OESF Portables Forum

Everything Else => Sharp Zaurus => Model Specific Forums => Distros, Development, and Model Specific Forums => Archived Forums => C1000/3x00 Hardware => Topic started by: silencer51 on August 03, 2006, 05:41:29 am

Title: Help With Nand Bad Blocks!
Post by: silencer51 on August 03, 2006, 05:41:29 am
Guys, I need your help.

I have a C31K which has been working fine up until now.

I've flashed it about 5-6 times with different distros. I've been using pdaXrom 1.1.1 beta3.

Yesterday I gave beta4 a shot - this one uses a new bootloader, so I had to do some things from a recovery console first.

Whenever I erase the nand (flash_eraseall /dev/mtd5) I get 2 errors - it seems there are 2 bad blocks on my NAND chip! :-(

Yesterday, when I went into the diagnostics menu (D+M) and did a 'NAND Flash Erase' I got 1 error. Today I got two. What's happening? Is there anything I can do to repair these bad blocks?  

I really hope I don't have to ship it to Japan...

Thanks in advance!
Title: Help With Nand Bad Blocks!
Post by: InSearchOf on August 03, 2006, 09:41:05 am
Honestly I dont think Sharp Japan does repairs to bad blocks on the nand...

and if they do... DONT tell them you know there are bad blocks... because technically I dont think anyone should be (in Sharp Mind) in the Recovery Console/Maintance Mode... They may learn that you know to much... and maybe just enough to break the unit... Also tell them that

I know on a normal hard disk sometimes bad blocks can be repaired and if they aren't repairable they will because marked as bad and write attempt will avoid those blocks. I dont know how well the Zs are at negotiating between bad and good blocks...

Hope you get things worked out or someone gives you a fix for this..

Late
Title: Help With Nand Bad Blocks!
Post by: wrc4 on August 06, 2006, 10:41:11 am
Quote
Honestly I dont think Sharp Japan does repairs to bad blocks on the nand...

and if they do... DONT tell them you know there are bad blocks... because technically I dont think anyone should be (in Sharp Mind) in the Recovery Console/Maintance Mode... They may learn that you know to much... and maybe just enough to break the unit... Also tell them that

I know on a normal hard disk sometimes bad blocks can be repaired and if they aren't repairable they will because marked as bad and write attempt will avoid those blocks. I dont know how well the Zs are at negotiating between bad and good blocks...

Hope you get things worked out or someone gives you a fix for this..

Late
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I remember someone said that doing a "NAND Flash Full Erase" will mark bad blocks. It should be in the EXTRA MENU in the D+M mode.
Title: Help With Nand Bad Blocks!
Post by: silencer51 on August 17, 2006, 11:00:56 am
Indeed the bad blocks are automatically marked (that's the way NAND works).

What I'm wondering is, will I have a problem in the future? Will more develop? What is the expected read/write lifespan of the Z's NAND?

I like to experiment with different ROMs, so I flash my Z every couple of months or so...
Title: Help With Nand Bad Blocks!
Post by: silencer51 on August 17, 2006, 12:00:34 pm
Update: After I did a Full NAND FLash Check in the diagnostics menu, and 1 Full Flash erase afterwards, I only get 1 bad block now... wtf!?

Have I actually "fiixed" one of the two bad blocks on my device?