Author Topic: Help Needed with NSpire CM and nLaunch (Read 10975 times)

northern_snow · « **on:** July 10, 2013, 04:27:26 am »

The new nsManager supports of switching the region code.
But in the program, the function of switching a CM to a CX is disabled. So Zweb recompiled the source code and changed his CM into a CX, and flashed the Boot2 with RS232.
So in theory the CM is a CX now (Also the link software detect it as a CX)
...However, he can install neither the CX OS nor the CM OS.
The installation of nLaunch caused a reboot and stuck at 60% of the bar.
The installation of a CX OS caused a "Missing ASIC user flag" error. After the 80E0 field of OS image was changed, which means the ASIC user flag matches, another error displayed...
The installation of a CM OS casued an "Invalid program ID" error.

Questions:
Is there a syscall of boot2 can modify the NAND? Or any other way to modify the NAND without an OS?
What's wrong with the nLaunch?
What does the Field ID in hackspire really mean? In fact the ASIC user flag found in the OS image is not at the 80E0 field.

ExtendeD, Lionel Debroux, Critor, Adriweb, nLaunch guy and others please help...

critor · « **Reply #1 on:** July 10, 2013, 06:03:10 am »

In this first post, I'll try to explain comprehensively what I understand of this critic problem for other readers.
Correct me if I'm wrong.

nsNandMgr doesn't work on the latest TI-Nspire emulator release in CM mode, although it works like a charm in classic or CX mode. So unfortunately, we have no way to simulate exactly what you did - so it's important to be very accurate.

nsNandMgr does forbid some hazardous/untested things, yes.
So if I understand well, correct me if I'm wrong, you (guys) did modify the source in order to bypass those securities.

You did then:

use nsNandMgr to change the model ID in NAND-Manuf from 0x12 (TI-Nspire CM) to 0x10 (TI-Nspire CX)
use RS232 to flash CX Boot2 3.1.0.16

Question: how did you use RS232 on a model which has no Dock/J01 connector? Did you use the internal J04 connector?
Note: you could have flashed the Boot2 from nsNandMgr, before or after modifying the NAND ID.

So now, you have:

a TI-Nspire CM hardware
model ID 0x10 (TI-Nspire CX) in NAND-Manuf
the common TI-Nspire CX/CM Boot1 3.0.0.99
the TI-Nspire CX Boot2 3.1.0.16
User Flags 0b00010 (TI-Nspire CM) in ASIC

In that condition, it's normal for your calculator:

to reject CAS and CM OSes with an "Invalid program ID" error because of the NAND-manuf model ID
to reject CX OSes with a "Missing ASIC user flags" error because of the ASIC User Flags

Yes, your calculator is in a condition where it won't accept any 'normal' OS anymore.
Such calculators are usually referred as 'bricked' calculators.

Changing the 80E0 field in an OS file to match the ASIC user flags can't work because this field data belongs to the signed data.

northern_snow · « **Reply #2 on:** July 10, 2013, 07:01:02 am »

Yes he used the J04.
Thanks for your explanation critor

Here are two possible ways to solve the problem:
1 Find out a syscall under boot 2 which can modify either manuf or ASIC.
2 Make nLaunch work. (IMHO nLaunch bypasses all the check of manuf and ASIC)

critor · « **Reply #3 on:** July 10, 2013, 07:25:37 am »

If it was so easy to inject code and use Boot2 3.1 syscalls, we wouldn't have waited for Nlaunch CX.

Solving this critic problem means making Nlaunch (or a similar tool) work with the CX Boot2 on your CM hardware.

And we should first try to determine where it does crash and why.

The TI-Nspire CM hardware has only 32MB RAM instead of 64MB on a real TI-Nspire CX.
This might have some issues with overflow exploits for example...

To help us determining where Nlaunch does crash you might try to modify its source code by adding some ouputs to the top left-hand corner of the screen or to RS232.

zweb · « **Reply #4 on:** July 10, 2013, 07:54:14 am »

After transmitting the nlaunch to the calculator,it will reboot.I'm pretty sure codes executed before reboot(in fact,reboot is generated by nlaunch),but after reboot,no code executed.

critor · « **Reply #5 on:** July 10, 2013, 08:11:55 am »

Do you have the time to see if some characters are outputted to the top left-hand corner of the screen before the reboot when sending nlaunch.tco ?

zweb · « **Reply #6 on:** July 10, 2013, 07:05:35 pm »

Yes,"YZ" displayed.

critor · « **Reply #7 on:** July 10, 2013, 07:26:25 pm »

Ok, Y+Z+reset seems perfectly normal:

Code: [Select]

firstloader_cx.c:
void main(void) {
    const char *preloader_path = "/documents/nlaunch/preloader.tns";
    display_msg_to_screen(u"Y",0,0);
    *(volatile unsigned*)0x90060C00 = 0x1ACCE551;
    *(volatile unsigned*)0x90060008 = 0;
    *(volatile unsigned*)0x90060C00 = 0;
    mkdir("/phoenix/install/");
    rename(preloader_path, (char *)0x118D9DA4);
    display_msg_to_screen(u"Z",0,0);
    boot2_HW_reset();
    __builtin_unreachable();
}

What is not normal, is Nlaunch not being started upon reboot by the CX Boot2 3.1 on the CM hardware.

critor · « **Reply #8 on:** July 11, 2013, 08:51:53 am »

Ok, let's focus on what happens on the 1st reboot after sending Nlaunch.tco.

