Dingoo Serial Console Access Mod

[boobooes]

Hi,

I intend to try to run linux on the Dingoo, and as a first step I modded mine to get easy access to the console TXD/RXD signals.

Here's the boot output and some pictures of the mod:

NAND Booting...ECD755B6..
loader size = 0x00051670
.00000114:1..
OK
NAND Loading...
get ccpmp_config ok!!!
ccpmp_config.firmware_name = A320.HXF. ccpmp_config.update_key = 123, ccpmp_config.lcm.width = 320, ccpmp_config.lcm.height = 240.
loader normal mode...
Creating ftl device...
id:EC D7 55 B6 78
id:00 00 00 00 00
id:00 00 00 00 00
id:00 00 00 00 00
OK.
usb_connect = 0
into lcd_init.
loader -- into lcd_init.
into init_lcd_gpio.
out init_lcd_gpio.
loader -- init_lcd_gpio ok.
into Init_LCM_MOUDLE_ILI9325!!!
out Init_LCM_MOUDLE_ILI9325!!!
loader -- init_lcd_register ok.
loader -- out lcd_init.
Start decode...
OK 153602.
out lcd_init.
get_lcd_brightness -- value = 3.
00001550:1.00002D31:1.len is 0x 500000
os_len = 0x 23a078. checksum = 0x0a232c05.
1 - ret = 0
2 - ret = 1
Run image...

c_main enter------!!
kseg init OK!
new loader, system config ok!
intc init OK!
intc lib OK!

the os is start

 

[ezelkow1]

Are you able to actually communicate, do they load up all the necessary serial modules, or are you only able to view the output? Just wondering, so far Ive compiled snes9x for the mips using their toolchain and hopefully their patched kernel headers as well. I already did hello world but dont have a unit to test on as of yet

 

[boobooes]

Are you able to actually communicate, do they load up all the necessary serial modules, or are you only able to view the output? Just wondering, so far Ive compiled snes9x for the mips using their toolchain and hopefully their patched kernel headers as well. I already did hello world but dont have a unit to test on as of yet

I can receive and send, but neither the bootloader nor the firmware main core seem to be accepting any input.

I'm not sure about what you mean in the rest of your message. The Dingoo seems to run uCOS-II with a custom app from chinachip. No linux here, and the chinachip firmware API is not documented, so you need to use the S2D libraries to do your stuff.

That's why I intend to try to boot linux in the device, as a REPLACEMENT of the current firmware. Then we would have a known programming and execeution environment and porting emulators and applications should be quite straightforward...

And that's why in needed serial console access. When I start installing and running a bootloader and the linux kernel I need to see what's going on (at least until I manage to get the framebuffer working, and even then a serial console will always be more usable).

 

[ezelkow1]

Oooh, I sort of assumed it ran linux since there were releases of the kernel along with patches for it to get it running. I was working on getting a kernel built but have to update my system, I got a little ways with it but had a few errors and need a few more packages till I can finish it up.

 

[Consequence_9]

Great progress! Best of luck! Getting linux usable would be an amazing jumping point. Would definitely make things easier & would probably really kick-start the scene.

My dingoo should be here any day now... getting excited. Hopefully we'll see some more decent ports soon (although I'm sure we will now that Zodttd's gettin one =])

 

[Firefox]

Good work there bb!

LCM_MOUDLE_ILI9325 is very interesting...

What voltage levels are you getting at the tx and rx pads? 3.3V, 5V, proper RS232, something else?

 

[carlgeorge]

Keep up the good work.

I admit I don't know much about this side of things, but I do realise what the impact of getting Linux running the Dingoo would mean to the scene. Nice one.

 

[boobooes]

Good work there bb!

LCM_MOUDLE_ILI9325 is very interesting...

What voltage levels are you getting at the tx and rx pads? 3.3V, 5V, proper RS232, something else?

Yeah, but I had already deduced by other means that the LCD controller is an ILI9325.

Here's the hardware that I identified from a picture of the board found somewhere (I did not have mi Dingoo yet):

* CPU: Ingenic JZ4732 (supposedly a JZ4740 intended for exportation).
* Flash: Samsung K9LBG08U0M-PCB00 (4G x 8 bit NAND, one chip and one empty footprint in PCB).
* RAM: Elpida μPD45128163 (128Mbit SDRAM). Two chips for a total of 256Mbit (32MBytes).
* TV out: Chrontel CH7024.
* FM receiver: RDA microelectronics RDA5800C.

However, this is what I found when I opened mine:

* CPU: Ingenic JZ4732 (supposedly a JZ4740 intended for exportation).
* Flash: Samsung K9GAG08U0M-PCB00 (2G x 8 bit NAND).
* RAM: Hynix HY57V281620FTP-6 (128Mbit SDRAM). two chips for a total of 256Mbit (32MBytes).
* TV out: Chrontel CH7024.
* FM receiver: RDA microelectronics RDA5800C.

I've been able to find information for most of the chips with the notable exception of the flash chip (which should be no big deal).

Identifying the FM receiver was a true PITA.

Regarding the voltage, it's 3.3V. This is the CP2102 based USB-serial converter I used that you can see in the pictures:

http://www.sureelectronics.net/goods.php?id=393

Actually the upper board only (the lower translates from 3.3V to RS232 levels).

 

[ezelkow1]

If you want a testing area before transferring some stuff over to the dingoo, there have been patches for qemu and a few other things posted at google code for jz chip hacking. http://code.google.com/p/jz-hacking/wiki/qemujz

Alot of this based on the previously posted links for the kernel and boot images and what not from ingenic, but this page gives a good english description of how and exactly what to build to get running in qemu, and those same things should be able to be used on the actual dingoo. This is all based on the 4740 though and I thought the dingoo is a 4730.