Neo FreeRunner FAQ

From Openmoko

(Difference between revisions)
Jump to: navigation, search
m (→‎USB)
m (→‎GSM)
Line 138: Line 138:
 
== GSM ==
 
== GSM ==
  
−
=== SIM compatibility ===
+
=== SIM compatibility: It looks like my SIM card is not working; how do I run diagnostics? ===
−
'''Q:'''Sim card is not working, how do I run diagnostics?
+
  
 
'''A:'''
 
'''A:'''
−
Here is the "how to" check.
+
Here is how to check: follow [[Manually_using_GSM]] until you get an OK prompt.  
  
−
Follow [[Manually_using_GSM]] until you get an OK prompt. More detalied documenation please refer [[FreeRunner_unable_to_work_with_3G_SIM_cards]] and [[Carriers]].
+
For more detailed documentation, please refer to [[FreeRunner_unable_to_work_with_3G_SIM_cards]] and [[Carriers]].
  
 
=== GSM/GPRS information ===
 
=== GSM/GPRS information ===
  
−
Following page contain very useful information:
+
The following pages contain very useful information:
  
 
* [http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Gsmd GSM Daemon]
 
* [http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Gsmd GSM Daemon]

Revision as of 10:27, 31 August 2008


Contents

FreeRunner (GTA02): known hardware-related issues

There is a collection of known FreeRunner hardware issues at the wiki page Freerunner_Hardware_Issues; reading that page could help you quickly solve those issues.

Booting

Why won't the FreeRunner boot even with the charger connected?

A: Early builds of the FreeRunner1 have the issue that the phone needs to boot fully to enable charging of the battery. However, current supplied via the charger is not sufficient to boot the phone; some power is required from the battery as well2. If you've let your battery discharge totally, the only recommended3 way to boot the FreeRunner is with a spare battery. If you don't have a spare battery specifically for the FreeRunner, you can also use a Nokia battery (see Neo FreeRunner Battery for a list of compatible batteries).

1. Put in the spare battery and plug in your charger, and let the phone boot.

2. Once your phone has booted, remove the spare battery. The FreeRunner should continue running on power drawn from the charger.

3. Insert the dead battery and let it charge.

Notes:

How do I find out what image versions are in use on the phone?

A: You can run the commands given below on the phone (in an SSH session from your host PC, or in the Terminal application on the phone itself)

To find out Run
Kernel version that is currently running 
 uname -a
The version of the root filesystem that you are currently using 
 cat /etc/version

or 

 cat /etc/om-version
The versions of u-boot on the phone (The FreeRunner has one u-boot image in NOR memory, and one in NAND - see Booting the Neo FreeRunner for more information) 
 grep  Bootloader /dev/mtdblock0  (yields the NOR u-boot version)

or 

 grep  Bootloader /dev/mtdblock1  (yields the NAND u-boot version)

 

I'm unable to flash FreeRunner after booting either into NAND or NOR.

A:

NOTE: Please check Getting_Started_with_your_Neo_FreeRunner for more information about flashing new images to your phone.


I can SSH into the phone via USB as per the wiki instructions, but dfu-util does not find the phone.

A: In brief, you need to restart (or power on) the phone to get to the NOR u-boot menu before dfu-util will be able to connect. dfu-util uses the USB DFU (Universal Serial Bus Device Firmware Upgrade) protocol, which is only available at the u-boot menu, and not Ethernet over USB, which is what is available when the phone has booted fully.

Tip: If you're just trying out different distributions, you don't need to flash them with dfu-util; you can try out new distributions by putting them on the microSD card and booting from the card instead. If you'd like to do this instead of flashing, see Booting from SD.

To get the u-boot menu:

  1. Press and hold the AUX button
  2. Press the Power button until the phone powers on and displays the boot menu
  3. Release both buttons
  4. Press and release AUX to move the lightbar, so that the menu will not time out and boot the phone).

Also see the wiki pages/sections:


Battery

What is the expected battery life?

See Neo FreeRunner (GTA02) Battery#Notes_about_expected_battery_life and more battery information in Neo_FreeRunner_(GTA02)_Battery

How do I enable fast charge mode for anything but the official mains charger?

See Forcing fast charge mode.

USB

How do I connect a USB memory-stick etc?

A: This requires an adapter Mini-B 5-pole => Type A jack or an adapter jack => jack. See Host Mode for more information.

Q: Once I have such an adapter, can I use it to connect 2 Neos to each other?

