kvncviewer - next iteration of kindlevncviewer

[phoenix512]

Originally Posted by encol

There is a README in the archive.
Read it.
Then:
1) extract the archive on your kindle
2) install KTerm
3) open it from KUAL
4) cd <folder_where_you_extracted_the_archive>
5) ./luajit vncviewer.lua <ip_of_your_vnc_server>:<port_of_your_server>

Thank you very much. you solved the problem for me. I launched the vncviewer in kterm. It can successfully connect with TightVNC server. However, It seems that I have a scaling problem. Not all the screen fits into kindle. In fact, part of the bottom and right part of the screen is cropped. I tried to change client_width and height in the file config.lua but nothing changed. Also, I set the screen resolution in server configuration.
What can I do for this?

[encol]

try to add -rotateFB 90 parameter

[phoenix512]

Originally Posted by encol

try to add -rotateFB 90 parameter

Thanks for your help but adding this option just rotates the screen to portrait. The screen connects in landscape as default. My monitor is 1920*1080.
I tried to use:
./luajit vncviewer.lua -scale 2(and 0.5) 192.168.1.5:5900
but it didn't change anything

[a00tkh]

Originally Posted by encol

There is a README in the archive.
Read it.
Then:
1) extract the archive on your kindle
2) install KTerm
3) open it from KUAL
4) cd <folder_where_you_extracted_the_archive>
5) ./luajit vncviewer.lua <ip_of_your_vnc_server>:<port_of_your_server>

I follow your instruction to connect my raspberry pi to kindle paperwhite.
However, KTerm return:
ConnectToTcpAddr: connect
Unable to connect to VNC server

I try to connect raspberry pi to my window 10 laptop via RealVNC and it's Okay with no error message shown.

It seems like I do something wrong with my kindle setup, can anyone help me?

[Faceman2k18]

Can you ping the PIs address?

are you using a direct USB connection or Wifi? a direct USB connection to the PI requires some extra set up on the PI side to work propery.

[scribe_user]

Just sharing a working version tested on 5.16.2.0.1 for others. I am able to use my Android mobile screen(Apps like Eink Bro Browser(created for android e-ink readers),chrome are looking good on kindle screen).
Changes in the attachment:

1. Recent bug fix from Github(key-event) bleeding, fixes an issue where VNC touch events were getting propagated to kindle gui
2. couple of fixes from older responses in this thread, missing constants
3. recent fixes for newer versions of PW, to refresh the screen in an infinite loop
4. Working touch control

Usage:
1. Adjusting the screen resolution of android phone(will be acting as VNC server) to match the Kindle resolution

Log into Android shell using adb connect & use the below command:

wm size 1836x2448 :Kindle Scribe Resolution(need to be adjusted as per kindle model)

wm size reset :Should be executed, when mobile phone should be reset to it's original resolution

There are some applications available in play store, to adjust mobile screen resolution with out using adb tools on laptop.

2. I am starting VNC server on my mobile with application https://github.com/bk138/droidVNC-NG

3. Now I have a VNC server, which is providing the content in the resolution of kindle. Replace the IP address and Port from your VNC server(android) in the file: kvncviewer.sh

./luajit vncviewer.lua 192.168.23.12:5900

4. If any password is set in the VNC server, provide the same in the file:vncviewer.lua. Replace nil with "<yourpassword>" (including the quotes)
5. Lauch the vnc viewer from KUAL

How to exit from vnc viewer:

Option 1: Force Restarting the kindle(easiest option). Even when the VNC server is stopped on mobile, it is recommended to restart the kindle immediately, after using it as VNC viewer
Option 2: If you can do SSH into kindle, find out the parent PID of the kvncviewer.sh process from htop and kill the same using pkill -P $parent_pid

Screenshot:



Viewer:
kvncviewer.zip

I would like to thank all the developers(creators) for their contributions and making our devices more productive.

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damage to the kindles. I just colated the files from different sources and wanted to share a working version(giving back to community). Setting up vnc viewer requires USB Networking(Wifi mode) working for this use case. If you want to use this application, be ready to be patient(time it takes to get it work for Newbie, is high) and doing your research.

[juegos]

Originally Posted by scribe_user

Just sharing a working version tested on 5.16.2.0.1 for others. I am able to use my Android mobile screen(Apps like Eink Bro Browser(created for android e-ink readers),chrome are looking good on kindle screen).
Changes in the attachment:

1. Recent bug fix from Github(key-event) bleeding, fixes an issue where VNC touch events were getting propagated to kindle gui
2. couple of fixes from older responses in this thread, missing constants
3. recent fixes for newer versions of PW, to refresh the screen in an infinite loop
4. Working touch control

Usage:
1. Adjusting the screen resolution of android phone(will be acting as VNC server) to match the Kindle resolution

Log into Android shell using adb connect & use the below command:

wm size 1836x2448 :Kindle Scribe Resolution(need to be adjusted as per kindle model)

wm size reset :Should be executed, when mobile phone should be reset to it's original resolution

There are some applications available in play store, to adjust mobile screen resolution with out using adb tools on laptop.

