... just found out that igorsk's Flasher would not work on my prs500 because:

my unzip application changed line breaks from UNIX to macintosh style.

I changed preferences accordingly: Now the flasher works allright!

(I had found out about wrong line breaks when I finally got obelix' Sudoku to run - after saving Sudokus' template files as UNIX text.
Yesterday I remembered my difficulties with flasher...)

How do I make an IMG file that is compatible with the image flasher for the 505? I tried mkcramfs.exe under Windows XP Pro and when I tried to flash the image, it did not work.

I want to make the enter button when help turn off the power to my 505 along witht he unified font, clock, and new icons. Can someone please help?

This is the error in the log that I have received... copy error: Fsk error, code = -56

I've sorted the problem and my new image works!

You guys are lucky!

I did a couple of flashes from the SD card (interspersed with a couple of flashes over USB with the original firmware). And all of the sudden I started getting "stat_fs not found", although the files were still there. Flashing the original firmware didn't help, and neither did copying of the universal flasher back and forth to the card. All in all, I made the image that I wanted and flashed it via cable, but totally lost the adventurous spirit :oops2:

DiabloNL, you experienced the problem. What was it that solved it for you?

mikolaj

Hello Mikolaj ... I have the same problem as you where I am getting the error "stat_fs not found" yet its on the memory card. I also have plenty of memory on the reader. Did you ever solve this problem?? How did you fix it?

Below is my origonal post, I might have put it in the wrong thread.

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=174620#post174620

Thanks,

Vinnie

I have multiple ebooks from ereader.com that I would like to convert to a format so I can read them on my Sony 505. Is there such a conversion tool?:chinscratch:

I have multiple ebooks from ereader.com that I would like to convert to a format so I can read them on my Sony 505. Is there such a conversion tool?:chinscratch:

I know of no program that will convert directly from Palm (.pdb) to LRF. However, there is a program named "PDBSHRED" that will convert the Palm file to its component parts, one of which will be a text or an HTML file. Then you can load that file into Book Designer to make the LRF. Suggest you Google "pdbshred" to find the program along with instructions. Fred

I have multiple ebooks from ereader.com that I would like to convert to a format so I can read them on my Sony 505. Is there such a conversion tool?

Do a google search for ereader2html.py. This can strip the ereader.com drm and leave you with an html format book that you should be able to convert to LRF with Calibre.