Update eink waveform

[POOT]

Originally Posted by stysis

I had the exact problem described by Zirowe at the start of this thread and was looking for a solution and came across what seems to be the best option so far from tccsargent posted 09-21-2013.

When I first came across it I was reluctant to try it for 3 reasons: I had hastily thrown out my old cracked screen; it wasn't a major problem as I could still read books, only images were corrupted; and I didn't want to have to reinstall the hacks I had so much fun with after a factory reset.



But then I got thinking... If a restart will bring back the bad waveform, why wouldn't a restart install the good waveform?

So I opened my sons Kindle to try this with his screen and bingo! it worked beautifully.

A simple restart rather than a factory reset did the job for me.

Thanks to all whose wisdom I have benefited from. I've been having lots of fun with my Kindle 3 over the last few days, learning heaps from this wonderful forum about how it works and what can be done with it.

Cheers.

This works! Grayscale restored, and now I can read my PDF's without losing my nice screensavers!

Thanks a million for fixing broken kindle 3 screen replacement.

(hopefully that directs some googlers here!)



For those just reading this post now: Once you've installed your new screen, keep the back cover off....unplug your new screen, plug in your old broken screen and reset. Once your kindle starts back up (give it a minute or two), just plug your new screen back in, and it should be running great.

THanks guys.

[phikappa]

Hello all,

in the spirit of http://xkcd.com/979/ let me share my (permanent, non-invasive) solution for this problem. Only okay if your replacement screen has a EEPROM chip. Scroll down for the TLDR version.

As some of you, I bought a replacement eink panel for my Kindle Keyboard 3G, only to find that the greyscale was messed up. The thing is, I already had thrown the old panel away... So no getting around the problem with the hotswap. Also, that's not the most elegant solution.

In the ENABLE_DIAGS menu, the Misc Diag / Video informationed showed an error, Panel ID mismatch - the waveform present on the device was v110_000_60_m01, the Panel ID was v110_173_60_m06.

In the Device Settings menu, the "Update EINK Waveform" menu seemed promising. Inspired by Nephiel's post, I accessed the Kindle's filesystem (ugh!) and got the *.wbf files out of it to feed to that option (when you select the Update EINK Waveform menu, the kindle enables mass storage via USB and you can put a *.wbf file on it). Only, it showed me an error message - none of the wbf files matched the panel info.

So, two options: 1) Follow the instruction to extract the entire content of the EEPROM on the panel ribbon*, get the waveform data and feed the waveform of the panel itself to the Kindle via the diags menu, since it didn't seem to read it off the eeprom
2) obtain an existing waveform and modify it so that it would pass the compatibility test. the greyscale problem appears because the kindle isn't using ANY waveform, not even the old one, and any waveform would still be better than no waveform.

I was preparing for 1), but then I thought, that's a lot of work, let's try 2) first with one of the wbf files taken from the /opt/eink/images/ folder. This required editing the waveform file so that it would appear as coming from the panel itself. The key find was this piece of sourcecode from the kindle 2: http://read.pudn.com/downloads186/so...veform.h__.htm
It's from the graphics subsystem of the Kindle and basically is part of the software part of the panel ID check. The #defines show very nicely at which offsets of the wbf file information is stored concerning which panel it is for, as well as some information about the values associated with several fields. So it's all in changing the file at the offsets to make it match the panel I had. Let's look at the ID and info from filenames etc:

V110_B059_60_WJ0105_ED060SC5_BTC.wbf (from Kindle)
v110_000_60_m01 (from Kindle Diags)

For my new Panel, I had only the info that it had ID v110_173_60_m06 and some stuff written on the ribbon.... For example, the string ED060SC7 which was similar to the one mentioned in the filename. But what did it all mean? Another file from the same kindle 2 source code, http://read.pudn.com/downloads186/so...veform.c__.htm gave some insight.. thank god for programmers commenting their code!

// Build up a waveform version string in the following way:
//
// <FPL PLATFORM>_<RUN TYPE><FPL LOT NUMBER>_<FPL SIZE>_
// <WF TYPE><WF VERSION><WF SUBVERSION> (MFG CODE, S/N XXX)

Looks awfully like... V110_B059_60_WJ0105_ED060SC5_BTC.wbf kind of follows that logic. The Epson document from baidu also confirmed some of this info, although it contained some false tracks as well (AMEPD code is NOT the FPL Lot Number, despite that arrow... I digress)

I'll jump to the point, the only difference between my panel ID and the stored panel ID shown in the Kindle video diag was the 173 vs 000, and that corresponded to the FPL LOT NUMBER, stored at 0x000E (2 bytes, little endian). The wbf had a value that translated to 59 in decimal.. Like V110_B059_etc ... Bingo! The PANEL ID in the Diags menu simply omits the RUN TYPE info in assembling that ID string. So, change 59 to 173.. All the other info was the same (same Platform, which is very general info about what kind of panel it is), Run Type, Panel Size. Also the MFG Code was M01 in the existing waveform, M06 for my Panel and in the wbf file the value for the MFG Code was already 6, so I didn't change it). The whole WF TYPE, Version and Subversion didn't matter.

