Re: Anybody still active on porting for this device ?

On Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 12:52:07PM +0100, fox wrote:
> Helo!
> >There are a few things I'd advise.
> >
> >1. Remove the getty on ttyS0 from /etc/inittab.
> >
> I Did, works. It's easily done if you use an SD-Card Reader on your
> Linux Box..
> >2. Think about the pros and cons of using a swap file.
> > Ive had memory cards die because of all the extra writing.
> > Ive had programs exit when out of memory.
> >
> >
> You mean a Swap File on the Device Storage, not the SD/MMC-Card? Yes,
> that may be an Idea. But i think that's not (yet) needed rightnow.
I have damaged SD/MMC-Card just for having swap, I'm going thought
them like water. I don't think the Device Storage(DiskOnChip) is
something you want to change oftan, perhaps hard to replace.

> There's more work needed that we're able to Flash our Linux Images
> directly to the h6300 Storage, and actually boot Linux Native on the
> Device. So we won't need a 2nd Boot after loading WinCE. But i admit
I'm interested in testing, I saw something about access to the Device
Storage being worked out, but the format used by MS is unreabable.

TODO:
I think the MDoC+ is accessable, is there an image to play with this?

> it's a really easy for development, when you can put files and updates
> on your SD/MMC and test-boot that on the h6300..
> But as stated in the last Mail, i'm no assembler/device Programmer Guy..
> That's your Job Dude! :-)
Perhaps if I get a good grasp on how things are hooked together, I
think I did see a posting with some code to access the Device Storage.

I'd vary much like to hack on some of this code, it's just that
testing it seams so time consuming and difficult. Just thinking of
the least I'd have todo just to make sure the code will build gives me
some negative thoughts.

> >There are a few things I've found not to work.
> >
> >1. The HPBT foldable keyboard, installing the ?kbd? program should fix
> >this.
> >
> Same for the iPaq Thumb Keyboard that came with the h6300. Won't work
> out of the box, but i think there must be a way to enable it. it's
> connected to the ipaq connector, that goes to /dev/ttyS0 - at least i
> believe so..
>
S0 is the BT device :/
S1 Modem/Phone
S2 IrDA

http://www.handhelds.org/moin/moin.cgi/HpIpaqH6315
The Cradle UART is on the other side of the ATMEGA8535
microcontroller, connected to MCBSP2, that controles the LEDs. My
guess would be that the Keyboard uses these pins. A the kernel driver
for the LEDs might be able to be extended to "read" this port and act
like a one way serial port driver. Then a userspace tool 'cat?' can
pipe that to the input driver the same way ?kbd? does.

I'm sure this is a simple task, like a "while (isopen()) {
sendtouser(inp(0xbfah)); }" The big problem would be doing this
carefully enough to getting away with it, trial and error. There are
two approches, the long way and the short cut and hunt way. You can
just go all out and make sure every access to MCBSP2 is locked and
serialise access, in an attempt to avoid any problems with ought ever
discovering them. You could also just add the bit of code to read
this with no regard for any potential problem and just hope for no
issues.

I'd like to update sites like this one, line 43 is wrong:
http://dev.openbossa.org/trac/mamona/browser/openembedded/org.openembedded.dev/conf/machine/h6300.conf?rev=9

If ne1 has a friend over there please help out.

> >2. Using pppd to continually stay connected, I think we need an
> >update/patch. I did install a pppd from Debian that should have the
> >patch, but this is still an issue.
> >
> >
> hmm.. tried keepalive, eg. ping somehost every 5 minutes or so?
> unfortunately i can't test GSM because the lack of a SIMcard.
>
I'd have to tell pppd to un-ignore ICMP as it does with it's filter.
Howerver I'm already using autossh that activly monitores an echo
server on the remote end. I think my problem is else where,
perticularly when pppd should reconnect after being dis-connected.

I fear that pppd, like many programs now out-dated, was altered to
support pppoe and that introduced bugs. Using a pppd from 1995 may
work, provided the rest of the OS is able to support this older
codebase.

