Rockbox

This is the bug/patch tracker for Rockbox. Click here for more information.

Quick links: Bugs · Patches · Rockbox frontpage

Tasklist

FS#6896 - Sansa e260 - bootloader causes artifacts at top of screen

Attached to Project: Rockbox
Opened by Benjamin Brown (foolsh) - Saturday, 24 March 2007, 05:33 GMT+2
Last edited by Nils Wallménius (nls) - Monday, 05 November 2007, 17:18 GMT+2
Task Type Bugs
Category Bootloader
Status Closed
Assigned To No-one
Player Type Sansa e200
Severity Low
Priority Normal
Reported Version
Due in Version Undecided
Due Date Undecided
Percent Complete 100%
Private No

Details

just like the thread http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php?topic=9282.0 and since bagder hasn't post a flyspray entry yet I'll start one

We own two e250s and I installed rockbox on them without any problems way back when rockboy wasn't even configured for them.
One of them was ruined by my own hand (lesson learned), but still functions. Today (3-23-07) I bought an e260 to replace it. And installed rockbox using the Sansapatcher this of course installed the new bootloader. On startup the were these random colored lines at the top of the screen,first two or three horizonal lines, in RB and the OF.
At first I blamed the new bootloader, so in turn uninstalled it using Sansapatcher (this cured the problem) and installed the old bootloader from way back when, still the same result.

I can be sure that this is the bootloaders doing because I reinstalled the OF ver 1.02.15 and the problem is gone.(not a hardware issue)
I searched flyspray and I can't find anything similar so I created this topic.

If anyone wants additional information post back and I'll be happy to help.
I'll even volunteer to be the guinea pig for this guys, if no one else has a e260 to try promising new bootloader code on.

This task depends upon

Closed by  Nils Wallménius (nls)
Monday, 05 November 2007, 17:18 GMT+2
Reason for closing:  Fixed
2008-06-07: A request to re-open the task has been made. Reason for request: Loaded latest version of Rockbox (r17701) and still have top 2 lines of screen garbled (Sansa e260). Please let me know if I can provide info or help (can't help with the coding). Thanks.
Comment by Benjamin Brown (foolsh) - Saturday, 24 March 2007, 05:41 GMT+2
opps I meant dan_a hasn't posted a flyspray entry my apologies. :(
Comment by Benjamin Brown (foolsh) - Sunday, 25 March 2007, 22:08 GMT+2
took some pictures today
http://creativepc.gotdns.com/img/snapshot0.jpg
http://creativepc.gotdns.com/img/snapshot1.jpg
http://creativepc.gotdns.com/img/snapshot2.jpg
http://creativepc.gotdns.com/img/snapshot3.jpg
http://creativepc.gotdns.com/img/snapshot4.jpg
http://creativepc.gotdns.com/img/snapshot5.jpg
http://creativepc.gotdns.com/img/snapshot6.jpg
http://creativepc.gotdns.com/img/snapshot7.jpg

there are some differences from the chips shown at
http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/SandiskE200HardwareComponents
Comment by viren (wildpatel) - Monday, 26 March 2007, 00:39 GMT+2
Having same issue and i know its the bootloader..i installed the dual boot and have the line across both regular and rockbox. Did u ever find a fix or anything? Im using a e260 please help. thanks ;)
Comment by Benjamin Brown (foolsh) - Monday, 26 March 2007, 19:04 GMT+2
As far as I and merwin can tell by our dialog over in the forum, is that the bug effects sansa with a version 1.1 board.
But until some more people can verify this Im not sure we can pin point it there.

I am no asm or arm coder but my Guess would be wherever the "execute rockbox" command has been placed in the boot loader.It is more likely located after the bootloader initializes the hardware and before control is passed to the firmware. So what is the original firmware doing as soon as it boots? perhaps a device register is not cleanly started?
This really goes beyond my ability to fix but I can gather data and speculate.

One speculation is that extra bits are somehow overrunning into the lcd buffers.
Comment by Wolfgang Weidner (zimba42) - Friday, 20 April 2007, 16:22 GMT+2
I have the same bug on my brand new e250.
Comment by Phil C (Anduril) - Wednesday, 25 April 2007, 22:50 GMT+2
Yep this happens to my e280 as well, in both rockbox and normal mode when booted in dual mode
Comment by Adam Henderson (adhender) - Monday, 30 April 2007, 20:40 GMT+2
I had the same bug on my e280. However, when I upgraded to the new Sansa firmware, the LCD is back to normal.
Comment by Benjamin Brown (foolsh) - Wednesday, 02 May 2007, 01:29 GMT+2
@Adam Henderson (adhender) What OF version are you using? I'll check this out with my e260 tonight and see what happens.
Comment by Adam Henderson (adhender) - Wednesday, 02 May 2007, 13:55 GMT+2
I was originally using the .12A firmware and upgraded to the .18A firmware. Now I have reinstalled rockbox (ie patched the firmware) and the same problem with the LCD is back.
Comment by Dave Bennett (pitstopz) - Saturday, 12 May 2007, 02:37 GMT+2
I purchased a Sansa e280 on 5/5/2007. I experienced the exact issues as detailed above with pixel corruption in the top most line of the LCD display in both the orignal firmware screen and from the Rockbox firmware. I returned this unit to a different store location in hopes of acquiring different hardware. My 2nd unit had cosmetic differences on the exterior case and buttons. Mainly the scroll wheel was looser and had larger ridges in groupings of 3 than the original unit had. This unit has the same pixel corruption associated with the top line as the original. The displays of both units were found to be correctable by unstinstalling via sansapatcher.

