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The BCM4330 has a number of listed features that our SGS2s do not appear to have. For instance, the chip in question has listed support for Bluetooth 4.0+HS (so, I assume the Bluetooth low power standard) and FM Transmission/Receive, however all sources state that the SGS2 only supports up to Bluetooth 3.0, does not have Bluetooth high speed (virtually the same as Wifi direct, I'm told, but may not have the same level of uptake) and there are no references to FM transmission.
Without relevant APIs or sources I assume none of these unused features can be utilised. Is it a possibility that Samsung removed some components of the chip to reduce bulk?
What's confused me about this entire situation is that the original Galaxy S and the iPhone4 feature this same chipset, but there's not even a mention of Bluetooth3.0 even though they appear to support it . . . weird. Perhaps I've completely failed to understand the nature of these chipsets, but if I'm not being completely stupid then it'd be nice to explore how one could fiddle with our precious phones to extend its capabilities.
Bump
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HazzBazz said:
The BCM4330 has a number of listed features that our SGS2s do not appear to have. For instance, the chip in question has listed support for Bluetooth 4.0+HS (so, I assume the Bluetooth low power standard) and FM Transmission/Receive, however all sources state that the SGS2 only supports up to Bluetooth 3.0, does not have Bluetooth high speed (virtually the same as Wifi direct, I'm told, but may not have the same level of uptake) and there are no references to FM transmission.
Without relevant APIs or sources I assume none of these unused features can be utilised. Is it a possibility that Samsung removed some components of the chip to reduce bulk?
What's confused me about this entire situation is that the original Galaxy S and the iPhone4 feature this same chipset, but there's not even a mention of Bluetooth3.0 even though they appear to support it . . . weird. Perhaps I've completely failed to understand the nature of these chipsets, but if I'm not being completely stupid then it'd be nice to explore how one could fiddle with our precious phones to extend its capabilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Example:
Back then, at MWC 10, Samsung introduced the Samsung Omnia HD (i8910) which has alot of things AND an FM transmitter, when the device was actually launch, it didn't have the FM transmitter, modders and coders saw & knew that this device have the component, even proved with a secret code and an app they build, but no one has ever managed to get it to work.
So far of being a costumer at Samsung corp. I noticed 2 mistakes that they are repeating:
1. Samsung can't manage to get solid 30fps at 720p devices and 1080p.
2. Samsung rls products with an FM transmitter but they never support it and doing everything that we won't manage to get it work.
The fact that this chip is capable of performing all those tasks does not mean it is capable of doing all those task simultaneously. There might be some hardware challenges/contradictions between the different roles.
For instance, bluetooth 4.0 requires filtering above 3GHz of more than 10dB, while at the same time the chip is capable of Wifi on 5GHz; both are supposed to be on the same antenna so either you can not use the chip for Bluetooth 4.0 AND wifi 5GHz or you have to use some very complicated filter depending on which mode you're using. If they have not supplied this filter inside the chip then it becomes a bit complicated to use both modes.
The FM transceiver could very well be connected to the same internal power amplifiers as wifi but a wifi antenna does not look like an FM antenna.
It is not always possible (actually seldom) to use all the specifications of a chip at the same time with the same hardware setup. (Though often the user won't notice because it is not able to check the specification, like ultra low power and high speed often conflict.)
The features you mention are integrated into the chip itself, so it's not possible to "offload" them. However, they may leave out necessary off-chip components and/or enabling software.
For example, FM is popular in Korea. Many Samsung models targeted to the Korean Market include FM capability. It requires extra hardware though, including a rather primitive looking FM antenna. The corresponding models for other parts of the world leave this out. I presume Samsung doesn't see the popularity of FM in other parts of the world to be enough to make up for the extra cost in the handset.
Drivers and such require work, too. So while the chip may support the capability, they may postpone the software development for various reasons. If the hardware support is fully intact, it might be possible to make something work, but it could require some very deep hacking.
requist's response is interesting and seems like a possibility, although a quick reading of the Broadcom product page seems to suggest they've accounted for mixing capabilities in the chip design. Hard to tell without more detailed info.
Disclaimer: I'm not an official spokesperson. Opinions expressed here are mine and not those of my employer.
requist said:
The fact that this chip is capable of performing all those tasks does not mean it is capable of doing all those task simultaneously. There might be some hardware challenges/contradictions between the different roles.
For instance, bluetooth 4.0 requires filtering above 3GHz of more than 10dB, while at the same time the chip is capable of Wifi on 5GHz; both are supposed to be on the same antenna so either you can not use the chip for Bluetooth 4.0 AND wifi 5GHz or you have to use some very complicated filter depending on which mode you're using. If they have not supplied this filter inside the chip then it becomes a bit complicated to use both modes.
