Author Topic: C3100 Won't Start/ Faulty Nand? (Read 10498 times)

danboid · « **on:** March 15, 2007, 09:14:02 am »

Yesterday I installed the latest pdaXii13 akita (5.3.2) on my c3100. It installed OK but the sshd daemon would fail complaining of a corrupt file. No-one else had reported this as a problem so I re-installed using a different method only to get the same error. This led me to thinking that maybe I have a faulty NAND so I ran the NAND tests in the Diagnostic Menu.

The NAND FLASH READ test reported this:

verifying 1...
adr=8000000
Bad block 2->1024
success

NAND FLASH WRITE said:

checking ecc
ERROR! ecc unexpected
code=(105)

There is also a READ/WRITE NAND TEST but it didn't seem to do anything. Does anyone know what those those error codes mean, ecc etc? I take it the 'bad block 2->1024' isn't what I wanted to see?

I was unsure of the correct procedure for exiting the DM menu so when I'd finished I just hit the reset button after that last night and then went to bed. Imagine my horror this morning when I tried turning on my Zaurus but nothing happens! Thats right, pushing the resume/on/off button isn't doing anything and also the charge LED doesn't come on when I plug it into the mains. I can't get into the Maintenance Menu either. The only thing I can do with my Z at the moment is get into the DM menu.

Double help!!

Jon_J · « **Reply #1 on:** March 15, 2007, 09:29:57 am »

I cannot answer your questions about the outputs or error messages.
Whenever I used the D+M menu for backup/restore, I exit by pushing the on/off button on the front of the Zaurus.
Then later, It would just turn it on, as normal with the on/off button, and boot up as though I just rebooted.

Drake01 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 15, 2007, 09:26:41 pm »

Quote

...This led me to thinking that maybe I have a faulty NAND so I ran the NAND tests in the Diagnostic Menu...

...Imagine my horror this morning when I tried turning on my Zaurus but nothing happens! Thats right, pushing the resume/on/off button isn't doing anything and also the charge LED doesn't come on when I plug it into the mains. I can't get into the Maintenance Menu either. The only thing I can do with my Z at the moment is get into the DM menu.
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I expect that the NAND tests would be destructive tests that probably messed up your NAND, data-wise.

If I had to take a SWAG, I'd think that a NAND erase might allow you to reflash. ...Just a guess.

pelrun · « **Reply #3 on:** March 15, 2007, 09:54:28 pm »

The power thing is most likely just that your battery is completely flat. Most startup options explicitly check the battery and abort even though AC is present. The DM menu is an exception.

Just leave it off and plugged in for a few hours. The LED might not come on if the battery is completely flat; don't worry about it.

danboid · « **Reply #4 on:** March 16, 2007, 05:35:27 am »

Things have gone from bad to worse unfortunately as I've now tried everything I can think of and it looks like I'll be Z-less until I both find somebody in the UK who can repair it and it probably won't be cheap to get repaired either I'd imagine, so I'll probably have to wait until I can afford it. Does anyone know if Sharpserv UK ( http://www.sharpserv.co.uk/ ) might be able to replace my NAND? I've just tried calling them but got no answer

2 months I've had my Z- I've barely used it too. All I've done with it is try out a few OS's on it. I was hoping I'd be able to use it properly if I got pdaXii13 Akita full installed on it OK

Anyway, the errors:

If I choose 'NAND Flash Erase' from the EXTRA DM menu it says

erasing....1

Bad Block Num = 128

ERROR! too many bad.
code=(201)

I downloaded a c3100 NAND (.dbk) image from trisoft.de then copied it onto a FAT-16 formatted, 256MB CF card andtried using the NAND Flash restore DM option but that fails with a format error

How common are faulty NAND chips? What could've caused it to break? Might I have trouble finding someone to repair this in the UK?

danboid · « **Reply #5 on:** March 16, 2007, 06:26:08 am »

I got through to SharpServ UK

" You want us to repair a what?"

Was the unsurprising response- I had to explain to them what a Zaurus was and they told me I would most likely have to send it to Japan to get it fixed, which I can see costing as much to achieve as what I payed for it.

Am I (my Z) buggered?

Jon_J · « **Reply #6 on:** March 16, 2007, 01:08:46 pm »

If you have only had it for 2 months, why not send it in to Sharp for warranty? I thought Sharp's warranty was at least 1 year.
Will Sharp's warranty service reject a Zaurus that has been flashed to something other than the official Sharp ROM?