Changed the value at 0x000E, saved the filed, changed ED060SC5 to ED060SC7 in the filename to match what was written on the ribbon, and... voila. The Diag menu allowed me to update my waveform. It worked very nicely, the greyscale is perfect.

So, two weekends of research ended in one byte changed in the wbf file. That was all it took to match the wbf file to my Panel.

Thanks to all of you who posted for the info that guided my research. Hope it will be useful for somebody!


TL;DR Version:
* Get the V110_B059_60_WJ0105_ED060SC5_BTC.wbf from your kindle (or ask me for it)
* Look at the diags menu in your kindle for your panel ID in Misc Diagnostics / Video. It should be something like v110_YYY_60_mXX
* Convert the YYY to hex, it's the FPL LOT number. Plug it into the wbf file at offset 0x000E
* Take XX, that's your MFG Code. Plug it into the wbf file at offset 0x0015
* Save modified file as V110_BXXX_60_WJ0105_ED060SC5_BTC.wbf and change ED060SC5 with the corresponding strink on your ribbon cable (this might be optional)
* Go to Kindle diags, System Info -> Update eINK Waveform. the Kindle becomes an USB storage device, copy your new wbf file into the root of the drive.
* Be happy!


----------------------------------
* split the dump according to http://wenku.baidu.com/view/187d5395...5f465e245.html (in the kindle fs, /opt/eink/images/ contains a .bin file which corresponds to the host command interface, and the waveform data as wbf files - in the eeprom dump (from http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/kindlehack.html ) it's all one file, with the host commands at the beginning, then some padding and then the waveform)

[Nephiel]

Thanks for sharing, Phikappa!

I guess this wouldn't have worked in my case, since the EEPROM in my panel came blank (no panel ID stored on it). But you can always check if this is the case using the Diag mode - if the panel ID is not blank, your method is much easier.

[lord_nibbler]

Hey phikappa

I just changed my kindle 3 screen and had the same "shadow issuse"

I'd really like to take your offer!
Could you send me your wbf file?
I've tried to find an easy way to get it off my kindle, but I could not access...

Originally Posted by phikappa

Thanks to all of you who posted for the info that guided my research. Hope it will be useful for somebody!


TL;DR Version:
* Get the V110_B059_60_WJ0105_ED060SC5_BTC.wbf from your kindle (or ask me for it)
* Look at the diags menu in your kindle for your panel ID in Misc Diagnostics / Video. It should be something like v110_YYY_60_mXX

I get exactly the same from the EINK Paneld ID Verification:
v110_000_60_m01, the Panel ID was v110_173_60_m06
Do you think I could take your modified wbf?

Thanks a lot for your help!
E

[Grunthaner]

When I get to work where my old screen is I will try this restart method, thanks TCCSARGENT, but being I'm not much of a programmer my question is in relation to this being a permanent fix. Therefore I need more understanding, is it that my replacement screen is missing the code to the eeprom on my new monitor ribbon or am I missing the proper eeprom to that ribbon, or could I be missing the eeprom on my ribbon?

If it is a matter of missing code or proper eeprom chip should I return it for one that works or will the swap out of the new to old to new screen work permanently unless I do a factory reset?

Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by tccsargent

This problem of the bad waveform almost exclusively lies with the 3G models of the Kindle Keyboard (and also with the 3g Kindle Touches). Here is a practical solution to your problem which, although not perfect, works most of the time: (1) Save the old, broken screen that you have removed from a 3G model of K3. (2) While the Kindle is still open, attach the new screen to it and navigate to "Reset to Factory Defaults" in the system submenu of the Kindle, and press Enter. (3) Press the arrow to navigate to "OK" of the Cancel-OK prompt which appears in the popup window for Reset to Factory Defaults, but do not press Enter yet. (4) Remove the new screen and re-connect the original broken screen; you will now be running blind, but you know that the Kindle is poised to reset with the pressing of the enter key. After the old screen is re-attached, go ahead and press Enter. (5) The Kindle will now reset to factory defaults, (hopefully) accessing the eprom chip on the ribbon cable of the old broken screen and loading the good waveform that resides there. Since you cannot watch the progress of this reset, give the Kindle at least FIVE minutes to complete the process before unplugging the old screen and re-plugging the new screen. Then slide the power bar and take a look: your 'wireframe' pictures should now be restored to solid rich grayscale!