The FM transceiver could very well be connected to the same internal power amplifiers as wifi but a wifi antenna does not look like an FM antenna.
It is not always possible (actually seldom) to use all the specifications of a chip at the same time with the same hardware setup. (Though often the user won't notice because it is not able to check the specification, like ultra low power and high speed often conflict.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
time division multiplexing.
Dirty_Jerz said:
time division multiplexing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That does not solve hardware conflicts.
Hi chaps,
I'm just wondering which GPS chipset the device uses, and therefore what the spec sheet numbers are for cold start, etc.
jimcpl kindly posted the device's dmesg output in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=20531460
but there's no sign of the GPS. Would someone mind posting the dmesg output (or just the tail end) with the GPS up and running so I can see if there's anything in there?
On the Tab 7 the GPS is integrated with the modem, but presumably the Player lacks a modem so it will have the GPS connected somewhere else perhaps more easily accessible from Linux (though one never knows - it might be cheaper to use an existing package even if it's not fully activated)
Thanks
Hi,
I just checked and did another dmesg with the GPS enabled, and also running Navfree, but I don't see anything in the dmesg re. GPS. Do you know what to look for?
Jim
No not really.
I suppose the GPS chip may be directly connected to one of the GPIOs and the firmware and setup is all handled by a userspace library talking to it through a sysfs/dev entry (which are automatically setup by the kernel, without necessarily any indication of what's attached).
Looking at the sysfs might give some clues, but really don't worry too much, I'll do some digging once mine turns up.
Ah, I see that the GPS comms are handled by a library called libgps*.so (can have different suffixes depending on the hw manufacturer), so doing some reverse engineering of this file is probably the next step in order to work out where the chip is attached and what it is.
Interestingly the GPS comms pass through libril as is the case on devices with a modem.
Also vaguely interesting is the fact that "Cell Standby" has used 67% of my battery use (which is ~20% of the battery) overnight. Does anyone know where the UI gets this info from? If it's just summing the CPU time used by some process attached to libril*.so (which would normally handle modem comms, as well as the GPS) that would be fair enough, otherwise it's a conundrum (I guess we don'[t really have a modem in the device which we just can't access....)?
Re chipset, I didn't spot anything in the strings of the various libraries, but I only had a quick look. It is, however, a Broadcom chipset as I can see the function entry points to the static library that Broadcom supply built into libgps*.so.
I must see whether Broadcom supply source (very unlikely) or binaries to the general public and not just large companies....
lardman said:
Interestingly the GPS comms pass through libril as is the case on devices with a modem.
Also vaguely interesting is the fact that "Cell Standby" has used 67% of my battery use (which is ~20% of the battery) overnight. Does anyone know where the UI gets this info from? If it's just summing the CPU time used by some process attached to libril*.so (which would normally handle modem comms, as well as the GPS) that would be fair enough, otherwise it's a conundrum (I guess we don'[t really have a modem in the device which we just can't access....)?
Re chipset, I didn't spot anything in the strings of the various libraries, but I only had a quick look. It is, however, a Broadcom chipset as I can see the function entry points to the static library that Broadcom supply built into libgps*.so.
I must see whether Broadcom supply source (very unlikely) or binaries to the general public and not just large companies....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Broacom is one of the least open-source friendly companies on the planet.
I was considering the Galaxy Player, but if the GPS is from Broadcom I'm not touching it with a ten foot pole.
Assuming it uses the same version of the GPS as the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab (no way I can see to recognise it from the strings in the binary, but if anyone has any ideas I'm all ears), then this is also the same chipset as the Nokia N950 uses, and the N950 runs Maemo/Meego which makes things nicer.
Namely there's a kernel driver for the chipset, but this is just a gateway and one requires the firmware and userspace binary to talk to the GPS chip. On the N950 this is in a binary-only daemon.
So not ideal, but at least a kernel driver possibly exists (I've not checked whether it works on the Tab or Player), so it's a step in the right direction; just some reverse engineering to do now (or for my usecase, which is porting Meego to the device, just see if the binary will run)
lardman said:
Assuming it uses the same version of the GPS as the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab (no way I can see to recognise it from the strings in the binary, but if anyone has any ideas I'm all ears), then this is also the same chipset as the Nokia N950 uses, and the N950 runs Maemo/Meego which makes things nicer.
Namely there's a kernel driver for the chipset, but this is just a gateway and one requires the firmware and userspace binary to talk to the GPS chip. On the N950 this is in a binary-only daemon.
