website describing how to build your own kernel with your own startup-logo:

http://empeg.boege.net

Very cool.

Have you thought about providing this as a service? I would pay US$25 for a custom kernel with my info in it! (Once I get an empeg that is.)

Stan

Bobo is the man, too. He was up until 3:00 this morning making sure it worked with beta 9b for us. Then, exactly 30 seconds after I mailed him back saying "it worked!", Mike posted beta 9c. Talk about timing.

Here's the one I drew up for mine (phone number changed to protect my sanity):



I spent a lot of time rebooting the unit just so I could see the logo. I'll tell ya, though, I had no idea how cramped 128x32 was until I tried making that screen. I am so amazed at how well the Empeg folks got all those menus onto that tiny little screen. It's a work of art, I tell you.

I'm wondering whether the Empeg folks are upset about us doing this. Is that like defacing a trademark? I sure hope not. Because I love what I've got in there.


-- Tony Fabris -- Empeg #144 --
Caution: Do not look into laser with remaining good eye.

Nice logo :)
I'm just going to pop my name in the corner of mine.. I like the penguin!

I think it will be possible to write a program to upload the images into the kernel without having to update the whole kernel. Won't know until I try.. I'm going to have a look as soon as I'm home from work.


I wouldn't worry about 9c, the kernel hasn't changed so it will still work. Even if they do change the kernel it will still work unless they change the logo display stuff :)

Hi Stan,

send me your logo and I´ll compile a kernel for you.
If there are not to much requests - it´s no problem :-)
Í´m trying how to change the logo whithout recompiling the kernel - it would be much easier then...

bobo

Both you and Bobo have mentioned trying to edit the Kernel without recompiling it. That would be so cool because you could do it all in a Win32 program without Linux. Bobo already has the pieces in place: The Win32 kernel uploader, and the GIF-to-logo converter.

Imagine a little program that prompts you for the location of the .GIF and does all the work for you in one operation?


-- Tony Fabris -- Empeg #144 --
Caution: Do not look into laser with remaining good eye.

it would be really cool,
but it´s very hard to change the logo in the binary-kernel-image :-(

bobo

Bobo,

Lets talk in May. I'm waiting on a MkII empeg!

Stan

Surely if you had a decent library linker, you should be able to dump a list
of linked modules in the kernel image, then use the extract capability to remove a module? You could then re-link the image with a new .o module.

Alternatively, the lib linker should be able to re-link by replacing the current module.

Modifying the kernel image directly would be very difficult since the entire kernel is compressed. One way to get round this would be for someone to produce a custom kernel which read the startup logo from an area of flash outside the kernel and then write a program (based on download.c) which allowed the logo to be downloaded to this area of the flash independently.

Hmm, I wonder if you could hang some cleverness off interrupts to do animation among a number of frames until the first thing gets pushed onto the queue by the player...

--
Mike Crowe
I may not be speaking on behalf of empeg above :-)

Hmm, I wonder if you could hang some cleverness off interrupts to do animation among a number of frames until the first thing gets pushed onto the queue by the player...

Oh no! Not dancing penguins!





-- Tony Fabris -- Empeg #144 --
Caution: Do not look into laser with remaining good eye.

Like Hamsterdance, annoying tune and all

Geoff
---- -------
Reg No. 554, s/n 00064 - It's mine I tell you.... all mine :)

With a cute startup default phrase like "Empeg really whips the penguins ass"

oh well.. thats a bit unoriginal.

Next release has a file we can update too change the logging screen?
Animated Startup screens? Horray!




Empeg Kicks Ass
S/N 00203
http://www.iretro.com

Next release has a file we can update too change the logging screen? Animated Startup screens? Horray!

And how exactly did Mike give you the impression that he would implement this in the next release? I certainly didn't read that into his statement.

No, I clearly understood it as a solid promise that he'd implement it the release after the next release.



-- Tony Fabris -- Empeg #144 --
Caution: Do not look into laser with remaining good eye.

that's funny!

I'm excited at the prospect that that will be added.
Super-Customization is in.. its one of the features i look forward to
in most software releases..

and something that i have been looking forward to in the EMPEG

thats what the whole MP3 thing is about to me. My choice of music , when I want it on demand , and how i want it


Empeg Kicks Ass
S/N 00203
http://www.iretro.com

A quick warning, The download program used to transfer your new kernel to the empeg does _NOT_ work in windows NT. It will work just long enough to erase your flash. I was able to reboot into 98 and run the download program and my empeg works just fine now. Can anyone else confirm this? I tried it three times (in a panic!).

oh yeah.. forgot to mention, this is really really cool. Now if my empeg does get stollen some guy is going to have my name and number flash on it every time he tries to show it off!

haven´t tested it with win NT,
but there are no problems in WIN2000 and it´s based on NT technology...

