Playing with the KSM 09 webinterface

[tshering]

I am starting now to write the first posts of this thread, and will continue as time permits, if I have the impression that some people might be interested.

I consider the usbnet as the primary network for using the KSM webinterface. Among the advantages are: With usbnet, there are less chances that somebody else accesses your device via the network than it is with wifi. KSM needs much less time to get ready when you power on the device, when it has not to try to connect to a wifi network. When you start nickel, it does not care whether usbnet is on, but it does become unresponsive when wifi is already switched on (at least with recent versions of nickel).

Configure your pc to use the Kobo reader as an usb network device:

Spoiler:

The one minute or so that usbnet is on at start will not be sufficient to allow you to prepare your pc for usbnet. Therefore let the time pass out and only then enable it manually by selecting
"usb" > "usbnet toggle.sh" (before you do this the infobox should show: "USBNet support: disabled")
Then things continue different depending on the OS of your pc.
Under windows 10 follow the instructions Windows 10 signed RNDIS driver for USBNetwork on the Kindle forum. Skip the "Prerequisites", and read instead of the last paragraph of the instructions this modified version:

You should see a new network card Kindle USB RNDIS Device (USBNetwork enabled) in "Network and Sharing Center" > Change adapter settings. Assign the static IP 192.168.2.100 and you can ping the device (ping 192.168.2.101).

For older versions of windows follow this post, but replace the first 3 points by: "In KSM, toggle usbnet on, and connect the device with the usb cable to your pc."

Under linux, I hope you will find yourself how to do it.

In the following I will speak of usbnet, but you can also use wifi instead, except when nickel is involved.

When usbnet is enabled and the server running (for instance when KSM starts after you powered the device on), execute the following line in the navigation bar of the webbrowser of your pc:

http://192.168.2.101:8087/rmc_test.html
(With wifi, replace 192.168.2.101 by the wifi-ip.)

This will make the webinterface appear in the browser, and prevent the usbnet and the server from timing out.
Next press "toggle btw full and short menu" in order to prevent nickel from auto starting.

topics:
session: collect basic information
rotation problem, intro
session: rotation problem, experiment 1
session: rotation problem, experiment 2
session: testing touch driver for H2O2 (PRODUCT_ID=378, CPU=mx6sll)
session: H2O2v2 (PRODUCT_ID=378, CPU=mx6sll), testing the touch driver, second trial

[tshering]

Let us start with session 1 (we will try to collect some basic information for all models):
[ in the webbrowser ]
press "basic info", and copy then the output to a text file. In my case it looks like this:

### executed:echo PRODUCT=$PRODUCT, PRODUCT_ID=$PRODUCT_ID, CPU=$CPU, PLATFORM=$PLATFORM,\WIFI_MODULE=$WIFI_MODULE, WIFI_MODULE_PATH=$WIFI_MODULE_PATH\uname=$(uname -a), FW=$(awk -F',' '{print $3}' /mnt/onboard/.kobo/version)

PRODUCT=kraken, PRODUCT_ID=0x4173, CPU=mx50, PLATFORM=mx50-ntx,
WIFI_MODULE=dhd, WIFI_MODULE_PATH=/drivers/mx50-ntx/wifi/dhd.ko
uname=Linux (none) 2.6.35.3-850-gbc67621+ #619 PREEMPT Thu Dec 22 15:29:00 CST 2016 armv7l GNU/Linux, FW=4.7.10413

press "fbset" and copy the output to the text file, make a note that this was made while KSM was running:

### executed:fbset ### KSM running 
mode "1024x758-0"
	# D: 0.025 MHz, H: 0.022 kHz, V: 0.029 Hz
	geometry 1024 758 1024 1536 16
	timings 40000000 12 76 4 5 12 2
	accel false
	rgba 5/11,6/5,5/0,0/0
endmode

press "read rotate-value" and copy the output to the text file, make a note that this was made while KSM was running:

### executed:cat /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate ### KSM running
0

[on the reader]
select "start nickel" (do not open a book, but stay on the home screen), and after nickel has started
[ in the webbrowser ] (if you use the webinterface over the wifi network, enable wifi in nickel, since KSM had to switch it off temporarily)
repeat "fbset" and "read rotate-value" as before.

### executed:fbset ### nickel running
mode "758x1024-0"
	# D: 0.025 MHz, H: 0.029 kHz, V: 0.028 Hz
	geometry 758 1024 768 1024 32
	timings 40000000 12 76 4 5 12 2
	accel false
	rgba 8/16,8/8,8/0,8/24
endmode

### executed:cat /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate ### nickel running
3

[ in the webbrowser ] press "ksm power off"


Please, upload the text file to this post. Next time we might address the rotation problem on some models.

