Re: Step by step instructions

How about an irda serial connection? Should that be hard to get to work?
Making a serial cable won't be for now, cause I'm not allowed to cut
open a sync cable :-( So I'll have to order a new one.

But why am I not seeing anything with the vsfb driver compiled into
the kernel? How can I check if the kernel and the initrd are actually
started (withouth a serial cable)? I tried writing to a file on the SD
card, but that doesn't work. I even tried doing a printf "\007"
(beep), but that doesn't work either (not surpringly off course).

I'm getting desperate here...

On 9/7/05, JeDi <jeroen.dierckx_at_gmail.com> wrote:
> I've build the kernel of you kernel26.tar.bz file, downloaded the
> initrd from the handheld.org X50 wiki page, changed that to include
> the newly built modules and changed the linuxrc so it would load the
> vsfb driver, mount the SD card (copied that part from the initrd in
> your tmp space) and do a "dmesg > /mnt/mmc/kernel_log" as last command
> in linuxrc.
>
> No progress though... No framebuffer output (the system just seems to
> crash, still the haret window open), no file written to the SD card.
>
> I tried compiling the vsfb driver into the kernel (so not as a
> module), but same results...
>
> Damn! I really wanted to make some progress today, as I now understand
> the kernel cross-building and the initrd thing...
>
> Also, where should I get a rootfs.img? But I guess that's not yet
> necesarry to get it to work.
>
> Greetz,
> JeDi
>
> On 9/7/05, Richard Bateman <richard_at_labbies.net> wrote:
> > On Tuesday 06 September 2005 18:11, JeDi wrote:
> > > On 9/7/05, Richard Bateman <taxilian_at_zzt.net> wrote:
> > > > well, the screen resolution of an x50v is 480x640 and the base memory
> > > > address is 0x0c00_0000. these are all set correctly in the
> > > > kernel26.tar.bz2 file on my site, which is why I sent you that link.
> > >
> > > Are the zImage and initrd files on your tmp site from the same kernel?
> > > I mounted the initrd file and the vsfb module didn't seem to be there.
> > > I haven't done a cross compile ever, so if I have to build the kernel
> > > and/or modules from your archive, will "make menuconfig", "make" and
> > > "make modules_install" just work? Or do I have to do something special
> > > because it is for another device than my pc?
> >
> > Honestly, I don't know what the initrd and zImage files on my site are from.
> > they probably don't work. I haven't had time to find my working kernel
> > build. I'm sorry. I might have time this weekend.
> >
> > You need the cross-compile arm toolchain, which you can get from handhelds.org
> >
> > I didn't have to type anything special, once I had those in the path.
> >
> > > > it's easier to put haret, kernel, and initrd on an sd card, and then if
> > > > you create a ext2 image called (I think) rootfs in the root of the sd
> > > > card you can mount it from there rather than needing a full partition on
> > > > the sd card.
> > >
> > > Yep, I read that in the linuxrc file of the initrd. I'll try that as
> > > soon as I'm back at work (in a couple of hours :-)). I see that the SD
> > > card gets mounted at /mnt/mmc. Is that writable? Because then I could
> > > dump the kernel messages to a file on the SD card (dmesg >
> > > /mnt/mmc/kernel_log), so I could at least verify that it tries to boot
> > > the kernel.
> >
> > You may have to mount it yourself. it's something like /dev/mmc/??0 or
> > someodd. it may mount automatically if you have it set to do so in your
> > initrd
> >
> > > > Actually, the framebuffer is the easy part, and that's just because the
> > > > 2700g controller is already initialized by wince. we're just directly
> > > > accessing the video ram for our framebuffer.
> > >
> > > So I can get the kernel messages on screen too? That would be sweet.
> > > As for the controller not being initialized by the driver: let's
> > > tackle that later. First get linux decently running from wince ;-)
> >
> > Yes, the kernel messages go to the screen.. and yes, it's sweet =] biggest
> > problem right now with making linux semi-usable is the touchscreen driver.
> > of course, it still also has no networking.
> >
> > > > It'll take more than a bootprocess modification to get usb networking,
> > > > bluetooth, and wifi working, automatically or otherwise.
> > >
> > > What about this guy?
> > > http://handhelds.org/hypermail/aximx30-port/0/0067.html He says he's got a
> > > wifi tcp/ip control connection running with the x50v. If that wasn't a
> > > joke, maybe wifi is just working out of the box? I'll try that at work too
> > > (plenty of access points).
> >
> > That was just using haret, with one of my early test builds. Haret runs in
> > wince, so linux was not involved when his network was working.
> >
> > > > USB we seem to be missing some GPIOs for, so I suspect it is accessed
> > > > through the Toshiba ASIC (which we know nothing about). bluetooth may
> > > > be very easy to make work, but I don't know enough about it to try. as
> > > > for wifi, we don't even know how it's interfaced. My guess would be
> > > > that it's at one of the external memory locations. (see static memory
> > > > addresses in cpu docs)
> > >
> > > I'm afraid I'm a software boy mainly. I don't even know what GPIOs and
> > > ASIC is :-) But if I can help with anything, I'll do my best. Helping
> > > with the kernel and modules will be more my thing I guess...
> >
> > Kernel and module work will require some basic understanding of the hardware,
> > since it's the kernel and modules that control the hardware... i.e. drivers
> >
> > > > when the framebuffer is working, you still don't yet have the pxa keys
> > > > working; this shouldn't be hard to make work, but I haven't tried it yet
> > > > so I could be wrong. Also, the touchscreen doesn't work. we know what
> > > > chip it is, and how it's interfaced, but for some reason we are unable
> > > > to make a driver work for it; someone with more knowledge about
> > > > touchscreens might be able to spot an ovious difference, or it may be
> > > > something to do with that toshiba asic chip again.
> > > >
> > > > These are our challenges; this is what we need to figure out to make
> > > > this usable.
> > >
> > > I have a good feeling about this. I'm still convinced that the first
> > > thing we'll have to do is get a control connection other than a serial
> > > one up and running (usb preferable, but as that seems to be hard right
> > > now WiFi or bluethooth), cause then more people can join the effort.
> > >
> > > I'll give it another full-time working day tomorrow, and who knows
> > > what will happen :-)
> >
> > There are definitely possibilities. bluetooth may even work (if you turn it
> > on in wince before starting linux) with existing drivers. biggest problems
> > now are:
> >
> > 1. figuring out usb host
> > 2. figuring out touchscreen
> >
> > audio probably won't be hard; wireless network, I dont' even know where to
> > start. :-/
> >
> > Richard
> > --
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> >
>
Received on Wed Sep 07 2005 - 10:48:14 EDT