Quote

2 months I've had my Z- I've barely used it too. All I've done with it is try out a few OS's on it. I was hoping I'd be able to use it properly if I got pdaXii13 Akita full installed on it OK
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Drake01 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 16, 2007, 07:37:51 pm »

Quote

I downloaded a c3100 NAND (.dbk) image from trisoft.de then copied it onto a FAT-16 formatted, 256MB CF card andtried using the NAND Flash restore DM option but that fails with a format error
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This probably doesn't need to be mentioned, but since you didn't explicitly state it in your post... You didn't also have an SD card in the Z, right? The "format error" seems strange, unless you had both the intended CF card and an SD card inserted.

danboid · « **Reply #8 on:** March 16, 2007, 09:35:48 pm »

Nope, I didn't have a SD inserted at any time running any of the DM tests

I can't return it to Sharp as I got it 2nd hand off e-bay . I tested everything- all the ports, buttons etc. when I first got it. Everything seemed to work which was no surprise as the screen and case was in an almost brand new condition- I never considered checking for a faulty NAND. I suppose I've only just discovered this now as I've only been running the c3000 version of pdaXii13 on it so as a result I've hardly used the NAND.

danboid · « **Reply #9 on:** March 19, 2007, 08:42:41 am »

Are Fig Labs still open for business? It would seem so according to their web site which is still up but they've not replied to an e-mail I sent last week and nobody is answering their phone so has anyone got any ideas of any UK Zaurus or PDA repair services who I could try getting in touch with about replacing my NAND and...

Also, seeing as I've now been forced into either sending my Z off for surgery or selling it for spares I've been thinking about getting the RAM upgraded. Unless a new pdaXrom gets released for c3100 that runs off the MD and has SRAM support then I'd want to be running pdaXii13 on it so I was wondering if there was anyone on these boards who has both upgraded their 3100 to 128MB and can confirm that pdaXii13 works fine with it- I don't see why there should be a problem but I think I remember Maslovsky saying something about having to patch cacko to work with 128MB RAM?

speculatrix · « **Reply #10 on:** March 19, 2007, 04:56:20 pm »

flash repair should be easier than sdram, because

1/ we've identified sources of the devices
2/ flash is TSOP, so any competent smt person can do it, I'm told that there are people doing interesting things to $ky digiboxes and modchipping ps/2s and xboxes who do a lot of SMT and can help
3/ sdram is bga which is a pig to do as the solder contacts are under the device.

danboid · « **Reply #11 on:** March 20, 2007, 12:31:57 am »

Thanks for that Speculatrix!

As you can imagine I was getting very worried my c3100 had been reduced to junk after only a few weeks use and I thought that if no-one on these forums knew how I could get it fixed then I would most likely be fkd. I wasn't really expecting to be able to pull off the SDRAM upgrade as I guessed it wouldn't be simple going off how many people have successfully done it (1? 2?)- just getting it booting again is much more important!

We have a big computer fair every Sunday in Manchester right next to Old Trafford at a place called Bowlers Exhibition Centre where there are always a number of guys modding xbox's, playstations etc, so if my techie mate can't do it then maybe somebody there will.

What is the exact part name of the memory chip that I need and where can I get one in the UK? Going off the price of other flash memory it should only cost me a few quid for a 128MB NAND, no?

I've seen a couple of guides to pulling apart a c3000 on the net- I would presume its exactly the same procedure for a c3100 right? Is there anything else the engineer or myself should beware of when replacing a NAND?

speculatrix · « **Reply #12 on:** March 20, 2007, 06:52:56 pm »

yeah, you just need to find some pix of the 1000, 3100 or 3200 disassembled - look in the hardware mods part of the forum

example devices have included 128MB memory sticks (lexar ones)

now, the only thing I think that could slow you down is getting the initial flash image onto the chip; isn't the D+M service stuff stored in the same flash, or is it in NOR (do only older Zaurses have the NOR flash for booting?).

pelrun · « **Reply #13 on:** March 20, 2007, 11:13:29 pm »

You can get to the ROM service menu using Fn+D+M.

ArchiMark · « **Reply #14 on:** March 21, 2007, 12:08:21 am »

FWIW, Danboid, you might try emailing Brett at Conics.net < sales@conics.net > to see what he says about it and also repair options over in Japan....

Can't quarantee that he'll be able to help, but I have a feeling he might provide some useful input....

Worth a shot, anyways......

HTH,

Mark

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Author Topic: C3100 Won't Start/ Faulty Nand? (Read 10498 times)