I have repaired hundreds of Kindles and followed this procedure with around a 90% success rate. Unfortunately I have had some units (all 3G) which persistently reset to a bad, or missing, waveform, but the process has worked most of the time. Due to those failures, however, I have built up an inventory of around 50 broken 3G screens so that I can keep trying to find one to boot to which the subject Kindle will successfully read.

By the way, you should follow this procedure only after upgrading to 3.4 OS, since a later system upgrade (with a replacement screen installed) can again lead to a 'bad waveform' problem.


Good luck!

[Grunthaner]

One more thing.....

I do not fully understand why the good waveform is only on the old screen eeprom and not the new eeprom. My guess is inferior parts from other countries that did not fully do all their homework and add this code to their eeproms. I could be wrong but I would like to hear from others regarding this assumption.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by Grunthaner

One more thing.....

I do not fully understand why the good waveform is only on the old screen eeprom and not the new eeprom. My guess is inferior parts from other countries that did not fully do all their homework and add this code to their eeproms. I could be wrong but I would like to hear from others regarding this assumption.

OR - -
The code and tools required to determine the matching waveform are proprietary.
AND/OR - -
The waveform code is proprietary and the seller does not have a license to distribute it.

(Both I believe to be true.)

AND -
There are more than a single controller that can drive an e-ink screen.
Hence different formats of waveforms (per controller) for the same screen.

[gatolt]

Originally Posted by phikappa

Hello all,

in the spirit of http://xkcd.com/979/ let me share my (permanent, non-invasive) solution for this problem. Only okay if your replacement screen has a EEPROM chip. Scroll down for the TLDR version.

As some of you, I bought a replacement eink panel for my Kindle Keyboard 3G, only to find that the greyscale was messed up. The thing is, I already had thrown the old panel away... So no getting around the problem with the hotswap. Also, that's not the most elegant solution.

In the ENABLE_DIAGS menu, the Misc Diag / Video informationed showed an error, Panel ID mismatch - the waveform present on the device was v110_000_60_m01, the Panel ID was v110_173_60_m06.

In the Device Settings menu, the "Update EINK Waveform" menu seemed promising. Inspired by Nephiel's post, I accessed the Kindle's filesystem (ugh!) and got the *.wbf files out of it to feed to that option (when you select the Update EINK Waveform menu, the kindle enables mass storage via USB and you can put a *.wbf file on it). Only, it showed me an error message - none of the wbf files matched the panel info.

So, two options: 1) Follow the instruction to extract the entire content of the EEPROM on the panel ribbon*, get the waveform data and feed the waveform of the panel itself to the Kindle via the diags menu, since it didn't seem to read it off the eeprom
2) obtain an existing waveform and modify it so that it would pass the compatibility test. the greyscale problem appears because the kindle isn't using ANY waveform, not even the old one, and any waveform would still be better than no waveform.

I was preparing for 1), but then I thought, that's a lot of work, let's try 2) first with one of the wbf files taken from the /opt/eink/images/ folder. This required editing the waveform file so that it would appear as coming from the panel itself. The key find was this piece of sourcecode from the kindle 2: http://read.pudn.com/downloads186/so...veform.h__.htm
It's from the graphics subsystem of the Kindle and basically is part of the software part of the panel ID check. The #defines show very nicely at which offsets of the wbf file information is stored concerning which panel it is for, as well as some information about the values associated with several fields. So it's all in changing the file at the offsets to make it match the panel I had. Let's look at the ID and info from filenames etc:

V110_B059_60_WJ0105_ED060SC5_BTC.wbf (from Kindle)
v110_000_60_m01 (from Kindle Diags)

For my new Panel, I had only the info that it had ID v110_173_60_m06 and some stuff written on the ribbon.... For example, the string ED060SC7 which was similar to the one mentioned in the filename. But what did it all mean? Another file from the same kindle 2 source code, http://read.pudn.com/downloads186/so...veform.c__.htm gave some insight.. thank god for programmers commenting their code!