So not ideal, but at least a kernel driver possibly exists (I've not checked whether it works on the Tab or Player), so it's a step in the right direction; just some reverse engineering to do now (or for my usecase, which is porting Meego to the device, just see if the binary will run)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's pretty rare for there to be a kernel driver for anything but reset/power management GPIOs - most of these devices use a serial interface that the GPS libs or userspace daemon talk to.
I can't find any YP-G70 teardowns for more details... Got kinda tempted at BBY today... If it's Broadcom I'm staying away, if it's something else I might go for it.
Entropy512 said:
It's pretty rare for there to be a kernel driver for anything but reset/power management GPIOs - most of these devices use a serial interface that the GPS libs or userspace daemon talk to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, certainly there's still work to do, but knowing how to power the device up is a nice freebie, rather than needing to reverse engineer that too.
Entropy512 said:
I can't find any YP-G70 teardowns for more details... Got kinda tempted at BBY today... If it's Broadcom I'm staying away, if it's something else I might go for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's definitely Broadcom I'm afraid, the libgps.so strings contains a load of functions that appear to come from Broadcom (I can't list any right now, it's on a different computer, but can do so this evening if you're interested)
I'm looking to disassemble an Xperia P to investigate a possible FM transmit hardware hack.
I see the Xperia S writeups and the Russian stuff here: http://goldphone.tv/articles/196450/ and here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Sv_m2E50RY
But now I'm trying to get the photos for FCC certification. Engadget linked them here but the URL is broken: https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas...e=N&application_id=281605&fcc_id='PY7A3880135
Does anyone have the documents and photos, or have any idea where I could find them ?
I tried several FCC site searches using application_id of "281605" and fcc_id of "PY7A3880135"
Thanks !
They are some other photos here : http://www.wirelessgoodness.com/201...its-the-fcc-with-teardown-photos-user-manual/
Kess78 said:
They are some other photos here : http://www.wirelessgoodness.com/201...its-the-fcc-with-teardown-photos-user-manual/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks !
It appears that very few people have opened any of these ST-Ericsson based Xperia's. And that Torx screw in the sides is smaller than any tool I have yet. Not an easy task I guess.
If anyone finds them I'd still like to get the original FCC photos, which I think are higher resolution.
I couldn't find the cg2900 in those photos. Here are the notes I've made about the identifiable chips and the markings on them:
ST-Ericsson AV7100 HDMI TV OUT:
7100
90DJ
145F
e
STMicro AGD8 gyroscope or three-axis accelerometer:
e
AGD8
2146
THKDI
NFC chip ?:
NXP
65001
10446
NSD1491X
M Micron 256Mb LPDRAM:
IXAI8
D9MMQ <-
8GTG
ST-Ericsson Audio & Power Mgmt:
S e2 006
GENEPI
AB8500M
GK1NF VJ
CHN GK 149
Update 27/07 - did not improve the radio enough to recommend this modification/change.
Apparently the TEF6686 module has better performance than the TDA7786 - e.g. 7786 poor sensitivity, selectivity, multipath issues etc. My JY TDA7768 is terrible, even with an RF amp, so to find out if the TEF is any better, thought I would try and investigated swapping tuner modules. Reviewing the GS board I have as a spare part against my JY, I identified the modules are pin-for-pin compatible.
Sucessfully swapped the Radio module from a donor GS board containing a TEF6686 Module into my JY board originally containing a TDA7786. The GS board was quite difficult to unsolder the module, perhaps due to leadfree solder, fortunately the JY board was easy, the desolder wick readily desoldering the module.
As for results, I have bench tested and RDS, tuning, audio etc is OK, I am yet to test in the vehicle. Will update this thread with results.
See attached images. Note that the JY case had additional mounts that over time might short out against the non-ground PCB tracks, resulting in complete failure of the unit!
Welcoming any questions.
Did the reception really improved?? And RDS AF fuction is working well with malaysyk V3 firmware?
also interested in this outcome
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
Hi,
The tef6686 appears marginally better, is more sensitive and appears to handle multipath better. Im not sure if I would call it out as a worthy upgrade just yet - need more time.
wonder if it can be bought on its own.. seems like just the chip itself which is surfaced mounted on the riser card as pictured above.. so this would prove difficult to install
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stinger4321 said:
wonder if it can be bought on its own.. seems like just the chip itself which is surfaced mounted on the riser card as pictured above.. so this would prove difficult to install
k
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive seen a suitable module available on aliexpress that would need some modification to swap a couple of pins. That is the TEF6686-TDQ-230V-186 (10 pin) - a whole $6 bucks US.
http://s.aliexpress.com/QBfay
Next week this module come to me , so in the next weekend I have time to swap.
