Messages

1

5x00 Hardware / Flash = Dead (sl-5000d)

« on: December 29, 2004, 11:38:34 am »

There is also a way to flash sharproms using the craddle. Maybe you try this.

Anyone have any links to information about flashing via the cradle? I have a usb cradle.

Thanks

2

5x00 Hardware / Formatting Sd Card.. Fat16 Vs Ext2

« on: December 28, 2004, 10:17:52 pm »

I assure you mke2fs is the right way to make an ext2 filesystem, and that -m 0 isn't an option that would make any difference except to the filesystem created...

I used mkfs.ext2   --not--   mke2fs.
I didn't even realize there was a mke2fs.
I guess this was my mistake.

ah, well, one should be a symbolic link to the other - I don't think that could've made any difference.

3

5x00 Hardware / Flash = Dead (sl-5000d)

« on: December 28, 2004, 10:10:39 pm »

Hi,
if i get you right, the LEDs become on while flashing and then get off, but nothing happens then.

Right but - the lights only came on the first time I flashed - since then the lights have never turned back on, ever.

Most recently I tried "flashing" (again, I mention that, when I push C + D + Reset, *nothing happens* the lights do *not* come on) the sharp 1.39 "romimage". I guess I could rename it "ospack" but... sharp clearly said to leave it named "romimage".

4

5x00 Hardware / Formatting Sd Card.. Fat16 Vs Ext2

« on: December 28, 2004, 07:53:25 pm »

very bizarre... glad you got things back working -  I assure you mke2fs is the right way to make an ext2 filesystem, and that -m 0 isn't an option that would make any difference except to the filesystem created... Sounds like the kernel got confused on how to deal with the sd slot...

5

5x00 Hardware / Flash = Dead (sl-5000d)

« on: December 28, 2004, 07:37:27 pm »

take the battery out and leave it unpowered for 10 minutes. put battery back in and connect the power. let it charge for a while. Then try to reflash it. Your zaurus is not bricked.

Ahh, how I wish you were right... Just for completeness, I did as you said. But, like I mentioned earlier, it doesn't respond *at all*. Like, the charge light never comes on. I can leave it plugged in, but it doesn't appear to be charging, that is, the light never comes on, and the device never gets warm.

So anyways, I went throught the flash procedure, even though nothing happened when I plugged it in, no lights came on when I pushed c+d+Reset, I just pretended it was flashing and waited 10-15 minutes before removing the card and switching the switch to "normal operation" but... nothing...

It really is a "brick" - no light, no screen flashes, zippo - zilch - nothing...

Really, I will try anything at this point, but since I flashed it, it hasn't done anything - I mean nothing at all, whatsoever, nada - pretend you have a zaurus with no battery and no dc wallwart - that's what this thing is, except it has a good battery and a good powersupply.

6

5x00 Hardware / Flash = Dead (sl-5000d)

« on: December 22, 2004, 10:45:53 am »

Yeah, I renamed the files appropriately - I followed the instructions exactly - It just killed this poor SL-5000D

I can't reflash it - it won't power up enough to reflash - so I think it's a little different than just flashing the wrong files... Flashing actually broke something. I guess I'll open it up - it's as if it's not receiving any power at all, maybe flashing requires more power and the increased current toasted a cap or resistor somewhere.

I imagine this is on it's way back to Sharp. Anybody have experience with Sharp service?

7

Angstrom & OpenZaurus / Bricked Sl5500?

« on: December 22, 2004, 10:40:27 am »

Yeah I found the md5sums, checked my files, and they match. I used the Z to put the files on the CF card, and "sync"ed and umounted the card before removing it.

I dunno, I think I did everything more than right...

8

5x00 Hardware / Formatting Sd Card.. Fat16 Vs Ext2

« on: December 21, 2004, 09:53:23 pm »

when you format the card with mke2fs you can pass the option -m 0 and it will not reserve any space for the superuser - this will make df show the "right" size (i.e. the same size you'd see on a fat16 format)

Since I think most Zaurus distributions run as root anyway, I think it is more appropriate to *not* reserve the default 5%, that is, to format using -m 0.

HTH!

9

5x00 Hardware / Flash = Dead (sl-5000d)

« on: December 21, 2004, 06:47:33 pm »

SL-5000D

I did the flash dance, OZ 3.5.2, zImage_collie-24-8 and opie-image.rootfs.img on a Sandisk 256mb CF card. (Checked the md5sums, everything kosher)

Z plugged into the wallwart, pushed the C+D+Reset and the Mail and Charge lights came on for a few minutes.

