Gp2x Kernel Updater

[Iorgy77]

Did you use the updated one that is supposed to be brick proof?

 

[Radek]

Did you use the updated one that is supposed to be brick proof?

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I suppose that yes?

I go to the link from gp32x's main page (with this updated updater) and downloaded file from here.

The test went ok then I tried to update. It failed almost immediately with some kind of checksum error.

I was using almost full charged NiMH batteries and perhaps I should use a power adaptor instead? The flashing nand is quite heavy on power probably? Eventually the improvement is in the saving of boot code of firmware so it's relative easy to recover from failure?

 

[SiIV]

is it worth upgrading to 1.1.0? Is the battery life any better with it?

 

[Radek]

is it worth upgrading to 1.1.0? Is the battery life any better with it?

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Apparently so (among other fixes). You might get even more battery times using the cpulcdtweaker and decreasing the clockrate a bit. For what I managed to try most aplications runs fine even at 100MHz (Methanebrothers for an example). And make sure you are using decent charger - I powered on my halfbricked gp2x and found to my suprise it passed after just few minutes. Examing phenomena closer I got to the fact that one of batteries wasn't loaded at all... It must had been fault of my charger and it's explaining plausibly why upgrading failed. :angry:

Dumb mistake and few days of using my gp2x gone to null. :angry:

I was thinking before buying in advance a card reader but decided to not. Now I have to buy it anyway and another SD card. :angry:

:angry:

At least learned something. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[BattleCattle]

Little bit of a Christmas scare/miracle here -

Followed all directions to the letter, test ran fine, rebooted, remembered I wasnt using completely fresh batteries, so shut down & changed the batteries. Back up & running, copied over new kernel files, unmounted from my computer, and ran the updator program

Update failed - error in NandReadPage: 16, even with the updated version of your program <_<

Fortunately, this was in the verification step, not in the actual copying over of the kernel, but it scared me a lot.

On reboot, however (with the SD card out just in case), I got the updated firmware screen, and it still got me to the menu, where I promptly inserted the SD card, made sure it was mounted properly, and ran the second part of the update through the utility launcher.

He wasn't kidding when he said if you had a failure, try booting anyways.

 

[5465756e]

is it worth upgrading to 1.1.0? Is the battery life any better with it?

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Yea. I hooked my GP2X up to my power supply b4 flashing and they really improved the power usage. I supplied 3.00V to the battery pins. In idle state my (2nd batch) unit used to draw 44*10^1 mA (firmware 1.0.1). Now it draws 33*10^1 mA (firmware 1.1.0) in the idle state.

 

[Cyclops]

Just updated two units, and am a very happy bunny. Now off to buy some batteries

 

[Frankie]

Apart from saying its the new version on it I find it the same as before with nohting new.

 

[deadlychicken22]

Apart from saying its the new version on it I find it the same as before with nohting new.

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well, they added quite a few things, they just don't affect you....

 

[Frankie]

I mean the screen looks the same at least anyway.Didn't know if i had got it running right

 

[deadlychicken22]

I mean the screen looks the same at least anyway.Didn't know if i had got it running right

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Is there something wrong with the screen looking the same? My screen looks perfect, i definitely don't want them changing that.....

 

[God Ginrai]

Ok, I have a Sandisk 1GB and have never tried updating the GPH way before.

Should I try the GPH way? or should I try this?

Also, what happens to the test material that was uploaded to the NAND? Is it deleted later? Or does it just stay there... Lingering...?

 

[LIZARDKING]

Well, I just upgraded my GP2X for the first time and I used this method and it worked!!
No problemas!!

 

[Radek]

Ok at I have a Sandisk 1GB and have never tried updating the GPH way before.

Should I try the GPH way? or should I try this?

I'd try the GPH method as being more "generic". But I'm saying this after bricking my unit with this updater and will have to recover using what? This "GPH way" as booting code was intact after failed upgrading.

Also, what happens to the test material that was uploaded to the NAND? Is it deleted later? Or does it just stay there... Lingering...?

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This doesn't matter as the data isn't logically in the filesystem (imho).

 

[dennis20014]

Ok, I have a Sandisk 1GB and have never tried updating the GPH way before.

Should I try the GPH way? or should I try this?

Also, what happens to the test material that was uploaded to the NAND? Is it deleted later? Or does it just stay there... Lingering...?

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Just download the firmware, put it on your card and boot up. I have a sandisk 1gb also and it worked perfectly

 

[primeris]

"Error in NandWriteBlock: 16" I got this frm the flashtest
I used the updater anyway and managed to downgrade from 1.2.1
I used another updater back to 1.2.1 with no problems.

But I fail to see an update screen instead of the green screen every time I try with the SD card.

I even tried gp2xfiles.img from DJ Willis debricking guide, no image will boot.

I'm lucky I haven't bricked it with all this funny stuff.
The U-Boot is the only thing I have not, and am currently reluctant to play with...

But give me five minutes

So it seems to me the issue with many of these systems is not the card, but the nand...

 

[Purist]

hey, I remember this from 3 months ago! I did my first firmware upgrade to 1.1.0 with this. Now, I got a 1gb 133x card. I think that the cause of firmware not upgrading for people is the card speed. my kingston 4mb per second card didn't work but my patriot 20mb per second card worked.

 

[primeris]

Robster,
Any chance you could do a Flasher/Updater to work with Theoddbot's cramfs?
And does anyone know how to fix dodgy NAND? I hope it's not hardware that's causing my NAND-write errors (in block 16)...

 

[EvilDragon]

I would NOT recommend robsters Flasher for the current oddbot firmware!

The current one has no error detection, if your NAND has a bad block in an area where oddbots firmware resides, it won't work anymore.
You'd need to flash back to FW 1.4.0 if you have a bad block - and if you can't use the GPH Firmware Flashing method, there's no way for you to do that.

Until oddbots firmware has error checking included, it should stay the way it is - only for guys with a working SD card to fix their unit if anything goes wrong.

 

[primeris]

I would NOT recommend robsters Flasher for the current oddbot firmware!

The current one has no error detection, if your NAND has a bad block in an area where oddbots firmware resides, it won't work anymore.
You'd need to flash back to FW 1.4.0 if you have a bad block - and if you can't use the GPH Firmware Flashing method, there's no way for you to do that.

Until oddbots firmware has error checking included, it should stay the way it is - only for guys with a working SD card to fix their unit if anything goes wrong.

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Hmmm... Very good to know. Pardon the noob questions but...
Are the bad blocks physically bad?
So the reason Robster's flashers work for me is because they check/skip bad blocks? I read (on this forum, I think) that people with this same bad block bricked their system using Robster's updater. It was for a much earlier version of Robster's FW tho, like 1.1.0... 1.4.0 was my first flash (from 1.2.1).

Sigh, I should probably invest in making a serial cable...
and relearning Linux...