A: This question is equivalent to How to connect two [Unix/Linux] computers via USB cable and what sort of special cable is needed? -> http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-general-1/connecting-two-computers-with-a-usb-cable-data-cable-411073
It should work if one Neo is set to Host mode and the other one set to Device mode. One Neo could give power to the USB-port it the other Neo's battery is low. (I have to verify this)

How do I use an external USB or Bluetooth keyboard with the FreeRunner ?

NOTE: These commands appear to be for USB only? Could someone please supply the commands for using a Bluetooth keyboard? --eddsouza 08:21, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


Run: 

echo "host" > /sys/devices/platform/s3c2410-ohci/usb_mode
echo "1" > /sys/devices/platform/neo1973-pm-host.0/hostmode

These commands will put the Freerunner into powered USB host mode. After this, just plug in the keyboard and it'll work. Personally, I've made a .desktop file to switch into and out of host mode.

To switch back to unpowered device mode just run: 

echo "device" > /sys/devices/platform/s3c2410-ohci/usb_mode
echo "0" > /sys/devices/platform/neo1973-pm-host.0/hostmode

GSM

SIM compatibility: It looks like my SIM card is not working; how do I run diagnostics?

A: Here is how to check: follow Manually_using_GSM until you get an OK prompt.

For more detailed documentation, please refer to FreeRunner_unable_to_work_with_3G_SIM_cards and Carriers.

GSM/GPRS information

The following pages contain very useful information:

GPS

How do I get the GPS working?

A: See GTA02 GPS

It takes a long time (10min+) before the FreeRunner gets the first GPS data/readings

A: See GPS Problems.

Wi-Fi

How do I get the WLAN working?

A: See GTA02 WLAN

Bluetooth

How do I get Bluetooth working manually?

A: See Manually_using_Bluetooth

Sysfs functions/functionality

How do I get low level hardware related function, like power up device, dump register?

A: See GTA02_sysfs

Display

Can it play VGA video?

No, it can do about 20 fps QVGA with software, and something beetween QVGA and VGA playing MPEG-4 using hardware (at resonable fps). Scaling is also done with GPU hardware.

How to change the background picture of the root window?

Look here.

Software

Does it support Java?

There is a port of Jalimo for Openmoko.

Does it support Flash so can I watch YouTube?

Does it support Ruby?

Ruby 1.9 please refer http://blog.sparkymat.net/2008/08/10/ruby-19-on-openmoko/ Ruby 1.8.6 please refer http://blog.wolfman.com/articles/2008/08/10/ruby-1-8-6-on-openmoko-freerunner

How can I type a '/' in the software keyboard?

See Switching Keyboards

How do I get a QWERTY layout software keyboard?

See Switching Keyboards

Retrieved from "http://wiki.openmoko.org/index.php?title=Neo_FreeRunner_FAQ&oldid=50850"
Personal tools
Key pages on:
Neo FreeRunner


FreeRunner (GTA02): known hardware-related issues

There is a collection of known FreeRunner hardware issues at the wiki page Freerunner_Hardware_Issues; reading that page could help you quickly solve those issues.

Booting

Why won't the FreeRunner boot even with the charger connected?

A: Early builds of the FreeRunner1 have the issue that the phone needs to boot fully to enable charging of the battery. However, current supplied via the charger is not sufficient to boot the phone; some power is required from the battery as well2. If you've let your battery discharge totally, the only recommended3 way to boot the FreeRunner is with a spare battery. If you don't have a spare battery specifically for the FreeRunner, you can also use a Nokia battery (see Neo FreeRunner Battery for a list of compatible batteries).

1. Put in the spare battery and plug in your charger, and let the phone boot.

2. Once your phone has booted, remove the spare battery. The FreeRunner should continue running on power drawn from the charger.

3. Insert the dead battery and let it charge.

Notes:

How do I find out what image versions are in use on the phone?

A: You can run the commands given below on the phone (in an SSH session from your host PC, or in the Terminal application on the phone itself)

To find out Run
Kernel version that is currently running 
 uname -a
The version of the root filesystem that you are currently using 
 cat /etc/version

or 

 cat /etc/om-version
The versions of u-boot on the phone (The FreeRunner has one u-boot image in NOR memory, and one in NAND - see Booting the Neo FreeRunner for more information) 
 grep  Bootloader /dev/mtdblock0  (yields the NOR u-boot version)

or 

 grep  Bootloader /dev/mtdblock1  (yields the NAND u-boot version)

 

I'm unable to flash FreeRunner after booting either into NAND or NOR.