Both went out, and it hasn't done anything since then. The charge light has never come back on, nothing has ever appeared on the screen, the back doesn't even get warm. I swear I did everything right!

It's literally a paperweight. C+D+Reset does zilch. D+P+Reset does zilch.  It's like the flash killed it.  I am at a complete loss.

I've let it sit overnight with no battery/wall plug. Nothing. I've cleaned contacts, wiggled here and there, nothing. I mean, it doesn't even try.

Prior to this, the battery was fully charged, and was giving decent life (well, my WCF-12 drained it quickly every time, but)

HELP!

 

10

Angstrom & OpenZaurus / Bricked Sl5500?

« on: December 21, 2004, 05:33:37 pm »

I checked mine for the right sizes before flashing, but maybe there should be md5 signatures provided so we could check integrity before flashing... At any rate, mine's deader than a doornail - I can't get it to even light up to reflash.

It's completely dead to the world... when it's plugged it doesn't even charge. Maybe 256mb was too big of a card... blew it's mind maybe. I verified that the sharp read the cf card first, that's where I verified the file sizes. Fresh FAT format, readable, etc... I just don't understand how flashing can "break" it so thorougly. I mean, it won't even *try* to come on.

Guess I shoulda just stuck with the old Sharp ROM...

What options do I have now? JTAG? Not that I have the equipment, but is there anything else I can try?

11

Angstrom & OpenZaurus / Bricked Sl5500?

« on: December 21, 2004, 10:13:40 am »

Well, I just tried many attempts to get it to come on - it's definitely not powering up. I haven't seen a single light since both lights went out after flashing. I think it did successfully flash, it seemed to take an appropriate length of time. But however it turns itself off after flashing, it really turned itself *off*. D+P+Reset does nothing. C+D+Reset does nothing.

I guess I don't understand - if we flashed the zImage and initrd.bin - isn't there a bootloader that's left intact in that process? Why isn't it at least powering up? Is there any lower-level access to the device? I think I can get my hands on serial sync cable, would that help? Are there any key combinations other than C+D and D+P?

 

12

Angstrom & OpenZaurus / Bricked Sl5500?

« on: December 21, 2004, 12:23:01 am »

Aaak! I just had the same thing happen to me on an SL-5000D - Same procedure, but with a Sandisk 256mb CF. I prepared the zImage and initrd.bin on the card (24+8 zImage), pushed the C+D+reset combo. The 2 lights came on for a few minutes, and then went out. I turned it back to normal operation and... nothing. Since then I've removed all the cards, removed the battery, pushed full reset again, and still nothing.

Brick!  

I re-did the files on the CF, and tried to reflash, but the C+D+reset doesn't do anything - no lights, no response whatsoever...

I removed the battery, I'm going to let it sit overnight and see what happens in the morning, but I'm a little worried for my poor collie...

Help!

13

Sharp ROMs / Sl-5000 Rom Questions

« on: December 21, 2004, 12:17:40 am »

Thanks a lot guys - I've got the roms now for "backup".

On to flashing...

14

Sharp ROMs / Sl-5000 Rom Questions

« on: December 19, 2004, 08:53:41 pm »

I just inherited a SL-5000 (SL-5000D I guess - the model # on the back just says "SL-5000")

Apparently it has Sharp ROM version 1.38 (it says ROM Version 1.38 under "Linux Kernel" in the Version tab of System Info.

Since Sharp seems to have stricken the SL-5000 from their records, I'm kind of at a loss as to which "official" Sharp rom is the latest for this device. I noticed that there are some Sharp roms hosted here on the ZUG site but most of them don't specify which device they work for (the ones farther down the page).

So that's a question. Now, I'd like to try openZaurus, and other roms, but I know that what I've currently got works, i.e., with my wifi card and assorted programs that currently work. I've dd'ed /dev/mtdblock0 to a file, so I have the initrd, but I haven't seen anything that tells me how to back up the zImage, or how to reconstruct a flashable 1.38 rom from my current setup. Maybe it's not worth it to go down this path, but I haven't found a 1.38 ospack anywhere for download. (or anything later that I had any confidence would be "compatible")

Any help/guidance/advice? Thanks!