|
Rockbox mail archiveSubject: Re: Help with HifiWalker H2Re: Help with HifiWalker H2
From: Matej Golian via rockbox <rockbox_at_lists.haxx.se>
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2025 06:19:18 +0100 Yes, that's what I meant. That being said, would it be possible to also create an UPT file that would restore the original boot loader in H2 devices that originally came with firmware version 1.9 or 2.0? As you know - and better than me, There are no stock/factory UPT files available for those versions, but I assume that it's enough to have an original boot loader for hardware version 4 devices. And since we do have a RB boot loader for those, I assume that we have the original boot loader as well? st 26. 3. 2025 o 2:34 Dana Conrad <dconrad_at_fastmail.com> napísal(a): > The plan is with the upcoming new release of Rockbox Utility (I believe it > will be 1.5.2), the Native port will become the default for these devices > instead of the Hosted port. The Hosted is still available, there's a > "disabled devices" checkbox you can check if you need access to them. That > "making our own update files" thing is actually what allows us to install > the native port via Rockbox Utility at all - it was a non-starter with the > previous method. > > If you mean to *uninstall* the native port bootloader from Rockbox > Utility, no to my knowledge that won't work yet. However, it's an easy > process - put a firmware update file which overwrites the bootloader on the > SD card as "update.upt" and run the stock updater from the Rockbox recovery > menu. We can make an uninstallation update file from a stock update file - > as it turns out, they contain the stock bootloader, they just don't mark it > for installation by default. So we have a script that can do that pretty > easily. > > On Mar 25, 2025, at 5:10 PM, Matej Golian <matej.golian_at_gmail.com> wrote: > > ut 25. 3. 2025 o 15:53 Dana Conrad <dconrad_at_fastmail.com> napísal(a): > >> On Tue, Mar 25, 2025, at 1:46 AM, Matej Golian wrote: >> >> po 24. 3. 2025 o 17:28 Dana Conrad <dconrad_at_fastmail.com> napísal(a): >> >> >> Thank you! It's definitely a team effort - Solomon Peachy did the >> original firmware-based "Hosted" port to the device first, and getting >> Rockbox to run without relying on the original firmware wouldn't have been >> possible without the work Aidan MacDonald did for the processor in it. That >> was originally for the FiiO m3k, it just so happened that it shared a >> processor with this device! >> >> I really like this player, and I'm really glad it has been sold for this >> long - having a device on sale this long is a rarity in this day and age. >> >> Dana >> >> You're right, who knows how much longer it will be available for >> purchase. Actually I haven't realized that it's been in production for so >> long until I started considering getting one. So I'm very happy that I was >> still able to get a new sealed unit. >> I have 2 more questions that it would be interesting to know the answer >> to - especially I'm curious about the answer to the second question. >> 1. I've noticed that the volume increments in amounts of 2 Db on the H2. >> I noticed that on the X3 II it's a different value, although I forget what >> exact value it is. So what determines this? I assumed that setting the >> volume works identical across all supported ports when running Rockbox, but >> apparently the player's hardware still plays a role. I thought that the >> number of volume steps option would have an effect on this behavior, but >> apparently that's controlling something else. >> 2. Currently there's no stock v1.9 or 2.0 firmware for the H2 at the >> community's disposal and so it's not possible to install the hosted port if >> one's player arrives with these firmware versions. My question is, how come >> it was possible to still create a boot loader for the native port and why >> it's not possible to do the same for the hosted port? From what I've read >> on the forum I got the impression that the native port does use some kind >> of other Aigo boot loader that just happens to work on the H2, but why >> can't an analogous method be used to create a custom boot loader that would >> make the hosted port work? >> I know that this is a very technical question and I'm not sure I'll >> understand the answer, but I have been wondering about this ever since. >> >> >> Rockbox can be configured for different volume steps depending on the >> particular device - The 2dB volume increments come from the earlier Eros Q >> units - we were using software to control the volume, and for some reason >> that was the smallest volume increment that resulted in an actual change. I >> don't think we ever really figured out why... The newer Eros Q units have >> volume control in hardware, but we kept the 2dB volume steps for >> compatibility reasons. It never seemed like a big enough deal to try to get >> smaller volume increments. >> >> I think there's a lot of confused information floating around on forums >> and Reddit (to my dismay...). The native port uses our own bootloader that >> we wrote, and overwrites the stock bootloader in the device's internal >> memory. But we figured out how to create our own bespoke *update file* to >> use the stock firmware's *updater system* in order to write it to the >> device, which might be the source of the confusion. Prior to making our own >> update files, you needed to put the device in a special low-level firmware >> updater mode and run a flashing program on your computer from the command >> line, making it *much* harder to walk someone through it who isn't quite >> so technically savvy. >> >> The hosted port requires that we have an update file with the actual >> stock OS in it, because we actually modify the stock OS to add our own >> launcher. It uses the stock bootloader, boots the stock linux kernel, then >> loads Rockbox as an application on top of the stock linux kernel. >> >> In contrast, the native port uses our own bespoke bootloader to start up >> the hardware and load Rockbox directly from the SD card. It doesn't even >> care if the stock OS is there at all (unless, of course, you're trying to >> boot into the stock OS). >> >> So the difference in what gets written to the device's memory between the >> two is: the native port overwrites the bootloader, the hosted port adds a >> launcher application to the firmware, if that makes sense. >> >> Technically it's possible to dump the stock firmware of a device that >> they haven't released an update file for and create our own stock update >> file, hosted port installer, etc. But it is kind of hard to walk someone >> through the process over the forums, etc. if they don't know what they're >> doing, and obviously we need someone with that specific device in hand to >> do that in the first place. The easiest way to do this is to actually >> temporarily load our native bootloader and use it to dump the onboard >> memory's contents to the SD card. >> >> I don't know if I answered your question or just confused the issue more >> (lol) but I hope that helps! >> Dana >> > > Thank you for the comprehensive reply. I definitely have a clearer > understanding of how it all works now. For instance I did not realize that > the boot loader can be considered a separate unit to that extent. Somehow I > have considered it to still be a kind of part of the stock firmware itself > and that's one of the reasons why things got confusing, but it's much more > understandable, if I view it as a separate program - just as I should. So > to revert my H2 to factory state, all I would have to do is to overwrite > the RB native boot loader with the original one - not that I will ever want > to do it though. 🙂 But just for my info, will the upcoming version of the > Rockbox utility be able to do it? And since you say that it can be done, > will there be more UPT files created for the 'missing' firmware versions so > that it becomes possible to install the hosted version on more devices? I > saw on the forum that there were people that have backed up their stock > firmwares - even the 2.0 version for the H2, if I'm not mistaken. > For me personally though, the native build is ideal. > > > -- Unsubscribe: http://lists.haxx.se/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/rockbox FAQ: http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/GeneralFAQ Etiquette: http://www.rockbox.org/mail/etiquette.htmlReceived on 2025-03-26 Page template was last modified "Tue Sep 7 00:00:02 2021" The Rockbox Crew -- Privacy Policy |