KT2 Exposed

[knc1]

Originally Posted by pghaworth

Nice - all of it! Nothing better than a nice cup of tear-down in the morning. Thanks!

Thank you.

If Amazon/Lab126 has finally out-foxed us for "closed Kindle" jailbreak methods -
This sort of add-in board may be the only way to "beat" the system. (*)

My current audience is less than 10 (hardware oriented hobbyists) but that might change in the future.

- - - - -

(*) With access to the serial port plus 4 control lines over a USB connection -
In addition to the factory supplied USB connection -
It should be possible to build a Kubrick-Like LiveCD wizard to de-brick (and to jail break) these newer Kindle models.

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by knc1

Thank you.

If Amazon/Lab126 has finally out-foxed us for "closed Kindle" jailbreak methods -
This sort of add-in board may be the only way to "beat" the system. (*)

My current audience is less than 10 (hardware oriented hobbyists) but that might change in the future.

- - - - -

(*) With access to the serial port plus 4 control lines over a USB connection -
In addition to the factory supplied USB connection -
It should be possible to build a Kubrick-Like LiveCD wizard to de-brick (and to jail break) these newer Kindle models.

If they have, and you are right, I am going to be very, very sorry that I lost my funding and had to leave school right after starting all my hardware and programming classes. I only got one semester of all the juicy stuff. I was really loving it and my state snatched away my grants.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by knc1

- - - -
Crud! Phooey!

Could not find a mid-mount micro-usb connector to salvage in a house-full of electronic junk, had to order new ones.
- - - -

Connectors have arrived and I am out of excuses to delay this project.

The MicroFTX board is (only) a double sided board.
So, Plan A:

• remove top mount connector,
• cut notch (destroying whatever is on reverse side in the process),
• mount mid-line mount connector,
• repair whatever I destroyed in the process (which **should** only be the configuration jumpers).

[knc1]

Oh, for those wondering how the circuit(s) can be tested, prior to building, see:
http://www.linear.com/
Upper right corner of page: "Download LTspice" -
It is free, and one of the best spice programs available.

Ah, you will not find a build for Linux - Download the Windoze build instead.
Note: They have specifically designed LTspice to run under Wine on Linux.
It even auto-detects that it is running under Wine and sets its configuration to match Wine.

"Free" and "Just Works" -
What more could a hobbyist want?

[knc1]

Originally Posted by knc1

- - - - -
Edit-4:
Added tech. sheet on level translation chip.
Decided on setting up the layout to hold 2, 2 bit wide, level translators.
Which seems to be the most generally useful layout, even though we only need one (or maybe two) bits worth (I.E: a single chip) worth of translation.

This chip will handle any (common) logic level found in today's logic (except 1v2 and 1v5 cell phones) and translate it to any of the choosen adapter chip's i/o levels (1v8, 3v3 or 5v0).

My preliminary guess at a standard I/O level translator part.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by knc1

- - - - -
Edit-3:
Added tech. sheet on switch chip.
The MicroFTX "cb" outputs are open-drain with a 75k ohm pull-up.
So far, the chip's I/O cells are referenced to 1v8 (since that matches the serial port I/O levels).
But the boot-mode lines need to be connected together (I am assuming here) to emulate a mechanical switch.
Plus, they are running on the 3v3 supply rail(s).

Hence, the added-in, switch chip.
And since they come in four per package ...
There are enough for all four "CB" outputs, if required by another project.
- - - - -

Hmm...
Edited the tech-post but forgot to mention the addition.
(Which is why #4 is announced before #3 - my bad - getting old(er) )

[knc1]

Originally Posted by knc1

Connectors have arrived and I am out of excuses to delay this project.

The MicroFTX board is (only) a double sided board.
So, Plan A:

• remove top mount connector,
• cut notch (destroying whatever is on reverse side in the process),
• mount mid-line mount connector,
• repair whatever I destroyed in the process (which **should** only be the configuration jumpers).

This (if successful at cutting and restoring the board) will only get me a built-in serial port and the two controls (hardware reset and on/off).

Other parts and materials ordered, nearly everything for the final goal on-order (a couple of things not ordered yet - but they come from a warehouse less than 100 miles away).

I hate to think of the $$$ cost I am going to on this project.

I guess this project's supporting materials is going to be my only present this year.

Amazon and Lab126!

- - - - -

I wonder if I could get a "Beat Lab126 to death" project past the KickStarter review people?