2. I am starting VNC server on my mobile with application https://github.com/bk138/droidVNC-NG

3. Now I have a VNC server, which is providing the content in the resolution of kindle. Replace the IP address and Port from your VNC server(android) in the file: kvncviewer.sh

./luajit vncviewer.lua 192.168.23.12:5900

4. If any password is set in the VNC server, provide the same in the file:vncviewer.lua. Replace nil with "<yourpassword>" (including the quotes)
5. Lauch the vnc viewer from KUAL

How to exit from vnc viewer:

Option 1: Force Restarting the kindle(easiest option). Even when the VNC server is stopped on mobile, it is recommended to restart the kindle immediately, after using it as VNC viewer
Option 2: If you can do SSH into kindle, find out the parent PID of the kvncviewer.sh process from htop and kill the same using pkill -P $parent_pid

Screenshot:

Attachment 207917

Viewer:
Attachment 207915

I would like to thank all the developers(creators) for their contributions and making our devices more productive.

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damage to the kindles. I just colated the files from different sources and wanted to share a working version(giving back to community). Setting up vnc viewer requires USB Networking(Wifi mode) working for this use case. If you want to use this application, be ready to be patient(time it takes to get it work for Newbie, is high) and doing your research.

Thank you! Any solution for 5.17 (Kindle Scribe)? I uploaded the zip file to Kindle, then ssh into it, but trying to execute it gives:

[root@kindle kvncviewer4]# ldd ./luajit
$ not a dynamic executable

perhaps it needs armhf executables and so on?

[kbarni]

Check KOReader, it has a luajit built for armhf.

There you can also get libz.so and libjpeg.so.

That said, you will probably need to rebuild it to get libvncclient.so for armhf.

But by following the build instructions on the github, you can build it for your Kindle. That's why open-source exists!

[juegos]

Thanks for the suggestions! I've been trying but I get stuck unfortunately (I am on Fedora, if that matters), if anyone with more knowledge than me on this would have any tips, thanks a lot:

cd /Users/admin/Dropbox/proj/z_kindle/
git clone https://github.com/hwhw/kindlevncviewer.git
cd kindlevncviewer
git clone https://github.com/koreader/koxtoolchain.git
cd koxtoolchain
./gen-tc.sh kindlehf
source refs/x-compile.sh kindlehf env
cd ..
git submodule update --init --recursive
make ARCH=arm-kindlehf-linux-gnueabihf



which then gives me:

(base) admin@fedora:~/Dropbox/proj/z_kindle/kindlevncviewer$ make ARCH=arm-kindlehf-linux-gnueabihf
fatal: No names found, cannot describe anything.
fatal: No names found, cannot describe anything.
sed -i -e "s/CC= gcc/CC= gcc -D_GNU_SOURCE=1/" luajit-2.0/src/Makefile
make -C luajit-2.0 HOST_CC="gcc -m32" CROSS=arm-kindlehf-linux-gnueabihf-
make[1]: Entering directory '/n/Dropbox/proj/z_kindle/kindlevncviewer/luajit-2.0'
==== Building LuaJIT 2.1.0-alpha ====
make -C src
make[2]: Entering directory '/n/Dropbox/proj/z_kindle/kindlevncviewer/luajit-2.0/src'
HOSTCC host/minilua.o
gcc: error: unrecognized command-line option ‘-mfpu=neon’
gcc: error: unrecognized command-line option ‘-mfloat-abi=hard’
gcc: error: unrecognized command-line option ‘-mthumb’
make[2]: *** [Makefile:661: host/minilua.o] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory '/n/Dropbox/proj/z_kindle/kindlevncviewer/luajit-2.0/src'
make[1]: *** [Makefile:106: default] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory '/n/Dropbox/proj/z_kindle/kindlevncviewer/luajit-2.0'
make: *** [Makefile:46: luajit-2.0/src/luajit] Error 2

EDIT: removed luajit from Makefile - will get that 1 from KOReader - see if it works then.

[kbarni]

Go step by step. Cross-compiling for another architecture is not so simple...

First, before going for vncviewer, set up your toolchain: https://kindlemodding.org/kindle-dev...equisites.html

Test your setup with the example project from the kindlemodding site.

For cloning use the recursive flag:
git clone --recursive https://github.com/hwhw/kindlevncviewer.git

for building you might need to set the prefix for the toolchain. A bit difficult to say how to do it without trying.

[osse]

Originally Posted by juegos

EDIT: removed luajit from Makefile - will get that 1 from KOReader - see if it works then.