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...32809641460.html?spm=2114.12010612.0.0.y1ZYeS
cupi1234 said:
Next week this module come to me , so in the next weekend I have time to swap.
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...32809641460.html?spm=2114.12010612.0.0.y1ZYeS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's great, don't forget these are not pin-pin identical and will have to figure out swapping pins. Search for the manufacturer PDF and check against the mtcd schematic. I'll upload the module PDF later today.
Hi, final thoughts - the upgrade in my experience was marginally better - not worth it!
marchnz said:
Hi, final thoughts - the upgrade in my experience was marginally better - not worth it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
could be something else in the implementation, not just the chip itself.
i have 2 boxes, one with 7786, the other with 6686 and the difference in reception is worlds apart. I mean even with the powered antenna not connected to 12V, i had no hiss on any station received.
7786 with powered antenna is just fine, don't get me wrong, but 6686 is better.
zerozoneice said:
could be something else in the implementation, not just the chip itself.
i have 2 boxes, one with 7786, the other with 6686 and the difference in reception is worlds apart. I mean even with the powered antenna not connected to 12V, i had no hiss on any station received.
7786 with powered antenna is just fine, don't get me wrong, but 6686 is better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had thought about that but there's no difference in implementation I can see after comparing from schematic. Perhaps I had a 'good' 7786.
- MCU is latest HA
- Both modules are digitally controlled by MCU/i2c bus.
- same supply
- latest HA android 6.
There's really not much to it, 5volts, antenna connection, i2c comms and audio out. I get multipath noise/crackles from stations between 99 and 102mhz. Same between both tda and TEF.
Can you clarify what you mean by 'better'.
Hi!
Maybe there are some differences in the Radio Software used in the different HU. The Chip is controlled by I2C and it seems to be possible to activate or change some behavior of FM Reception through some commands.
Is it maybe possible to extract the radio Software from the good HU so we can try it out on different devices (with TEF 6686).
It would be really nice if it would be possible to control some of the possible configuration of the chip manually...
Stephan
netguru said:
Hi!
Maybe there are some differences in the Radio Software used in the different HU. The Chip is controlled by I2C and it seems to be possible to activate or change some behavior of FM Reception through some commands.
Is it maybe possible to extract the radio Software from the good HU so we can try it out on different devices (with TEF 6686).
It would be really nice if it would be possible to control some of the possible configuration of the chip manually...
Stephan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No differences in android and same MCU, MCU controls radio module via I2c. The "upgrade " has no discernable difference.
Any more details? I need a more sensitive tuner. I have a full power mast but my car is all SMC so the radio needs all the help it can get.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-=Jeff=- said:
Any more details? I need a more sensitive tuner. I have a full power mast but my car is all SMC so the radio needs all the help it can get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure - there are two different tuner modules and neither of them are 'better'. I suspect its hit and miss in the production of either modules.
If you have a proper external antenna, which is properly connected, there's nothing you can do apart from using internet streams or DAB if available for best quality.
thanks, do you know if these unit have the 7786 or the 7786M IC?
netguru said:
Hi!
Maybe there are some differences in the Radio Software used in the different HU. The Chip is controlled by I2C and it seems to be possible to activate or change some behavior of FM Reception through some commands.
Is it maybe possible to extract the radio Software from the good HU so we can try it out on different devices (with TEF 6686).
It would be really nice if it would be possible to control some of the possible configuration of the chip manually...
Stephan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
marchnz said:
No differences in android and same MCU, MCU controls radio module via I2c. The "upgrade " has no discernable difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure ? Cos on MTCB/C units the AF doesnt work and the PTY is plain wrong (I have an MTCD unit now but I havent tested the radio yet, its still on the bench), but someone (deffo Italian I remember that) made some changes and got PTY to work correctly and I thought he did it by modding the app ratehr than anything on the MCU side. Sadly I cant remember exactly what thread it was in, or who it was.
-=Jeff=- said:
thanks, do you know if these unit have the 7786 or the 7786M IC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately the only way to tell on MTCD untis is to open it up, unlike the MTCB/C units where you can select the tuner type in facory settings, which is strange cos MTCD MCUs are much more powerful 32 but compared to MTCB/C's 8bit . . .
. . . or maybe there is a way ? - @marchnz's dmesg output mentions "6686" in the first post.
Hi,
Can someone help with radio module pins schematic for XD-6686AF-0. This is same radio module that @marchnz has swaped. I am forced to change main that is not pin to pin identical to TEF6686-TDQ-230V-86-TDQ-230V-86-R that I have from aliexpress.