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by knc1

Amazon and Lab126!

I wonder if I could get a "Beat Lab126 to death" project past the KickStarter review people?

I'd kick in if you can get it past.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by pghaworth

I'd kick in if you can get it past.

Maybe I can get it past the review when Hell freezes over.
but wait -
it is: http://classic.wunderground.com/cgi-...Select=WEATHER
(frozen over, that is)

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by pghaworth

I'd kick in if you can get it past.

Has anyone tried getting like a thousand people to bombard Amazon CS with complaints?

I bet they'd crack in a day or two.

[knc1]

This "war" with Amazon does not make any sense at all, at least as we know it.

They produce and sell these things in the millions -
We (MR members) **might** effect thousands.

And yet they are spending, no one knows, how much money in additional development time and effort.
For what?
To loose at most a few thousand sales, if we all switched to another brand?

There **must** be parts to the war story that only Amazon knows, it just isn't justified otherwise.

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by knc1

Maybe I can get it past the review when Hell freezes over.
but wait -
it is: http://classic.wunderground.com/cgi-...Select=WEATHER
(frozen over, that is)

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Has anyone tried getting like a thousand people to bombard Amazon CS with complaints?

I bet they'd crack in a day or two.

I think the Voyage is taking care of that.

Originally Posted by knc1

This "war" with Amazon does not make any sense at all, at least as we know it.

They produce and sell these things in the millions -
We (MR members) **might** effect thousands.

And yet they are spending, no one knows, how much money in additional development time and effort.
For what?
To loose at most a few thousand sales, if we all switched to another brand?

There **must** be parts to the war story that only Amazon knows, it just isn't justified otherwise.

After reading yesterday that Bezos is an engineer, I think this sits squarely on his shoulders. He doesn't want anyone else to play with his toys.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by pghaworth

After reading yesterday that Bezos is an engineer, I think this sits squarely on his shoulders. He doesn't want anyone else to play with his toys.

Originally Posted by Amazon

Jeffrey P. Bezos
President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board

Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.com in 1994. Amazon’s mission is to be Earth's most customer-centric company. Amazon offers low prices and fast delivery on millions of items, designs and builds the bestselling Kindle hardware, and empowers companies and governments in over 190 countries around the world with the leading cloud computing infrastructure through its Amazon Web Services offering. Bezos is also the founder of aerospace company Blue Origin, which is working to lower the cost and increase the safety of spaceflight so that humans can better continue exploring the solar system.
Bezos graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa in electrical engineering and computer science from Princeton University in 1986, and was named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year in 1999.

Now that might make a difference.
A lot has changed in both fields since 1986.
It is difficult for anyone to keep up, and if a person's primary interest is in business, not in the degreed field . . . .

And if he is trying to micro-manage the Lab126 crew -
that would explain their prior years of developing something that looks like a 20 year old (1994) embedded system.

If he just went "hands off" the development crew - there is no way we could keep up with (or ahead off) a full-time, paid, crew of professionals.

I think you got the answer -
Bezos has let this become personal, and is micro-managing Lab126 using his very out of date knowledge of the technical fields.

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by knc1

Now that might make a difference.
A lot has changed in both fields since 1986.
It is difficult for anyone to keep up, and if a person's primary interest is in business, not in the degreed field . . . .

And if he is trying to micro-manage the Lab126 crew -
that would explain their prior years of developing something that looks like a 20 year old (1994) embedded system.

As a micro-manager who has dealt with micro-managers and initially started in Engineering, that makes perfect sense to me hearing it said.

[knc1]

Sorry to anyone holding their breath, waiting for me to get this finished.

Making a board that will fit **inside** the KT2 (or other models) is a bit of a challenge.
At least for me, with my early 20th century electronic building skills.

You know, back when soldering irons where a chunk of copper on a long handle that you heated up in a charcoal pot.
Also, electronic parts where something you could see as the individual devices *PLUS* they where not gone forever if dropped on the carpet.

These days of little black plastic packages, with 1,800 (or a lot more) devices inside that disappear if dropped on the carpet .....
Well, it is time I updated my hobby shop equipment and skill set.

Meanwhile, have started rubbing (with small q-tip) pork grease on the packages -
If I drop one, I can always expect the dog to find it for me.
Currently, I am waiting for a couple of UART adapter chips to complete their trip through the dog.
(Well, at least I know where to look for them.)