// Build up a waveform version string in the following way:
//
// <FPL PLATFORM>_<RUN TYPE><FPL LOT NUMBER>_<FPL SIZE>_
// <WF TYPE><WF VERSION><WF SUBVERSION> (MFG CODE, S/N XXX)

Looks awfully like... V110_B059_60_WJ0105_ED060SC5_BTC.wbf kind of follows that logic. The Epson document from baidu also confirmed some of this info, although it contained some false tracks as well (AMEPD code is NOT the FPL Lot Number, despite that arrow... I digress)

I'll jump to the point, the only difference between my panel ID and the stored panel ID shown in the Kindle video diag was the 173 vs 000, and that corresponded to the FPL LOT NUMBER, stored at 0x000E (2 bytes, little endian). The wbf had a value that translated to 59 in decimal.. Like V110_B059_etc ... Bingo! The PANEL ID in the Diags menu simply omits the RUN TYPE info in assembling that ID string. So, change 59 to 173.. All the other info was the same (same Platform, which is very general info about what kind of panel it is), Run Type, Panel Size. Also the MFG Code was M01 in the existing waveform, M06 for my Panel and in the wbf file the value for the MFG Code was already 6, so I didn't change it). The whole WF TYPE, Version and Subversion didn't matter.

Changed the value at 0x000E, saved the filed, changed ED060SC5 to ED060SC7 in the filename to match what was written on the ribbon, and... voila. The Diag menu allowed me to update my waveform. It worked very nicely, the greyscale is perfect.

So, two weekends of research ended in one byte changed in the wbf file. That was all it took to match the wbf file to my Panel.

Thanks to all of you who posted for the info that guided my research. Hope it will be useful for somebody!


TL;DR Version:
* Get the V110_B059_60_WJ0105_ED060SC5_BTC.wbf from your kindle (or ask me for it)
* Look at the diags menu in your kindle for your panel ID in Misc Diagnostics / Video. It should be something like v110_YYY_60_mXX
* Convert the YYY to hex, it's the FPL LOT number. Plug it into the wbf file at offset 0x000E
* Take XX, that's your MFG Code. Plug it into the wbf file at offset 0x0015
* Save modified file as V110_BXXX_60_WJ0105_ED060SC5_BTC.wbf and change ED060SC5 with the corresponding strink on your ribbon cable (this might be optional)
* Go to Kindle diags, System Info -> Update eINK Waveform. the Kindle becomes an USB storage device, copy your new wbf file into the root of the drive.
* Be happy!


----------------------------------
* split the dump according to http://wenku.baidu.com/view/187d5395...5f465e245.html (in the kindle fs, /opt/eink/images/ contains a .bin file which corresponds to the host command interface, and the waveform data as wbf files - in the eeprom dump (from http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/kindlehack.html ) it's all one file, with the host commands at the beginning, then some padding and then the waveform)

Phikappa, how can I get .wbf file from you?

[Grunthaner]

Thanks so much tccsargent, which you were here more than 3 posts to see how much we loved your fix.

I tried this and it worked perfectly. FYI I did have to do it twice in order for it to work aka restoring the waveform code to the eeprom. But after 2 days of researching finding your fix and then trying it today I was at first unsucessful but I sugest try this several times until you get your rich grey tones. Also don't loose the old broken screen as I'm assuming it will come in handy if you do a hard restore.

Linda

Originally Posted by tccsargent

This problem of the bad waveform almost exclusively lies with the 3G models of the Kindle Keyboard (and also with the 3g Kindle Touches). Here is a practical solution to your problem which, although not perfect, works most of the time: (1) Save the old, broken screen that you have removed from a 3G model of K3. (2) While the Kindle is still open, attach the new screen to it and navigate to "Reset to Factory Defaults" in the system submenu of the Kindle, and press Enter. (3) Press the arrow to navigate to "OK" of the Cancel-OK prompt which appears in the popup window for Reset to Factory Defaults, but do not press Enter yet. (4) Remove the new screen and re-connect the original broken screen; you will now be running blind, but you know that the Kindle is poised to reset with the pressing of the enter key. After the old screen is re-attached, go ahead and press Enter. (5) The Kindle will now reset to factory defaults, (hopefully) accessing the eprom chip on the ribbon cable of the old broken screen and loading the good waveform that resides there. Since you cannot watch the progress of this reset, give the Kindle at least FIVE minutes to complete the process before unplugging the old screen and re-plugging the new screen. Then slide the power bar and take a look: your 'wireframe' pictures should now be restored to solid rich grayscale!

