OI/other software on Elonex EB-600?

[Cyberman tM]

I've recently bought an Elonex EB-600, that is, a rebranded Netronix Device, as you know.

Since then I've tried to use other Firmware, via SD-Card. No Success till now.

As far as I know, several available firmwares should be compatible with the EB-600 model.
Yet none worked.

I assume I'm doing something terribly wrong - unless it's necessary that the current firmware actually helps the new one?

I'm not sure I understand how the new firmware is started, btw - it seems to me that every version has it's own file names, so it can't be names alone.

From a post here I gathered something in the Device looks at a certain sector(the first GB apparently) on the SD-Card and loads the boot record from there - is that correct?
If so, what exactly is looking for the "boot record"? Is there a Bios in there? (I'd assume this would be the Linux from Netronix? With the software from Elonex put atop?)

Could it be the Elonex software prevents other firmware being used?

Any ideas what I should try?

(I know this isn't really that much about OI, but I didn't find another forum more fitting. I didn't want to post in one of the more specialised forums, even if it's EB600-hardware. Unfortunately, there is no generic EB600 forum. If there is a better forum, it would be kind if a mod could move this thread there.)

[Cyberman tM]

No ideas?
I'm also taking suggestions!

I don't expect anyone to already know everything about the device, so I don't mind if it's experimental - as long as it is reasonable and I don't have to open it.

I'd just like to try to get more out of it than merely the standard software.

[Wolfgan]

I'm not versed in OI, but being it open, why don't you check OI docs/sources for the booting stage and fw images and then apply those ideas to the other firmwares loading process?
Probably you're missing something that's easily fixable.
Good luck and share what you find, Wolf.

[dottedmag]

Originally Posted by Cyberman tM

From a post here I gathered something in the Device looks at a certain sector(the first GB apparently) on the SD-Card and loads the boot record from there - is that correct?
If so, what exactly is looking for the "boot record"? Is there a Bios in there? (I'd assume this would be the Linux from Netronix? With the software from Elonex put atop?)

Could it be the Elonex software prevents other firmware being used?

It is possible. The best way to figure it out is to attach a serial console and to try to get a shell and to have a look inside - kernel on Elonex is Linux for sure, but userspace stuff may anything they wrote.

If you do, please don't forget to document all your findings on OpenInkpot wiki - this will help a lot if anyone has the same problem later or wants to adapt OI firmware to run on Elonex.

[Cyberman tM]

Originally Posted by dottedmag

It is possible. The best way to figure it out is to attach a serial console and to try to get a shell and to have a look inside

Hm.
Just to be sure - with "attach a serial console" you're talking about opening the unit and soldering wires to the prepared (yet unused) spots on the board?

Is there a non-invasive way to do that? I'd rather not open the device, let alone start soldering. :-/

[dottedmag]

I doubt so - some devices provide engineering access through USB, but EB-600 hardware (beside the e-Ink screen) is too cheap, developers use soldered-in serial port and JTAG.

[dottedmag]

You can try to get a firmware update from the company, and reverse-engineer it, but given it is a experimental device, I doubt it.

[Cyberman tM]

Originally Posted by dottedmag

You can try to get a firmware update from the company, and reverse-engineer it, but given it is a experimental device, I doubt it.

I would try that, if I even knew if their update works. There is a freely available update from Elonex, but since it's apparently not supposed to actually say anything, I still don't know if it worked or not.

I tried using the SH file in it to do something, but either I did it wrong, or it simply wasn't called - I suppose it's the latter.

The update is supposed to do something with Adobe Digital Editions, not sure what exactly, though.

Perhaps they'll release an update that actually does something.
Anything else I could try till then? (Aside from opening the device :-)

[dottedmag]

You can try to supply your shell script with the name mfg_test. See the remove.sh contents for the hints of filesystems mountpoints.

[Cyberman tM]

Originally Posted by dottedmag

You can try to supply your shell script with the name mfg_test. See the remove.sh contents for the hints of filesystems mountpoints.

Good idea, but no luck so far. I told it to create directories which I should then see - inside the "mfg_test" is a string that probably calls the remove_sh, so I copied the path from it.
No luck.

I'm going to write support again and ask them how to verify that the update really worked.
I've got the suspicion that perhaps the device is incapable of being updated, since there is absolutely no message whatsoever when I try to update it, even though both the binary AND the shell script definitely have texts in them that are for the user to read.

So either the messages are suppressed, or the update doesn't work. I wouldn't be surprised if they'd have broken/forgotten something when they wrote the software.

[dottedmag]

Just a note: other Netronix devices require center button to be pressed while reboot to activate upgrade.

[Cyberman tM]

Originally Posted by dottedmag

Just a note: other Netronix devices require center button to be pressed while reboot to activate upgrade.

Yes, I tried that as well. No luck yet.

However, I'm not quite sure WHEN to press. "Reboot" is a lenghty process. The first thing the device does is apparently some sort of self-test, or rather display-test - the entire screen is covered by bars of different shades of grey.
I'm not sure if I'm supposed to press now or later, I don't even know if this is the original Netronix BIOS or the Elonex software. :-/

[edit]Something interesting, if useless: when I create a folder ".games", I can see all files in it. Otherwise, only usable files are shown.
But clicking them does nothing - unless one of them is named "Soduko.whatever" - in that case the installed Sudoko game is called - even though the file is empty.
Other names, like "Chess.app" do nothing. (I tried Chess because it's in the PocketBook, as well as Sudoko)
No idea why.

[dottedmag]

There's no BIOS - control is transferred directly to bootloader.

Anyway, original software detected the state "button is pressed", not the keypress event, so you had to keep it pressed while it boots. If it does not work, then no luck. I'd contact Elonex and ask them for a working update and instructions.

[Cyberman tM]

As I wrote in the other thread, after I bricked my EB-600, I managed to get the Cool-Er firmware running on it.

It seems as if the middle button isn't enough, you have to press the third button from top(i.e. return) as well. That seems to do the trick.

[edit] I think this thread is the most fitting one.
For fun, I tried something with my new Elonex Cool-Er. I put an MP3 into the "My Audio" folder.
Guess what! The audio hardware IS in there, Elonex just didn't bother to make use of it.
Perhaps because the required TRS jack is a 2.5mm plug, instead of the (I think) more widespread 3.5. Fortunately, I still have one from a MP3 watch I once bought...

[edit2] Aparently it is only a 3 contact jack, not a 4, like I thought earlier. So it shouldn't be a problem to buy one (my watch needs a 4 contact).