The download program used to transfer your new kernel to the empeg does _NOT_ work in windows NT. It will work just long enough to erase your flash.

I haven't tried it in NT yet, but I had a similar problem under Win98 that turned out to be my fault. Since the download program only worked for Com1, I had to physically swap the empeg off of Com2 in order to use it. Since Com1 and Com3 share an interrupt, and since my modem is on Com3, it screwed up because I was online while I was trying to upgrade my kernel. Now I remember why I plugged my Empeg into Com2 in the first place. The solution, of course, was to hang up the modem before uploading the new kernel.

Is it possible that's what happened to you? Using a modem that shared an interrupt with your Com1 port?

Another possibility is that the settings for Com1 weren't correct for the Empeg. Remember that it wants NO handshaking, rather than software or hardware handshaking. (Other settings are 115200 N 8 1.)

Just throwing out ideas. For all I know, it could have been an NT problem.


-- Tony Fabris -- Empeg #144 --
Caution: Do not look into laser with remaining good eye.

I just changed a line in the download program to point it at a different serial port (ttys1 in my case, but I assume you could do the same for the com port in the win32 bit.. =)

Jazz
(List 112, S/N 00030, 4 gig blue)

Anyone have a compiled win32 binary of the downloader? preferably for COM2? :) I don't have my application development suites installed, and the CDs are at work.

Thanks,

(O|||||O)

Bobo has been sending out a Win32 version (set for Com1) with each of the kernels he's compiled for other users. I wouldn't mind a Com2 version, either, or a version that changes the Com port via a command-line parameter. How about it, Bobo?

-- Tony Fabris -- Empeg #144 --
Caution: Do not look into laser with remaining good eye.

Okay then, could you post your binary downloader someplace so that I could grab it? It doesn't really matter if its COM1, I can switch the cables.

Thanks

(O|||||O)

No. My modem is on Com2. And I have nothing on IRQ 4 other than my COM1 port.
I just double checked my port settings and they are correct too. I'm about to recompile again. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Is it possible that's what happened to you? Using a modem that shared an interrupt with your Com1 port?

Another possibility is that the settings for Com1 weren't correct for the Empeg. Remember that it wants NO handshaking, rather than software or hardware handshaking. (Other settings are 115200 N 8 1.)

Bobo already has the downloader posted, along with a readme and a sample logo. It's right there on the page with his downloading instructions. The link is right here.


-- Tony Fabris -- Empeg #144 --
Caution: Do not look into laser with remaining good eye.

Tried it again.. same results.. Didn't work in NT, rebooted to 98. Dialed into the internet, started internet explorer downloading a file, started microsoft word printing a 10 page document, then started the kernel download program and it worked great!

Ahh.. I assumed that that file was something else, from the filename. :)

(O|||||O)

In the interests of personal fulfillment, self-education, and a near-suicidal desire to fiddle with kernels and possibly screw my empeg up totally, I've downloaded the bits and pieces to try to change the logo.

But it was Sunday night, and the lid was only finally screwed back onto my Linux box after lying in the middle of the floor posing risks to life and limb for anyone who entered the room (a handy burglar deterrent in an already-dark room full of computers, terminals and stuff) I was tired, had an early start this morning... (stop me when I've made enough excuses to cover for a really lame question!)

Basically, I can't get the patches applied to the kernel source!

Can someone give me a quick overview of how to apply patches? (I've somehow managed to avoid ever having to do this before - don't ask me how, I don't quite know myself!!)

(Working away from home during the week really sucks - the weekends are just too short!!)

Geoff
---- -------
Reg No. 554, s/n 00064 - It's mine I tell you.... all mine :)

Applying patches is usually easy:

% cd $sources
% patch < $patchfile

The trick is getting the current directory matched up with the filename listings inside the patch, using the -p option to strip off pathname components.

In the case of the empeg kernel source patches, there are two leading pathname components (up to and including the second slash) that should be removed (-p2).

Combining this with bzcat we get:

% cd empeg-kernel-2.2.12-rmk1-np12-empeg18
% bzcat $patchdir/empeg-kernel-patch-beta8c-beta9a.bz2 | patch -p2
% bzcat $patchdir/empeg-kernel-patch-beta9a-beta9b.bz2 | patch -p2

Cheers,
-v

Thanks, that's just what I needed...

Now I just have to wait until I get home again on Friday ... I think I'm going to have to set up dial-in access to my home network if this keeps up

(I was almost there, except for the '-p2')

Geoff
---- -------
Reg No. 554, s/n 00064 - It's mine I tell you.... all mine :)

Well, here's the first draft of mine.... JeepBastard, you should appreciate this one. :)

Of course it also contains my phone number, but it has been removed for obvious reasons. :)



Woo!