A:

NOTE: Please check Getting_Started_with_your_Neo_FreeRunner for more information about flashing new images to your phone.


I can SSH into the phone via USB as per the wiki instructions, but dfu-util does not find the phone.

A: In brief, you need to restart (or power on) the phone to get to the NOR u-boot menu before dfu-util will be able to connect. dfu-util uses the USB DFU (Universal Serial Bus Device Firmware Upgrade) protocol, which is only available at the u-boot menu, and not Ethernet over USB, which is what is available when the phone has booted fully.

Tip: If you're just trying out different distributions, you don't need to flash them with dfu-util; you can try out new distributions by putting them on the microSD card and booting from the card instead. If you'd like to do this instead of flashing, see Booting from SD.

To get the u-boot menu:

  1. Press and hold the AUX button
  2. Press the Power button until the phone powers on and displays the boot menu
  3. Release both buttons
  4. Press and release AUX to move the lightbar, so that the menu will not time out and boot the phone).

Also see the wiki pages/sections:


Battery

What is the expected battery life?

See Neo FreeRunner (GTA02) Battery#Notes_about_expected_battery_life and more battery information in Neo_FreeRunner_(GTA02)_Battery

How do I enable fast charge mode for anything but the official mains charger?

See Forcing fast charge mode.

USB

How do I connect a USB memory-stick etc?

A: This requires an adapter Mini-B 5-pole => Type A jack or an adapter jack => jack. See Host Mode for more information.

Q: Once I have such an adapter, can I use it to connect 2 Neos to each other?

A: This question is equivalent to How to connect two [Unix/Linux] computers via USB cable and what sort of special cable is needed? -> http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-general-1/connecting-two-computers-with-a-usb-cable-data-cable-411073
It should work if one Neo is set to Host mode and the other one set to Device mode. One Neo could give power to the USB-port it the other Neo's battery is low. (I have to verify this)

How do I use an external USB or Bluetooth keyboard with the FreeRunner ?

NOTE: These commands appear to be for USB only? Could someone please supply the commands for using a Bluetooth keyboard? --eddsouza 08:21, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


Run: 

echo "host" > /sys/devices/platform/s3c2410-ohci/usb_mode
echo "1" > /sys/devices/platform/neo1973-pm-host.0/hostmode

These commands will put the Freerunner into powered USB host mode. After this, just plug in the keyboard and it'll work. Personally, I've made a .desktop file to switch into and out of host mode.

To switch back to unpowered device mode just run: 

echo "device" > /sys/devices/platform/s3c2410-ohci/usb_mode
echo "0" > /sys/devices/platform/neo1973-pm-host.0/hostmode

GSM

SIM compatibility: It looks like my SIM card is not working; how do I run diagnostics?

A: Here is how to check: follow Manually_using_GSM until you get an OK prompt.

For more detailed documentation, please refer to FreeRunner_unable_to_work_with_3G_SIM_cards and Carriers.

GSM/GPRS information

The following pages contain very useful information:

GPS

How do I get the GPS working?

A: See GTA02 GPS

It takes a long time (10min+) before the FreeRunner gets the first GPS data/readings

A: See GPS Problems.

Wi-Fi

How do I get the WLAN working?

A: See GTA02 WLAN

Bluetooth

How do I get Bluetooth working manually?

A: See Manually_using_Bluetooth

Sysfs functions/functionality

How do I get low level hardware related function, like power up device, dump register?

A: See GTA02_sysfs

Display

Can it play VGA video?

No, it can do about 20 fps QVGA with software, and something beetween QVGA and VGA playing MPEG-4 using hardware (at resonable fps). Scaling is also done with GPU hardware.

How to change the background picture of the root window?

Look here.

Software

Does it support Java?

There is a port of Jalimo for Openmoko.

Does it support Flash so can I watch YouTube?

Does it support Ruby?

Ruby 1.9 please refer http://blog.sparkymat.net/2008/08/10/ruby-19-on-openmoko/ Ruby 1.8.6 please refer http://blog.wolfman.com/articles/2008/08/10/ruby-1-8-6-on-openmoko-freerunner

How can I type a '/' in the software keyboard?

See Switching Keyboards

How do I get a QWERTY layout software keyboard?

See Switching Keyboards