> >Other notes:
> >
> >I'd love to see new images built!! Can I assume that there are
> >Developers working on Familiar and/or GPE? Are there updates that the
> >current image does not have?
> >
> >
> Absolutely, the linux-omap kernel is version 2.6.24 and gpe is 2.8 -
> also i read something about familiar on
> http://gpe.linuxtogo.org/download.phtml :
>
> "GPE is available for Familiar Linux as ready to run images for a few
> iPAQ devices.
> Choose the GPE option when getting an image from the latest Familiar
> release <http://familiar.handhelds.org/releases/latest/>. Currently GPE
> in Familiar is quite outdated and there are no updated GPE packages any
> more in the unstable feed. In general Familiar is obsolete unless you
> use a very old iPAQ (h3xxx)."
>
> So what's the Replacement?
> >I didn't think about it till now, but I could perhaps repack the image
> >and fix the hciattach problem. This assumes that there are no updates
> >to the software included, a frightful thought.
> >
> >
>
> >I'm too lazy to setup a build/test environment, but I can assist with
> >fixing bugs and committing patches to CVS.
> >
> >
> Not me, but i would love to setup an Crosscompiler / Build Environment.
> But there are no Howtos anymore, because Mika's site is gone. And it
> looks like there's 1000 Ways to do that, bitbake, monotone, svn, git..
> where should i start, what tools should i use.. how, why, and huh? Don't
> get me wrong, i compile the kernels for my boxes for years now, but i
> never tried those crosscompilers..
> >What about the new EABI?
> >http://wiki.debian.org/ArmEabiPort
> >
> >
> will have a look at!
> >>But, it's somewhat ugly when most of the links on
> >>http://www.handhelds.org/moin/moin.cgi/HpIpaqH6315 are unreachable. also
> >>the latest available image is from december 2006.
> >>fuzzyneural.net's h6300 page seems to be lost, also
> >>http://aragorn.kortex.jyu.fi:8080/h6300 ..
> >>or are there already new links, but no-one want's to tell, because
> >>they're so cool and awesome that no one wants to share that (because of
> >>all the dumb people who start silly questions about stuff already
> >>discussed? :)
> >>
> >>so, here can i find an build environment (and some howtos) for the h6300 ?
> >>
> >>what's about porting simon (speech to text recognition) and mbrola
> >>(speech synth) to the device?
> >>imagine it in a pipe with some AI like JEliza - that would make some
> >>(Artifical) weird iFriend out of your iPaq..
> >>
> >>or dial your phonenumbers with your language over your bluetooth headset..
> >>
> >>or create a voice mail box right on your h6300 - after ringing 3 times
> >>take up, play your message, beep and record what's coming in. or let the
> >>caller talk to some AI *grin*
> >>
> >>im also willing to help you, but unfortunately are my c++ skills not
> >>available nor i can't speak assembler or write drivers to enable the
> >>wlan. but i can offer "won't dissappear"-webspace for images, svn stuff
> >>and the like, if needed. may the developers contact me.
> >>
> >>
> >One issue is updating stale content, if ppl put up there own sites. I
> >would have posted what is avalible, but given the current RC bugs I
> >don't feel like it would be appropriot.
> >
> >There was a copy of the stuff from aragorn.
> >
> >
> I think those Files and Informations should be stored on handhelds.org.
> there should be one repository with all the stuff needed. It's hard, and
> i believe developers are too busy to search their infos on 10 different
> pages. And what's about a roadmap? I mean, the hp iPaq h6300 is a great
> device and the status is B- since.. years?
>
> Okay, now to something (possibly) helpful:
> I have some Spare Parts here, that i don't need anymore:
>
> 1. One HP Thumb Keyboard (German Layout, has a Ü Sign ;)
>
> 2. A h6300 Cover (i built in a camera window with foxconn spare parts).
> Back and Front, but it has scratches and some edges are damaged and the
> antenna cover is in holydays.. also the rubber side parts are not that
> good, and one is missing, and the 'warranty void' seal is broken :)
> in short, it's not a nice one - but it will take up a h6300 board.
>
> 3. A ipaq h6300 Board (no touchscreen, that's broken somehow - got it
> >From ricardo (that's switzerlands version of ebay), and it wont work
> with no reason. display should be okay, but no touchscreen input
> rescieved, with camera module from foxconn parts store. (yes, simply
> stick the cam module into your h6300, cheat and reflash the h6315 hp
> image and you have a working camera - it's a cruel.. but under linux it
> should be as easy as modprobe some_cam_module *g* viva!) the board
> SHOULD work, but i can't tell exactly because i have no spare
> Touchscreen to test. one will need to reflash it with some wince image.
>
> I am willing to contribute/donate this parts (complete or separately)
> for the ipaq h6300 linux development (NOT for someone who want to repair
> his ipaq for free to use his dumb winCE!) !
>
> Just send me an email, and we could talk about.
>
>

-- 
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