(O|||||O)

looks great! Cant wait to see it shrunk down


Empeg Kicks Ass
S/N 00203
http://www.iretro.com

If you want the 128x32 version, just let me know. :)

(O|||||O)

Since im retarted, and dont know kaka about linux or programming, im having a slight problem getting my cutom logo to work. I have hyperterminal, and i propperly accessed the shell of empeg, but then after that nothing works. I try to follow the directions but still no luck. Can someone kindly give me a simplified and brokendown way to upload the cutsom kernal to the empeg? Thanks ahead of time.
-Jordan

You must use the kernel uploader program. If you had Bobo compile your kernel for you (he offers to do it on his page), the file he sent you should contain the Win32 version of the program and exact step-by-step instructions on what to do.

(To be even more clear: The instructions on Bobo's page assume that you have Linux installed on your PC and that you know how to compile programs under Linux. If you're trying to follow Bobo's instructions at the Empeg shell prompt in a terminal program, you're barking up the wrong tree...)


-- Tony Fabris -- Empeg #144 --
Caution: Do not look into laser with remaining good eye.

In order to compile the kernel for the empeg, you're going to need access to ANOTHER linux box (NOT the empeg). This is where you install all the tools you need to compile the kernel for the empeg (cross compiler for arm processors, the kernel source code, and so on).

I can also offer the service. If you have a 128x32 picture you want compiled into a kernel, I can do this for you. Just send me the pic and I'll do it for you.

I'm also porting the kernel uploader code into a Windows application so that you can specify different COM ports and so on in a nice pretty interface. Should be done when I can find some more time to dedicate to it.

(O|||||O)

So what do i need to get linux on my pc, then how do i compile a program to upload my kernal. I already have the kernal made ny bobo

So what do i need to get linux on my pc, then how do i compile a program to upload my kernal. I already have the kernal made ny bobo

Oh my goodness, we're at this level of instruction. Ah, now I see where you're coming from. I'm pretty sure Bobo sent you the downloader, so it appears as though you just haven't found it yet. Just to be perfectly clear, I'm going to rewind all the way to the beginning... forgive me if I sound patronizing here...

Okay, the file that Bobo sent you was probably called "Your_Empeg_Kernel.Zip". This is what's called a ZIP archive, and you need a piece of extractor software to unzip it. You can get Winzip from www.winzip.com for that.

Before you begin, make sure your Empeg is running Beta 9b or 9c by looking at its "about" menu.

Create a folder on your C: hard disk called "temp". Using Winzip, extract the .zip file that Bobo sent you into that folder (C:\temp). Now there should be three files in that folder:

download.exe
zimage
readme

(Note: If DOWNLOAD.EXE is not included in the zip file, snag it from Bobo's web site... it's the link that points to the "Your_Empeg_Kernel.zip".)

Plug your Empeg into the serial port, Com1:. Unplug its power cord so that it's completely off.

Go to the Start menu and select "Run". In the box, type the word COMMAND and press the Enter key. You should get a DOS prompt.

At the DOS prompt, type C: and press the Enter key. Type CD\TEMP and press the enter key.

The prompt should say C:\TEMP now.

Type DOWNLOAD ZIMAGE 10000 and press the Enter key. It will prompt you to supply power to the Empeg. Do this without unplugging the serial cable.

Wait for it to upload your program to the Empeg. If it's successful, you can reboot your Empeg and see it.

Enjoy!




-- Tony Fabris -- Empeg #144 --
Caution: Do not look into laser with remaining good eye.

Great, thanks! I got it to work! Since you can explain things so easily to idiots like me. Would you mind explaining now how to make my own kernal on win 98? Thanks
-Jordan

No problem. Take your Linux kernel, add 29.5 million lines of code that provide questionable services, and that roughly approximate the functionality of every revenue-generating software product on the market, and compile.

Corby
SN#320, 6-Gig Blue

heh,

I think he said compile on Win 98. Not how do you compile linux into win 98. :) ha. I suspect it is possible to cross compile from win 98.

Calvin

Would you mind explaining now how to make my own kernal on win 98?

Currently, as far as I know, compiling the kernel requires Linux. I don't recommend that you try to install Linux, since that's a whole can of worms all by itself. (Not that Windows isn't a can of worms, it's just... aw, nevermind.)

Someone else on this thread said that it would be theoretically possible to have a cross-compiler that ran under Windows, but I don't know if one exists at the current time.



-- Tony Fabris -- Empeg #144 --
Caution: Do not look into laser with remaining good eye.

Thanks calvin. Well then can someone make my kernal for me? If yes, just leave your e-mail. Thanks
-Jordan

I only deal with theories :). If I could, I would do it for you... but I don't even know where to start on something like that.

Calvin

I'll compile a kernel for you. Just send the pic you want to empeg@hulkster.net and I'll email a kernel back.