[taos]

Let's start...

Edit: information for KSM obtained by connecting via wifi, information for nickel via usbnet

[tshering]

@taos
Thank you. I see you are using wifi. I am curious whether usbnet is working on your model and firmware. Could you select usb > toggle_usbnet.sh, and see whether KSM at least reports that usbnet is enabled? Or if you go "usb" immediately after power on, it should already display "usbnet: enabled" (or similar).

[taos]

Originally Posted by tshering

@taos
I am curious whether usbnet is working on your model and firmware. Could you select usb > toggle_usbnet.sh, and see whether KSM at least reports that usbnet is enabled? Or if you go "usb" immediately after power on, it should already display "usbnet: enabled" (or similar).

It is working. The information obtained on KSM was retrieved using wifi, the information regarding nickel via usbnet (it seems that nickel doesn't like to connect to wifi if there's no internet connection). Not sure if usbnet is actually enabled after reboot (the start screen shows the IP and usbnet enabled) - I always had to go to the usb menu entry to manually toggle usbnet but that's probably because I'm not fast enough to successfully connect before usbnet is shut off again.

[tshering]

Is anybody who owns a model with the rotation problem interested to participate? Otherwise it is a waste of time to continue with this topic.

[PeterT]

Originally Posted by tshering

Is anybody who owns a model with the rotation problem interested to participate? Otherwise it is a waste of time to continue with this topic.

I think you might get more participation if the thread had a title indicating you wanting help with the rotation problem

[boriar]

I will try to do some testing next weekend with H2O that seems to return with the rotation problem in last FW I think. Is it needed?
You know that I'm glad to help you ever, only my work decided my spare time now

[tshering]

Originally Posted by boriar

I will try to do some testing nest weekend with H2O that seems to return with the rotation problem in last FW I think. Is it needed?
You know that I'm glad to help you ever, only my work decided my spare time now

Thank you for the offer! I think people who are running the latest FW anyway might be interested in helping solving the problem. So there is no need for you to update just for testing. And do not feel pushed. I am not in a hurry. I am busy myself with work and should keep myself more often away from this forum.

[JFeole]

I've got a 1st gen H20 exhibitng the symptoms, that I updated to KSM09. I can help debug too..

Thanks,
John Feole

[tshering]

Originally Posted by nook_nerd

I've got a 1st gen H20 exhibitng the symptoms, that I updated to KSM09. I can help debug too..

Thanks,
John Feole

Thank you for your offer!

[tshering]

I give here, in the spoiler, a short account of the rotation problem, how I tried to solve it, and failed.

Spoiler:

I try to describe the problem as I understand it. Since I do not have a model with a rotation problem myself, I know the details only from user reports. It is not unlikely that I might have misunderstood some reports.
It started with the Aura HD (and the Aura H2O, and Aura H2O2 seem to show the same behaviour). KSM appeared upside down on this model the very first time after the device was powered on, from that point on however with every new call, KSM was displayed correctly. The work around was to start the KSM menu once, and exit it immediately without user interaction. I do not like this workaround, but if it still works, let us keep it for the moment as it is.

The next problem was seen after one exited nickel to return to KSM. What happens is that nickel, on some models needs (and therefor sets) a different rotation value (/sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate) than KSM needs. Therefore after exiting nickel and before calling a KSM application, one has to reset the rotation value. On the problematic models there is a strange behaviour: The rotation value is actually different from what one sets. For instance, if one sets the value 0, it actually takes the value 2; or if one sets the value to 3, it takes the value 1, and the other way round. Starting from this point the rotation value is unstable: KSM has a rotated screen, and with each new call turns 180°.
The workaround was to (try to) set the needed value, and then set the resulting value again, in order to get the wished result:

code fragment 01
### currentRotation contains the value needed by KSM
  echo "$currentRotation" > /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate
  cat /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate > /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate

At a certain point nickel started to change the display depth from 16 to 32 bits per pixel, whereas KSM still needs 16 bits depth. We therefore had to reset the display depth after running nickel, and did this by adding:

### code fragment 02
### fbgeometry contains the geometry settings needed by KSM, which include the depth value
fbset -${fbgeometry}

Since a call to fbset seems also to destabalise the roation value, I tried to counteract this by adding:

### code fragment 03
if [ "$currentRotation" != "$(cat /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate)" ]; then
  cat /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate > /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate
fi

As it turned out, this does not work. Therefore, I would like you to use the webinterface, in order to do some experiments.
The first is to try a completely new approach.
If this does not work, we will try to go through the code fragments 01 - 03 manually, watch at each point how the different values change, and maybe find something that helps us.