It compiles without, after building I copied KOReader luajit and it runs however there are few extra steps:

1. Add Scribe fb to be recognized by the script.
Before else, https://github.com/hwhw/kindlevncvie...linux.lua#L175

                        elseif fb.finfo.smem_len == 9285120 then
                                -- We're a Scribe 2022
                                print('we are scribe')
                                fb.wait_for_full_updates = true
                                fb.einkWaitForCompleteFunc = kindle_pearl_mxc_wait_for_update_complete

2. Remove missing? CONSTANT. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

./luajit: ./ffi/framebuffer_linux.lua:89: missing declaration for symbol 'MXCFB_WAIT_FOR_UPDATE_SUBMISSION'

so I modified to return null here:
https://github.com/hwhw/kindlevncvie..._linux.lua#L87

And got to connect, move window around for 2-3 seconds:
https://imgur.com/yhAUrw2

and then it crashed with another
missing CONSTANT:

./luajit: ./ffi/framebuffer_linux.lua:45: missing declaration for symbol 'MXCFB_WAIT_FOR_UPDATE_COMPLETE_PEARL'
stack traceback:
        [C]: in function '__index'
        ./ffi/framebuffer_linux.lua:45: in function 'einkWaitForCompleteFunc'
        ./ffi/framebuffer_linux.lua:372: in function 'refresh'
        vncviewer.lua:94: in function 'cb'
        ./ffi/eventloop.lua:188: in function 'loop'
        ./ffi/input_kindle.lua:42: in function 'waitForEvent'
        vncviewer.lua:315: in main chunk
        [C]: at 0x00013ea9

I wonder if it wouldn't be easier to re-use KOReader screen management lua's as they've been updated frequently.

[juegos]

Originally Posted by osse

It compiles without, after building I copied KOReader luajit and it runs however there are few extra steps:

1. Add Scribe fb to be recognized by the script.
Before else, https://github.com/hwhw/kindlevncvie...linux.lua#L175

                        elseif fb.finfo.smem_len == 9285120 then
                                -- We're a Scribe 2022
                                print('we are scribe')
                                fb.wait_for_full_updates = true
                                fb.einkWaitForCompleteFunc = kindle_pearl_mxc_wait_for_update_complete

2. Remove missing? CONSTANT. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

./luajit: ./ffi/framebuffer_linux.lua:89: missing declaration for symbol 'MXCFB_WAIT_FOR_UPDATE_SUBMISSION'

so I modified to return null here:
https://github.com/hwhw/kindlevncvie..._linux.lua#L87

And got to connect, move window around for 2-3 seconds:
https://imgur.com/yhAUrw2

and then it crashed with another
missing CONSTANT:

./luajit: ./ffi/framebuffer_linux.lua:45: missing declaration for symbol 'MXCFB_WAIT_FOR_UPDATE_COMPLETE_PEARL'
stack traceback:
        [C]: in function '__index'
        ./ffi/framebuffer_linux.lua:45: in function 'einkWaitForCompleteFunc'
        ./ffi/framebuffer_linux.lua:372: in function 'refresh'
        vncviewer.lua:94: in function 'cb'
        ./ffi/eventloop.lua:188: in function 'loop'
        ./ffi/input_kindle.lua:42: in function 'waitForEvent'
        vncviewer.lua:315: in main chunk
        [C]: at 0x00013ea9

I wonder if it wouldn't be easier to re-use KOReader screen management lua's as they've been updated frequently.

Very interesting thanks! Another option may be do install alpine linux (from the other thread) and vnc through there - that may be more stable? Although mine (Kindle Scribe) froze after a few seconds, but I did see my Macbook screen on the Kindle. Perhaps due to low memory but not sure.

[osse]

Originally Posted by juegos

Very interesting thanks! Another option may be do install alpine linux (from the other thread) and vnc through there - that may be more stable? Although mine (Kindle Scribe) froze after a few seconds, but I did see my Macbook screen on the Kindle. Perhaps due to low memory but not sure.

Without the logs hard to tell.. but I got some good news.

After modifying the return value for other missing constant to null I got kvnc to work without any other issues. There's no need for usleep loop hack to be ran in parallel either. Simply starting the script is enough for refresh to work fine.

I've tested on Scribe by 'extending' macos screen onto it. The responsiveness on wifi was ok for typing experience, especially given there were 3 hosts at play here. (Kindle kvn client connects to Linux Xvfb running xvnc server with uxplay as X application. Macos extends screen via airplay to uxplay.)

[juegos]

Originally Posted by osse

Without the logs hard to tell.. but I got some good news.

After modifying the return value for other missing constant to null I got kvnc to work without any other issues. There's no need for usleep loop hack to be ran in parallel either. Simply starting the script is enough for refresh to work fine.

I've tested on Scribe by 'extending' macos screen onto it. The responsiveness on wifi was ok for typing experience, especially given there were 3 hosts at play here. (Kindle kvn client connects to Linux Xvfb running xvnc server with uxplay as X application. Macos extends screen via airplay to uxplay.)

Oh wow that sounds amazing! Are you able to share the code that works with the other constant changed? Would love to give this a try to alleviate some eye issues.

[osse]

Originally Posted by juegos

Oh wow that sounds amazing! Are you able to share the code that works with the other constant changed? Would love to give this a try to alleviate some eye issues.

Sure, the entry I removed is https://github.com/hwhw/kindlevncvie..._linux.lua#L45 so this line is just

return

I can prep a zip of my build too.