Release Hotfix 6 Alpha 4 released

[peelie]

have you tried turning off power management wirh public hotspot?

sudo iwconfig wlan0 rate 54M power off

 

[Exophase]

In HF5 there appears to be a bug where multiple instances of bluetooth-applet are opened when you switch from xfce to minimenu and back again. Is/was this a known bug, and if so has HF6 fixed it?

 

[Blue Protoman]

Not sure if this is a Hotfix 4 issue, or just the Pandora in general - but getting the free Wi-Fi spots in NYC to work right is hellish. Some times it'll connect - show me the login screen, and refuse to load any more pages - some times my ZuneHD can browse, while the Pandora can't. But yeah - the WiFi on the pandora is buggy at best, so it might not be a Hotfix4 issue.

Why are you still on Hotfix 4?

 

[MarioPandio]

In HF5 there appears to be a bug where multiple instances of bluetooth-applet are opened when you switch from xfce to minimenu and back again. Is/was this a known bug, and if so has HF6 fixed it?

Its still there in HF6a4. I noticed it in a3 as I never used HF5.

 

[DrCJBoduma]

Am I the only one who thinks the new hotfix runs noticibly slower (even when cpu speed is put back to 700mhz) the menu bar, midori 3.6 and the wifi just seems a little buggy to me. (pages won´t load, pandora menu doesn´t open, unless i minimise other windows and the wifi seems to disconect more)

Hm, I wouldn't know a reason why it should run slower. What exactly runs slower for you?


Midori 3.6? There's no Midori included anymore...?


Regarding the Pandora menu: Do you have the menu button covered by your window?


If yes, that doesn't work. It only works if the button is visible.

I think I simply found the web browsing experience worse in the new hotfix. I know midori is not included, but when using it I found it slower and less reliable when loading webpages.


The start menu is visible, it just seems to quickly flick open a blank list above itself, but not keep open. once windows are minimised it seems to work just fine (To be fair this happens sometimes with hotfix 5, i just realised)


I just found I had to wait a little longer for things to happen (menus etc) Of course, this may be all just in my head. :-D

 

[Halcyon]

Please forgive me if this was all ready mentioned in the board, I did a cursory check of the pages 1,2 and 4 and didnt see it.


It might be a function of the new settings associated with the lid being up or down, (didnt see where you can make those changes, if someone could point that out i would appreciate it :lol: )


So when i plug the pandora in to charge up it will charge up just fine. (only checked with wall plug) but it appears that once it reaches 100% it stops charging and goes back to using the battery. So i plug the Pandora in at night and wake up and the battery is not at 100%, and has been draining after it hits 100% I presume, (haven't caught it in the act )


Does anyone else have this issue, am I only on this one? Not the end of the world, for sure but if you want to prep for a long trip with a full cell, then you should set your watch and unplug it and power off when it gets near 100%


Otherwise, I second all the cheers and accolades given to this new firmware, thanks for all the hard work any and all who contributed to this!!

 

[Aethix]

Please forgive me if this was all ready mentioned in the board, I did a cursory check of the pages 1,2 and 4 and didnt see it.


It might be a function of the new settings associated with the lid being up or down, (didnt see where you can make those changes, if someone could point that out i would appreciate it :lol: )


So when i plug the pandora in to charge up it will charge up just fine. (only checked with wall plug) but it appears that once it reaches 100% it stops charging and goes back to using the battery. So i plug the Pandora in at night and wake up and the battery is not at 100%, and has been draining after it hits 100% I presume, (haven't caught it in the act )


Does anyone else have this issue, am I only on this one? Not the end of the world, for sure but if you want to prep for a long trip with a full cell, then you should set your watch and unplug it and power off when it gets near 100%


Otherwise, I second all the cheers and accolades given to this new firmware, thanks for all the hard work any and all who contributed to this!!

I think this has been an issue ever since the Pandora was released.

 

[Halcyon]

I think this has been an issue ever since the Pandora was released.

Hmmmm, I dont seem to remember that happening with hotfix 5? Maybe I got lucky or something but this seems to be a new event for me, anyone else?

 

[MarioPandio]

The behaviour you are describing with the charging, is infact what was desperately sought after and which WizardStan has put a ton of effort into implementing. From HF6 it was included so as to ensure that the batteries do not overcharge and remain charging once 100% is reached, which can lead to swollen batteries which are dangerous.


