Color jetBook Color scribble file format

[andyh2000]

Here's a Python script to create a very simple scribble file with a diagonal line from top right to bottom left. The coordinate origin on the page is at the top left - x increases across the page from left to right and y increases down the page from top to bottom. I've put a few comments in which should show what's going on.

from io import FileIO
from array import array

of=FileIO('1', 'w')

# Header
of.write(array('B', [0x0c, 0x04, 0x40, 0x06]))

# New linestring - each new linestring starts with this
of.write(array('B', [0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,     0x00]))

# 1st coord pair -   loX,  hiX,  loY,  hiY,      0x00
of.write(array('B', [0xae, 0x04, 0x00, 0x00,     0x00]))

# 2nd coord pair -   loX,  hiX,  loY,  hiY,      0x00
of.write(array('B', [0x00, 0x00, 0x32, 0x06,     0x00]))

# You can have as many coordinate pairs as you like in a linestring (>=2)
# Next linestring would start with [0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0x00] again

of.close()

Andrew

[mod186k1]

I reached the same conclutions.

Next I could try to reopen jCrossSketch project and bulid an ad-hoc plugin.

[rfog]

Perhaps 'B' means "black" and we have some kind of color support in the future...

[mod186k1]

the pen's ink is red not black

[andyh2000]

Originally Posted by rfog

Perhaps 'B' means "black" and we have some kind of color support in the future...

The 'B' in that code is telling Python to write unsigned bytes from an array, it's not part of what's written to the file.

Originally Posted by mod186k1

the pen's ink is red not black

I wonder if the 0x00* at the end of each coordinate pair is a separater or whether it might indicate line colour or width, but I haven't tried changing it yet. Or maybe the four 0xFF bytes before each linestring are a header that might change with pen properties.

I suspect Ectaco have gone with the simplest implementation of scribbling they can get away with to begin with. Hopefully it will be improved in the future.

Andrew

[mod186k1]

not 0xff, probably you mean 0x00

[andyh2000]

Originally Posted by mod186k1

not 0xff, probably you mean 0x00

Yeah, thanks for spotting that. I've corrected my post.

Andrew

[rfog]

Originally Posted by andyh2000

The 'B' in that code is telling Python to write unsigned bytes from an array, it's not part of what's written to the file.

Andrew

[ProDigit]

Usually color would be written like this (FF,00,00). You need at least 3 or 4 indicators for color (4 in case of a 4 pixels screen).
The way I see it, [0x0c, 0x04, 0x40, 0x06] would never be pure red, with all other pixels black. At best it would darken other pixels to a near black and 40 is red half open.
But more likely those indicators are indicating another thing than color.

It would be logical if they where R,G,B,W, in which case the line would be blue.
Illogical to start from blue; in which case black would be 0x00 for all 4 'variables' (if that's what they are), or it's nearest possible outcome (0x02 or 0x04).

That'd be my estimation.
I see no other possible indication of color.

It'd be nice if you could also create a horizontal and a vertical line, and show the outcome.

[andyh2000]

I've just noticed [0x40, 0x06] is 1600 in decimal (least significant byte first) which is the vertical resolution of the screen. Might be coincidence though as [0x0c, 0x04] is definitely not 1200 (it's 1036).

Andrew

[paperwastage]

I haven't had the time to play with my color, let alone update the firmware ( will prolly do during Spring break)

how are scribbles saved when you write on a PDf? a file per page?

might be possible to find an open source PDF editor, add code to insert scribbles inside PDF itself

[andyh2000]

Originally Posted by paperwastage

I haven't had the time to play with my color, let alone update the firmware ( will prolly do during Spring break)

how are scribbles saved when you write on a PDf? a file per page?

might be possible to find an open source PDF editor, add code to insert scribbles inside PDF itself

Separate binary files (called "1", "2", "3" etc.), one per page of the PDF that you've scribbled on, inside a folder named after the PDF. It should be quite easy to translate the current format into another vector (or even raster) format, then use one of the free tools such as jpdftweak to stamp the results into the source PDF (all on a desktop PC of course).

Andrew

[ProDigit]

I'm wondering if the color for the vectors isn't adjustable in some configuration / ini file?

Have you been able to access the operating system via your computer connecting to the USB port?

If you can access the Jetbook's OS files, you might be able to find some setting or config files.
I think there's the place to start looking for changing the color!

[andyh2000]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

I'm wondering if the color for the vectors isn't adjustable in some configuration / ini file?

Have you been able to access the operating system via your computer connecting to the USB port?

If you can access the Jetbook's OS files, you might be able to find some setting or config files.
I think there's the place to start looking for changing the color!

No.

Andrew

[paperwastage]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

If you can access the Jetbook's OS files, you might be able to find some setting or config files.
I think there's the place to start looking for changing the color!

been trying to do that on sunday.... no luck... Freescale doesn't have a WinCE BSP for the processor i.MX508, but has one for the "processor family" i.MX50

firmwares / os-update *.bin isn't the default WinCE 6.0 .bin system...

trying to force autorun executibles via 2577 folder on the SD card doesn't work...

only few things left is to open the device up and use JTAG, or find a way to decrypt the firmware updates

Originally Posted by andyh2000

Separate binary files (called "1", "2", "3" etc.), one per page of the PDF that you've scribbled on, inside a folder named after the PDF. It should be quite easy to translate the current format into another vector (or even raster) format, then use one of the free tools such as jpdftweak to stamp the results into the source PDF (all on a desktop PC of course).

Andrew

thanks for the update... cant add karma until I spread it around again