For the first experiment, however, reading this is not necessary. Therefore if you like, go directly to next post.

[tshering]

The first approach is rather easy. The onboard software contains an executable for testing the eink screen. On the Kobo Touch and the Glo, it sets the rotation value to 0 and the depth to 16. Of course, I do not know whether it destabilises the rotation value or not. But we will find out:

I assume that you use usbnet. Doing it with wifi instead, would need some additional steps. If cannot use usbnet and want to participate, tell me.

Read the first three steps in advance, because step 3 and 4 must be executed quickly. From then onwards we can proceed as slow as we like.

• Write into the navigation bar of your browser http://192.168.2.101:8087/rmc_test.html, but do not yet press enter.
• Power on your device.
• When you see the KSM menu, press return (in the browser). The browser should now show a page with some buttons. (If nothing happens, press enter again. Maybe the first time was to early.)
• The first button is "kill KSM", press it. The screen should now be completely unresponsive.
• You can now zoom in or out [Ctrl-+, Ctrl--], so that you can see the whole page, including the output field at the bottom.
• Press "basic info". Copy the text from the output field to the text file.

  ### executed:echo $PRODUCT, $PRODUCT_ID, $CPU, $PLATFORM, $(uname -a), FW $(awk -F',' '{print $3}' /mnt/onboard/.kobo/version)
  kraken, 0x4173, mx50, mx50-ntx, Linux (none) 2.6.35.3-850-gbc67621+ #619 PREEMPT Thu Dec 22 15:29:00 CST 2016 armv7l GNU/Linux, FW 4.7.10413

• Press "start nickel, basic". Nickel will start. Give it some time to settle itself. Do not open any book, stay a the home screen. Anyway, you must return to the home screen before you do the next step.
• Press "exit nickel". You want see any change on the screen. The only difference is that the screen is again unresponsive.
• Press "clear screen, black" or "clear screen, white"
• Copy the text from the output field to the text file.

  ### executed:epdc_test -b
  Set the background to 16-bpp
  screen_info.xres_virtual = 1024
  screen_info.yres_virtual = 1536
  screen_info.bits_per_pixel = 16
  Mem-Mapping FB0
  Set to region update mode
  Set waveform modes
  Set update scheme - 0
  Background to black

• Press "ksm message". There should appear the KSM message application, showing "ok" in the top left corner. [on the Kobo] Press the middle of the screen to open the bottom menu bar. Zoom in and out.
• [on the Kobo] Press "close", or [on the PC] press "exit ksm message". The screen will now again be unresponsive.
• Press again "ksm message". See whether the "ok" is again in the top left corner.
• Press "reboot", or if things went well, press "ksm power off"

Please report what happened and post the results that you copied to the text file.

[JFeole]

I would like to use USBNET, bu I am not familiar with it. I use Ubuntu 16.04 LTS as my daily OS.. Do you know how to setup Linux for USBNet?

If i use wifi instead, what are the additional steps?

John Feole

[JFeole]

Ignore last post, i have figured out enabling USBNET on ubuntu..

Ran tests in your post.

Output is as follows:
--
### executed:echo PRODUCT=$PRODUCT, PRODUCT_ID=$PRODUCT_ID, CPU=$CPU, PLATFORM=$PLATFORM,\WIFI_MODULE=$WIFI_MODULE, WIFI_MODULE_PATH=$WIFI_MODULE_PATH\uname=$(uname -a), FW=$(awk -F',' '{print $3}' /mnt/onboard/.kobo/version)

PRODUCT=dahlia, PRODUCT_ID=0x4213, CPU=mx50, PLATFORM=mx50-ntx,
WIFI_MODULE=dhd, WIFI_MODULE_PATH=/drivers/mx50-ntx/wifi/dhd.ko
uname=Linux (none) 2.6.35.3-850-gbc67621+ #3032 PREEMPT Mon Jan 9 13:37:40 CST 2017 armv7l GNU/Linux, FW=4.7.10413

==

### executed:epdc_test -b
Set the background to 16-bpp
screen_info.xres_virtual = 1440
screen_info.yres_virtual = 2304
screen_info.bits_per_pixel = 16
Mem-Mapping FB0
Set to region update mode
Set waveform modes

==

Press again "ksm message". See whether the "ok" is again in the top left corner.

(No, not in Top left corner, it came back on the bottom right corner, upside down)
--

Thanks,
John Feole