General Question About Boot-up And Bricking

[TelcoLou]

Could the GP2X brick if the batteries died during bootup? Not that I'd be stupid enough to leave dead batteries in my baby h34r:

 

[davey g]

Nope.

 

[TelcoLou]

Whew/10

(thanks ... I do worry a lot)

 

[DemonStar55]

it's fin, corrupt SD cards on the other hand...

 

[TelcoLou]

it's fin, corrupt SD cards on the other hand...

​

... nothing a re-format can't fix ... right? h34r: h34r:

 

[BradN]

I think GPH should consider putting a small boot block on the NAND (U-Boot would be a good candidate if they fix the SD compatability issues and such) and then write protecting it on the chip if it's feasible - I know a lot of flash chips have the capability to do that (and if the one they use doesn't, they could certainly find a different one with a compatable interface that does for new units).

At least if something screws up and tries to erase the flash chip, it should be left to reload the firmware from an SD card. Although, it's good they at least had the foresight to connect JTAG to the EXT connector.

 

[TelcoLou]

I think GPH should consider putting a small boot block on the NAND (U-Boot would be a good candidate if they fix the SD compatability issues and such) and then write protecting it on the chip if it's feasible - I know a lot of flash chips have the capability to do that (and if the one they use doesn't, they could certainly find a different one with a compatable interface that does for new units).

At least if something screws up and tries to erase the flash chip, it should be left to reload the firmware from an SD card. Although, it's good they at least had the foresight to connect JTAG to the EXT connector.

​

... :blink: ...

Um, yes ... I agree </pretending to understand all that>

but ...

nothing a re-format can't fix ... right? h34r:

 

[BradN]

Well, as it is right now, if something bricks the bootloader, you're done. Nothing to do other than send it back or build a jtag cable and figure out how that works. I'm suggesting GPH should use hardware write protection for the bootloader so that it can't in theory totally brick itself.

 

[EvilDragon]

Yeah, JTAG can fix this.
I fixed a few gp2x already

 

[DemonStar55]

it's fin, corrupt SD cards on the other hand...

​

... nothing a re-format can't fix ... right? h34r: h34r:

​

well if you don't know it's corrupt and insert it into the gp2x then turn it on... it starts "updating" the firmware

happened to me

 

[remowilliams]

Although, it's good they at least had the foresight to connect JTAG to the EXT connector.

​

They did? Cool. I didn't think they did. But then again I didn't go looking for the info. Any cables available, or is it do it yourself ATM?

No brick here yet h34r: :lol:

 

[bjimba]

Am I the only one who thinks that releasing a handheld that can be bricked beyond user recovery is the stupidest design ever conceived? Not having a ROM-based last-resort known-good-state is such a monumental design error.

 

[BradN]

What gets me is how the gp32 was pretty much the same way, but yet bricking was a rare occurrence on those.

 

[EvilDragon]

Am I the only one who thinks that releasing a handheld that can be bricked beyond user recovery is the stupidest design ever conceived? Not having a ROM-based last-resort known-good-state is such a monumental design error.

​

Hm, happened on the DS and on the PSP... so...

 

[Mr Doctor]

...and they cant be recovered, ever, by the home user

 

[Thunderchild]

[/quote]

Hm, happened on the DS and on the PSP... so...

​

[/quote]

Yup, bricked my son's DS flashing it, and no JTAG thingy for that!!! you have to soldier a cable to the chip and that or send it back which is what I did. My 2x was aslo bricked out the box. :angry:

But the DS was fixed as was the 2x so..... :lol:

 

[nickspoon]

The Movie Player bricked my DS.

 

[lucoxade]

Rockstar bricked my hamster

 

[KaosOverride]

Making a JTAG cable is very easy, just need a cuple of diodes, capacitors and resitors (And a paralel port connector for PC and a VIDEO-OUT cable for GP2x connector).

It's a GP32 JATG modified to work with GP2x

You can download the schemme from http://www.gp32spain.com/foros/showthread.php?t=27432
(Use de PNG scheme, also there is a bootdisk generator for the U-BOOT Uploader. look in the thread for JTAG KIT.zip 1.44 MB)

It worked for me and i recovered my blacky

(Sorry, that info is only in spanish )

 

[Rico]

Yup, bricked my son's DS flashing it, and no JTAG thingy for that!!! you have to soldier a cable to the chip and that or send it back which is what I did. My 2x was aslo bricked out the box. :angry:

But the DS was fixed as was the 2x so..... :lol:

​

As long as one block of the DS firmware has been written, I believe you can recover it.

Besides, the DS has a lot to offer without new firmware, while the GP2X may require it in the future depending on how things go.