Thank you
P.S.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android-auto/mtcd-discussion-questions-development/mtcd-schematic-t3637816
I guess this is what I am looking for.
Leaving a tip for everyone looking for this schematic.
Thanks to @marchnz
skf123 said:
Hi,
Can someone help with radio module pins schematic for XD-6686AF-0. This is same radio module that @marchnz has swaped. I am forced to change main that is not pin to pin identical to TEF6686-TDQ-230V-86-TDQ-230V-86-R that I have from aliexpress.
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a datasheet? Shouldnt be too hard to match up against schematic.
marchnz said:
Do you have a datasheet? Shouldnt be too hard to match up against schematic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Radio module that comes from aliexpress has description on every pin.
Can be seen on the picture that is provided in this link.
I can make a new photo if someone needs clear image of this module.
I have bought a dongle and discovered it does not have the usual RK SoC , instead it has an Allwinner A10. The pcb is red, it has the SoC, flash, sram, some voltage regulators and a push button and a led. Does anyone have any idea where to get firmware roms for this dongle? The stock firmware is very bad. Dlna barely works. Miracast disconnects immediately after connection.
@an31415 people would need the name and model number to stand a chance of helping you.
I think the best you could hope for is firmware from another identical device sold under a different brand name.
if you were able to try this you'd still need to have the original firmware on hand in case it didn't work.
3mel said:
@an31415 people would need the name and model number to stand a chance of helping you.
I think the best you could hope for is firmware from another identical device sold under a different brand name.
if you were able to try this you'd still need to have the original firmware on hand in case it didn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks @3mel for your reply. The product box says "HDMI Dongle Wifi Display Receiver" and on the dongle it is written "Anycast". This is one of the many clones you can by on Aliepxress. I was hoping it's one with an RK cpu, but after cracking it open I found out it has an Allwinner A10 cpu. I searched high and low on internet to find and alternative firmware for it because the current one is crap. I'll try to attach some pictures here of the PCB, maybe somebody can identify it and point me in the right direction.
But how do I attach picture? Can junior members do it ?
More info: the dongle PCB is red and has a label, SP-X11-V2.0, and the name of the Wifi access point it creates is SP-xxxxxx, where the Xs are random hex digits.
The Wifi addon pcb is green and has no markings. The wifi chip is a well known Realtek that is found in all other similar products.
if you inbox me the AliExpress link I will post it here for you, that's probably the best way for anyone to identify it.
https://m.aliexpress.com/item/4001025810891.html
I received the variant in the colorful box(not the blue ones) and it does not say M2 nor M4 on the box. The product description says it has an AM8252 cpu, but it's not true. I guess the only way to id it is to post pictures of the pcb.
https://youtu.be/uXgBrT6J_Ew
the chips aren't the same as yours but does the board look similar ?
being honest I wouldn't get your hopes up, it's a cheap clone / copy of a chromecast. it's not going to be supported that well, they've already sold you something that doesn't match their product description. take it for what it is and learn that you get what you pay for... sorry.
The board is not similar, it has different ICs, different layout, different color. But the plastic enclosure is identical, except for the venting holes on the back, which are bigger on mine. This case copies the Chromecast (first generation), so people expect it to be a Chromecast clone. It isn't, but it does serve a similar purpose
The date on the PCB is 2019.10.10, fairly recent. I expect a new wave of clones have hit the market, disguised as already established products, but based on a different SoC. The only problem is their firmware is even less stable than the old ones, so I guess other people, not just me, are looking for solutions.
some of those people looking need to be devs.
Yup. Or anybody with a similar but not identical A10 based board. Maybe we can spot different fw versions in the wild
A small update if anybody is interested. I've connected the board via usb to my laptop (running linux mint). Doing this while keeping the button pressed will put the board's bootloader in some sort of firmware update mode. Running lsusb will show it as an usb device : "Bus 001 Device 066: ID 1f3a:efe8 Onda (unverified) V972 tablet in flashing mode". Of course this is not an Onda tablet, but it certainly has an identical SoC, thus the misidentification of the usb device.
Googling for this string I randomly found out there are some people called the sunxi community that strive to create a linux kernel and toolchain for these Allwinner devices, and they have done it quite successfully.
There are many custom firmwares for tablets, tv boxes and mini PCs that are based on the allwinner SoC. It seems this miracast hdmi device is just a trimmed down mini PC. It certainly runs pure linux, no Android, because its ram and flash are much smaller than what I found in the specs of any android devices.
So the question is: does any body have any knowledge of the existence of such a linux based firmware for this miracast board ? I'll go ask the sunxi people also.