Thanks to all the developers at Rockbox. You guys are the best! I have been a fan and user since the very first Archos units.
I am pretty technically savvy and have even done a bit of ML hobby level coding in the past but could never do what you guys are doing.
I am envious and grateful.

Cheers.
Comment by Stanislav Borutsky (cax) - Saturday, 12 May 2007, 11:57 GMT+2
I volunteer to be the guinea pig too.
I can compile rockbox myself so if you have any idea to be tested please let me know.
10x in advance.
Comment by Benjamin Brown (foolsh) - Saturday, 12 May 2007, 17:58 GMT+2
We need a more detailed explanation of how the boot loader was implemented Bagder wasn't very full of details when the e2x0 was still considered a "new port"
Here is the link to the forum thread back before rockbox even ran on the e2x0 http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php?topic=3225.0
If everyone here could read through it maybe we can gather some important details as to what the rockbox boot loader is doing or not doing that causes the lcd to initialize incorrectly, or maybe its not the lcd at all but some other piece of hardware.
Comment by Stanislav Borutsky (cax) - Friday, 25 May 2007, 13:53 GMT+2
Maybe we have to compare original bootloaders on v1.0 and v1.1 hardware ?
Do we have a dump of bootloader from any sansa with v1.1 hardware ?
Comment by alex (cat behemoth) - Friday, 22 June 2007, 02:34 GMT+2
Having the same problem with sansa e280, two artificial lines at the top of the screen in either mode.
Any suggestions?
Origato
Comment by Michael Sevakis (MikeS) - Friday, 22 June 2007, 12:12 GMT+2
I've had some thoughts about this, and maybe it's alignment of the driver framebuffer or it could be something with the vertical blanking pulse which happens to be set for two lines (phase, polarity?). My unit doesn't have this trouble so I really can't play with any ideas.
Comment by Dave (Bobo) - Friday, 03 August 2007, 18:49 GMT+2
I have got the same problem :-(
Comment by JGF (jgf_one) - Friday, 10 August 2007, 00:05 GMT+2
Word just installed and I have one line of pixels at top making the status bar unreadable
Comment by Jesse Lockwood (JL) - Sunday, 02 September 2007, 01:09 GMT+2
I have posted a patch that will if this  FS#7692 .
Hope this helps.
Comment by Michael Sevakis (MikeS) - Wednesday, 05 September 2007, 10:36 GMT+2
No further problems of this sort after committing  FS#7692 ?
Comment by Gerritt Gonzales (GRaTT) - Friday, 07 September 2007, 18:49 GMT+2
I have an older sansa and had the screen glitch
(top two lines garbled) only after the bootloader text,
and then the logo would clear it up.
I never experienced it during the OF.
I compiled a new bootloader after the commit of FS-7692 and
the garbled screen is cleared up but the top line of pixels
is over written with a black line.
The top of the R, B and L in "Rockbox Boot Loader" get cut off.
GRaTT
Comment by Jesse Lockwood (JL) - Sunday, 09 September 2007, 11:39 GMT+2
Hi GRatt
Do you have some of the early patches that tied to fix this problem still applied to your files?
Some of those fixed the problem buy over writting the top two lines with data from below the screen. That data would now probably be black.
If after a build from a fresh set of files you still have the problem go look at fs7692 and undo one patch at a time the top one and the one added buy Jonathan Backer
and let me know what one is causing the problem.
Thanks
Jesse
Comment by Jesse Lockwood (JL) - Sunday, 09 September 2007, 20:07 GMT+2
Hi GRatt
Do you have some of the early patches that tied to fix this problem still applied to your files?
Some of those fixed the problem buy over writting the top two lines with data from below the screen. That data would now probably be black.
If after a build from a fresh set of files you still have the problem go look at fs7692 and undo one patch at a time the top one and the one added buy Jonathan Backer
and let me know what one is causing the problem.
Thanks
Jesse
Comment by Barry Wardell (barrywardell) - Thursday, 11 October 2007, 17:32 GMT+2
I think this is totally fixed now. Is anyone still having problems?

Loading...