05-29-2011, 04:07 PM | #1 |
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Pocket Edge Hardware/software - LONG - TECHNICAL
I spent some time this afternoon poking around the guts of my Pocket Edge, this is what I've found.
The internal storage (all parts of it) is a single flash chip which appears to be 3.5 gig large. Its broken into 4 pieces ubi:system, ubi:userdata, ubi:cache and ubi:storage ubi:storage is mapped to /intstorage and is the 2.5 gig of free space. ubi:system -> /system 322.2 meg ubi:userdata -> /data 322.2 meg ubi:cache -> /cache 322.7 meg I think with a custom update (if we figure out how to do that) and if people move there storage to sdcard we can cut up the storage differently to increase app space. ubi:userdata is where our installed applications end up. The really interesting stuff is in ubi:system /system/app - all the APK's that the edge ships with /system/bin - standard linux stuff /system/esi - this is that holds the eink/annotation software system startup stuff esijournal/esicalender/esireader applications attempt to connect to the WACOM DSU (most likely a WACOM 8001) which is a pen enabled touch sensor that goes under a display. all 3 go through the same startup (and error out since I'm remote) Connect to DirectFB (this is a low overhead display manager, probably to get the different tool bars etc) Connect DirectFB to WACOM DSU (touch screen) Connect FBDev - DirectFB (800x800 resolution) GDK is also involved - this is a drawing kit for displays and probably provides the windows of the menus/toolbars - possible part of the annotation feature as well. start_epd.sh Turns on power save mode for the Marvell processor init_wacdsu - drives the wacom dsu i'm guessing sd8688.ko - Wifi/Bluetooth Loads kernel modules syscopyarea.ko - makes a bit copy of a FB - this is probably our save for annotation sysfillrect.ko sysimgblt.ko - makes an 8 bit source into a 32bit image (copy to lcd feature) fb_sys_fops.ko - underlying frame buffer read/write to memory ep3522fb.ko - (nonstandard - possibly eink display driver? referenced as EPD_MODULE) - this looks custom from the brief peak I've had. bmm.ko - (nonstandard - unknown at this time google bmm_drv.ko shows up some stuff for Marvell Dove) reference to thirdeye (there is also an application named this) and loads udlfb.ko udlfb.ko is a driver for Displaylink (displaylink.com) which is a usb based monitor technology this is our driver for useing a projector I see people talking about? Another kernel module of note is galcore.ko driver from Vivante Graphics GPU esi_init.sh calls fix_permissions.sh which is based on this blog post to fix some Android problem http://blog.elsdoerfer.name/2009/05/...id-mismatches/ QCUdevScript.sh - looks for a 3G modem we don't have probably useful for external 3g modems. |
05-29-2011, 04:20 PM | #2 |
lol
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Great work! I'll look through it a bit more when I have time later, but from a quick scan this looks like pretty useful information.
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05-29-2011, 09:00 PM | #3 |
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just for fun - making an update.zip
http://www.londatiga.net/it/how-to-c...e-zip-package/ |
05-29-2011, 09:55 PM | #4 | |
lol
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Quote:
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05-29-2011, 10:26 PM | #5 |
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I know nothing about android hacking. Poor weather and a headache have given me an abundance of freetime today so I dusted off my old linux hacking skills (7 years rusty) and played around.
Seems that they are using a custom format for the update.zip they have their own update.sh that does all the work Fun comment from the update: # FIRST, whack everything in system/xbin for release, i.e. "user" updates # ...this is in an effort to harden against misuse and abuse They really spent way too much time not being open. trying to disassemble the update.sh is a bit problematic because they reference a series of variables from some external source. perhaps I can use my CNC linux box to mount the raw images and see whats in there. |
05-29-2011, 10:44 PM | #6 |
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Edit to my NAND flash summary. Its a 4Gig chip (makes a lot more sense) The other .5 is probably boot and recovery (recovery is what makes the 2 button update load possible)
Samsung K9LBG08UOD-PCB0 Edit: Epson E-Ink driver can't make out the model number. Edit2: EE used the S1D13521 I'm guessing the PE is the S1D13522 based on the ep3522fb.ko driver - Vizplex E Ink screen simple google shows the documentation for the Epson EInk chip. This does multi region updates which makes the way that the menus update make sense. Last edited by yugami; 05-29-2011 at 11:15 PM. |
05-29-2011, 10:46 PM | #7 |
lol
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yeah, I spent about an hour or so looking through the update.sh then gave up as I know very little about shell scripts(I've been meaning to go back to it, but its always taken a kind of back seat). There are a few other funny-ish comments sprinkled about but that one is the best, and at the same time the saddest... Though they did at least mention that thats what that portion did, so if we were to "remove" it, wouldn't it not "whack everything in system/xbin"?
I had to sell my Linux box a few months ago to get a laptop for college, so now my *nix'ing is limited to a VM . Oh, and I've got all summer, so I plan to learn a ALL the ins and outs before the end, hopefully something will come of it lol. |
05-29-2011, 11:54 PM | #8 |
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I can point you in the right direction but I shouldn't spend a ton of time on this. Long slow crappy weather weekend is making this very doable right now but long term I need to focus elsewhere.
Please checkout my updates - while the devil is in the details this doesn't seem that tricky. Android connect to the wacom sensor and you use libgtk-framebuffer to do a higher level drive on the framebuffer (draw the menus). Annotation turns on and uses the x,y output to do the drawing (IMO should do pressure as well if possible) The chip does transparent overlay so it drives the annotation layover. The nook uses the same EInk display and the downgraded driver chip(3521) (and android) |
05-30-2011, 12:16 AM | #9 |
lol
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Awww... DON'T LEAVE MEEEEE.... lol its okay though, I understand, just be sure to check in from time to time lol.
I noticed the e-ink similarities when I purchased, I think the company only makes a few models, maybe I can find some source code examples out there by others... Unfortunately my experience with e-ink's is zero, and my experience with LCD's is very little(I made a small graphic appear on one once lol). and what might not seem that tricky to you is probably a few weeks worth of work to me lol(still haven't technically graduated high school yet rofl), but I've got the time right now... thanks for all the help so far, you're great! |
05-30-2011, 01:33 PM | #10 |
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Google "broadsheet e ink" S1D13521 ties into that (either thats its street name or something) there appears to be a broadsheet driver in embedded linux already.
http://developer.txtr.com/Broadsheet...oller_S1D13521 http://lxr.free-electrons.com/source...broadsheetfb.c A friend of mine enhanced the image from the PE teardown someone posted and it looks like (regardless of the name of the driver) they are using the 3521. This has most of the same capabilities from the info sheet From what I can read on the tweaked zoom the chip says Epson D13521183 --stuff--- EINK |
08-22-2011, 08:17 PM | #11 |
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I think I remember reading that more info about the ICs on the mainboard would help. So I took some pictures.
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/album.php?albumid=711 One complication might be U44, which is a programmable PIC microcontroller: |
08-23-2011, 05:49 AM | #12 |
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Very good! If you have pictures like this do you have any of the complete boards - both sides as I'm trying to get some idea of the interconnections.
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08-23-2011, 01:38 PM | #13 |
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Next time I open it up (maybe to fix my power switch ) I'll try and chuck the board on a flatbed scanner.
There does seem to be a serial port that could probably be used to monitor the boot-up. I need to hack up the right hardware to watch it. |
08-23-2011, 04:15 PM | #14 |
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Yes there is serial console on the motherboard, check my post for details.
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10-13-2011, 01:22 PM | #15 |
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did youever get your power switch fixed? I broke mine as well.
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