The Boot2 is supposed to start at 60%.

You're getting a freeze without any error message or anything printed in the top left-hand corner of the screen? Please confirm this. It would mean the Boot2 tries to launch Nlaunch, but crash for some reason.

If you press the reset button again, what do you get? The same thing?

Just a little idea: could you retry to install Nlaunch after using the maintenance menu to reformat your filesystem?
On TI-Nspire CX, filesystem starts at NAND page 0x800, but on TI-Nspire CM it does start at NAND page 0x7C0.

zweb · « **Reply #9 on:** July 11, 2013, 06:08:32 pm »

I confirm this.Nothing displayed but freezed at 60%
I reseted it,the same thing.
I tried all reformat,but the same thing.

critor · « **Reply #10 on:** July 12, 2013, 05:11:57 am »

Ok. I hope someone will have the time to dig into Nlaunch code.

But unfortunately, we're in the middle of the summer, and I got no reply from the Ndless team for now.

You might have to way a little, but please don't throw away your calculator.
There is no reason Nlaunch won't work on the TI-Nspire CM someday.

critor · « **Reply #11 on:** July 12, 2013, 07:18:25 pm »

What *might* be possible if you can't wait, would be to recompile Nlaunch by including some NAND-fixing code in preloader.c.

You would nead to:
- read the 16 first NAND pages (each page is 2048-bytes) to a buffer (I've never tried to read/erase/write less than 16 pages at a time)
- modify the model ID from 0x10 to 0x12 in the buffer
- erase the 16 first NAND pages
- flash the 16 first NAND pages with the buffer content

Before trying on your calculator, check that such code works on the emulator in CX mode with CX Boot2 3.1.

Make the program as simple as possible in order to use as few syscalls as possible, as every syscall will have to be (re)defined with CX Boot2 3.1 addresses.

You'll need to find read_NAND, nand_erase_range and write_NAND syscalls addresses in the Boot2.

critor · « **Reply #12 on:** July 15, 2013, 11:31:23 am »

Triple-posting.

I finally got a reply from the Ndless team, which does confirm my main hypothesis.

The current nLaunch(y) CX code needs 64MB RAM in order to work.
The TI-Nspire CM has only 32MB RAM and this will have to be fixed.

Quote

The current nLaunch(y) for CX only work with 64mb of RAM.
Some adresses in memory are hard-coded and fall in the over 60 mb of the memory, which does not exists if you only have 32mb. One of these adresses is at the very beginning, before anything gets printed.

critor · « **Reply #13 on:** July 17, 2013, 08:53:25 am »

Ok, so we have to make nLaunch work on the TI-Nspire emulator in CX mode with only 32MB SDRAM.
I think this should do.

CX mode 32MB SDRAM: nspire_emu /MX
CX mode 64MB SDRAM: nspire_emu /MX /R

Streetwalrus · « **Reply #14 on:** July 17, 2013, 02:13:17 pm »

Holy quadrouble post Batman !

Seriously though, I hope that you guys will be able to fix this.

Author Topic: Help Needed with NSpire CM and nLaunch (Read 10975 times)

northern_snow

Help Needed with NSpire CM and nLaunch

critor

Re: Help Needed with NSpire CM and nLaunch

northern_snow

Re: Help Needed with NSpire CM and nLaunch

critor

Re: Help Needed with NSpire CM and nLaunch

zweb

Re: Help Needed with NSpire CM and nLaunch

critor

Re: Help Needed with NSpire CM and nLaunch

zweb

Re: Help Needed with NSpire CM and nLaunch

critor

Re: Help Needed with NSpire CM and nLaunch

critor

Re: Help Needed with NSpire CM and nLaunch

zweb

Re: Help Needed with NSpire CM and nLaunch

critor

Re: Help Needed with NSpire CM and nLaunch

critor

Re: Help Needed with NSpire CM and nLaunch

critor

Re: Help Needed with NSpire CM and nLaunch

critor

Re: Help Needed with NSpire CM and nLaunch

Streetwalrus

Re: Help Needed with NSpire CM and nLaunch