The idea is that it will reach 100% and then after a short time thereafter, it will cease charging and allow the battery to drop back down by about 10-15% and then resume charging again towards 100%, rather than trickle charge the already full battery leading to mis-formed batteries that can crack the battery cover and pose a potential fire hazard. Granted you will sometimes find your Pandora at less than 100% the next morning, so you'll have to figure out roughly how long from a given percentage it will take to hit 100% and plan your charging around that but really its a new safety feature that should be welcomed. Otherwise its only a matter of time before your battery will need a replacement or be dangerous to use, or your case gets cracked etc.


Of note is that some units already did what WS has implemented for others automagically from the outset (my first one did but not the 2 since).


The lid open/close settings can be found in the menu>settings>Lid-Close-Settings btw and these will alter between screen off / low power / shutdown behaviours on closure of the lid

edit: spelling

 

[(naw)mcx]

have you tried turning off power management wirh public hotspot?

sudo iwconfig wlan0 rate 54M power off

You are a godsend

Not sure if this is a Hotfix 4 issue, or just the Pandora in general - but getting the free Wi-Fi spots in NYC to work right is hellish. Some times it'll connect - show me the login screen, and refuse to load any more pages - some times my ZuneHD can browse, while the Pandora can't. But yeah - the WiFi on the pandora is buggy at best, so it might not be a Hotfix4 issue.

Why are you still on Hotfix 4?

I meant alpha 4, my bad!

 

[Halcyon]

Ok cool that is a smart idea actually. I didnt know that it would oscilate between ~85% and 100% I thought it hit 100% and then just started to drain until it was out. Thx for the heads up MarioPandio

 

[sukhi2011]

Excellent stuff works like a charm without any problems and new feature added screen lid closed,pandora shuts off.

 

[lordbobjones]

Just some feedback on the update. I just returned from a few weeks of travel, and the panda performed flawlessly with the latest alpha hotfix.


Primary areas of use: Movies, music, emulators and games.


Movie play back was outstanding and audio was great. I would get an occasional pop noise during video playback.


Music works flawlessly...I did have to get used to the lid change settings. Great addition...


I ran Hatari and atari 800 emu, gba emu and apple 2 emu and all performed outstanding.


The new Elite port is a dream and will rule my life for many months. Best port ever!!!!


Also general web browsing worked great throughout the trip connecting to a variety of routers and hotspots.


Keep up the outstanding work.

 

[Asmo]

Running HF6a4 from SD, one thing I've experienced a few times is Firefox 4b10 freezing with the left SD light flickering continuously (Firefox PND is on the Right side SD). Reset needed to get back to business.


Otherwise great!

 

[Coldbird]

Love the taskbar applets for overclocking, etc.


Also, finally I can open and close the Application Menu properly on XFCE.


You removed the webbrowser, but there is still a webbrowser icon in the Application Menu... probably a missed instance?


Other than that, charging works a lot better (big surprise, duh...) and overall I love it!

 

[DaMummy]

i say leave webbrowser icon in application menu, as i made midori the default browser, and when i click on said webbrowser icon, midori launches

 

[renegadechic]

ive been holding off on trying this hotfix for a while until it was out of alpha at least but things seem to have tailed off on it. is there more work due on this hotfix and is it worth upgrading yet from hotfix 5?

 

[vadsamoht]

ive been holding off on trying this hotfix for a while until it was out of alpha at least but things seem to have tailed off on it. is there more work due on this hotfix and is it worth upgrading yet from hotfix 5?

I've been meaning to ask the same thing. Alternatively, is there an ETA on the next release?

 

[RobFord]

ive been holding off on trying this hotfix for a while until it was out of alpha at least but things seem to have tailed off on it. is there more work due on this hotfix and is it worth upgrading yet from hotfix 5?

Hotfix 6a4 works wonderfully for me, although I am just using the Panda the way I normally do, not trying to crash it or bug the hell out of the OS.


The reason that the hotfix has taken a little bit of a back seat, if I recall correctly, is down to ED having to ride CC's ass and try to find a new PCB manufacturer. This has all taken quite a bit of time, but hopefully he has found a place that is quite close to him.


Fingers crossed when the manufacturing is taken care of ED will be able to concentrate more of his time on the hotfixes, and relaxing a little more

 

[renegadechic]

good to know its worth using. i am pretty intrigued for the charging stuff and wanting to save my batteries.


i was mostly just wondering if this was good to go from alpha to version done so i can get my hands on it!


no hurry though, everyone does such great work