Linux on 7" mini netbook ARM-VT8500 ?

[sleeky24]

I took the battery out of my netbook last night and the main board is green in colour, looks very similar to the CNM Book and also has the two jumpers that are talked about on the CNM book website, so looks like we have three variants so far!

Also my unit runs Win CE5.0 not 6.0, same specs as everyone elses machines vt8500 300mhz, 128mb and 2gb storage. Unfortunatly there is no serialview.exe on the system so I cannot provide the details from this. I tried using the serialview.exe from dwinstons files but windows CE responds by saying "this is not a valid windows CE program."

I may open the unit up further at the weekend to try and get a manufacture of the board.

Lee.

[stw89]

I'd recommend to contact them about that: http://www.kasernet.com/contact-us
The more we are, the better it is. It's GPL anyway, it's a legal obligation.

You can find the Linux I was talking about here: http://kasernet.livedrive.com/frameset.php?path=/files/

Kasernet's Public files > Public > YF-700 > Firmware > Busybox

Has anyone read through the SDK PDF at -

http://kasernet.livedrive.com/frameset.php?path=/files/

Kasernet's Public files > Public > YF-700 > SDK > YF700 SDK QG.pdf

Why must we log onto the Kaser SDK server to build the kernel? (sdk.kasernet.com)

"Where is the kernel source code
After your login to sdk server (sdk.kasernet.com) with your id and password, you need go to ~/src
to check your own kernel source code"

The PDF references yf700-kernel-1.1.6.tgz

[stw89]

Ok so the YF700 looks like to have an embedded Linux OS called QRDP (Quick RDP) -

Firmware upgrade details here -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q93dhTp6hZc

Nextvolume, you have this booting? Does it make any reference to QRDP?

More details at -

http://www.thinclient.co.th/product/...d/QuickRDP.pdf

http://www.norhtec.com/products/acc/...ion-080725.doc

MicroClient TC thin client unit seems to also use VT8500.

[nextvolume]

Yes, the Kaser YF-700 thin client is what I'm already getting the kernel from. I know about the NorhTec as well.

[dnharley2591]

The password after you push F1 is ztk
My daughter had deleted all the system files on the cnm mini it has wince5 I followed all instructions on the manufacturer site I bought three different transfer cables and I held tweezers on the specified components on the board and microsoft sync will not recognize the netbook and it does not give me the notice about new hardware so I am finding it to be very difficult to restore this machine is there any other way? I prefer linux on the machine but all I see is system initializing, please wait and it stays there I had it on for 2 days and it wont boot past that I also tried update xip with the sys restore files on a usb flash and eboot nothing seems to work. any suggestions?

[dwinston91]

nextvolume, what version of U-boot do you have on your machine? given by the environment variable ver
Mine is U-boot Version: VT8500 U-Boot 1.2.16.1 (Oct 29, 2009 - 00:00:51)

Did you update your U-Boot?

[nextvolume]

It is probably a modified git build of buildroot, as I can't find that version in the U-Boot FTP site directory.
Its base is from two years ago, I think.
The date there is most likely a build date - which, if it is, means they've built these notebooks quite recently!

I will check tomorrow as I prefer not to reboot once I get Linux loaded because it can be tricky to get loading again.

You can surely upgrade your U-Boot, but I don't know how to do so from software yet, and one should actually get a SPI flash programmer or build one for himself (because pre-built they're too expensive) otherwise
if the U-Boot upgrade goes wrong (power goes away, version which doesn't work with the hardware) your notebook will be bricked pretty badly, we don't even have an image dump for U-Boot.
On the other hand, with an SPI programmer, one could do a dump of the SPI flash and if something goes wrong, it's as easy as restoring that dump. It requires you to desolder the SPI flash (that small 8-pin chip on the module with the VT8500, etc.), though.

[dwinston91]

I was just trying to figure out if the U-boot versions were different, and that was the reason mine didn't get any further than: Loading kernel...

No matter how long I let it sit.

[nextvolume]

My U-Boot version is this:
VT8500 U-Boot 1.2.18.1 (Nov 24 2009 - 12:50:31)

So it's newer than yours - but it might just be the build date.

Also, does it hang when it displays Loading kernel or after it displays Booting?

[PrFaas]

Another 'lurker' coming 'alive'

Very short introduction:
- linuxer since the days of Slackware-3.0
- have some experience with linux-on-arm (Toradex-pxa270)
- not afraid of a soldering iron
- own one of the 'toys' as discussed here

I've not (yet) opened 'mine', it's an epc, vt8500@300MHz/128MB-ram/2Gig-flash, wince-6.0 . Seems like nothing special there...
'Mine' was -from-shop missing some 'apps': no nPop I've remedied that by now.

I have a few questions to those who've already looked inside:
- what type number of the spi bootprom? I have in the past built a simple (rs-232-port-based) programmer for spi flash proms, and think i could perhaps read/program this one as well.
- are there *any* signs of rudiments of an rs-232 port on the board? u-boot usually 'talks' via rs-232, and it would be no surprise if that has not been entirely disabled in this machine. An rs-232 buffer using -say- the mic jack connector to 'get outside' could then be added to get 'full control' of u-boot..
- has anyone tried to make a script for dhcp/bootp for u-boot? A 'normal' u-boot has support for that. With the Toradex i did most of the development while the arm effectively did a 'netboot'. It's not difficult to set up, and very convenient to try things out. I do not really fancy the idea of doing a zillion re-flashes of the thing before settling on a final linux-install....