I have repaired hundreds of Kindles and followed this procedure with around a 90% success rate. Unfortunately I have had some units (all 3G) which persistently reset to a bad, or missing, waveform, but the process has worked most of the time. Due to those failures, however, I have built up an inventory of around 50 broken 3G screens so that I can keep trying to find one to boot to which the subject Kindle will successfully read.

By the way, you should follow this procedure only after upgrading to 3.4 OS, since a later system upgrade (with a replacement screen installed) can again lead to a 'bad waveform' problem.


Good luck!

[katzurki]

Not once, but many times did we see fine minds triumph over sarsaparilla in this post! Phikappa finally made it easy to fix the greyed out Kindle 3 screen replacement (arbitrary Google tags).

Since I had the same problem, and the solution boiled down to changing the very same byte to the very same value as Phikappa's, I suspect there are more of us with the same batch of panels. So I'm going to provide the files.

CAVEAT: The file I provide will only work if your values are EXACTLY the same as provided by Phikappa.

1. First, verify that your values are the same: mount your Kindle, drop an empty ENABLE_DIAGS file in root directory, reboot, press N, press V, see the waveform error message, and see that your
Panel ID is v110_173_60_m06
Waveform ID is v110_000_60_m01

2. If yes, return to main diag menu, press S, press T, plug USB cable in, copy the .wbf file modified per Phikappa's instructions to root, and press Q. Assuming all goes well, it will kind of show an inverted screen and then will update flawlessly.

Wbf file

--------------

If your values differ, you will have to jailbreak your Kindle, install USBNetwork, gain access to the file system, and proceed with Phikappa's instructions. Here're the bytes you will need to change in your wbf file to values calculated as per provided instructions: http://take.ms/jZdIa

[knc1]

It is against site policy to post copyrighted materials or direct links to copyrighted materials.

In-direct links, such as links to another site's web page that in turn has the target URL's described (non-clickable) are ok with this site's admin. people.

In the above case, that is a "data file".
Which falls into another type of protections. As if the situation wasn't complicated enough.

I don't recall reading any policy statements or discussions over "data files".

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by knc1

I don't recall reading any policy statements or discussions over "data files".

Data files such as this would appear to have no "creative" content, and would therefore be exempt from copyright considerations. That would be my interpretation, which is to say, worth nothing .

[Tropod]

Originally Posted by katzurki

Not once, but many times did we see fine minds triumph over sarsaparilla in this post! Phikappa finally made it easy to fix the greyed out Kindle 3 screen replacement (arbitrary Google tags).

Since I had the same problem, and the solution boiled down to changing the very same byte to the very same value as Phikappa's, I suspect there are more of us with the same batch of panels. So I'm going to provide the files.

CAVEAT: The file I provide will only work if your values are EXACTLY the same as provided by Phikappa.

1. First, verify that your values are the same: mount your Kindle, drop an empty ENABLE_DIAGS file in root directory, reboot, press N, press V, see the waveform error message, and see that your
Panel ID is v110_173_60_m06
Waveform ID is v110_000_60_m01

2. If yes, return to main diag menu, press S, press T, plug USB cable in, copy the .wbf file modified per Phikappa's instructions to root, and press Q. Assuming all goes well, it will kind of show an inverted screen and then will update flawlessly.

Wbf file
[/URL]

AHHHH MY HERO. Ordered a new screen from ebay expecting to just be able to swap it out, trashed the broken one ages ago, but on testing the new one quickly found greyscales were screwed. Luckily my panel/waveform IDs matched perfectly to yours, flashed, and it lives once more! \(*o*)/

[chris-red]

I just wanted to register to say a huge thanks to Phikappa, Katzurki and all. I paid to to have my screen replaced and was happy however the other night I ran it out of battery for the first time and got the problems described. I used that WBF file and flashed it and my Kindle is good as new.

Something I feel was left off of the guide was that you need to disable the Enable Diags, otherwise it will just boot into the Diags everytime. From the main menu after you have updated the waveform hit 'D' and then 'X'. Easy to work out but I overlooked it first time round.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by chris-red

I just wanted to register to say a huge thanks to Phikappa, Katzurki and all. I paid to to have my screen replaced and was happy however the other night I ran it out of battery for the first time and got the problems described. I used that WBF file and flashed it and my Kindle is good as new.

Something I feel was left off of the guide was that you need to disable the Enable Diags, otherwise it will just boot into the Diags everytime. From the main menu after you have updated the waveform hit 'D' and then 'X'. Easy to work out but I overlooked it first time round.

Thanks for the thanks.

We are certain that we have a large user base than never registers or bothers to say "thank you".
It is nice to read it from our users.