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I consider this as the first step to hack into a 605 wifi, and my ultimate goal is to run my programs in 605 just as many others wanted to do.

Why
According to my experience in a company that develops complicated circuit boards and Linux systems, there is usually a serial port connected to the CPU, in this case it's the DaVinci chip, for debugging purpose. If this serial port is available, we can login to the system and control the Linux.

After I examined the DaVinci EVM found at
http://c6000.spectrumdigital.com/davinc ... ematic.pdf,
I found a RS232 schematic on page 20. The UART0 comes out from DaVinci 6446 pin C5 and D5, and connects to a MAX3221, then to RS232 out. Hey, this is very promising. It's likely that 605 wifi also has a serial port.

Now the questions are,
1. What type of DaVinci 605 wifi 30G uses?
2. Does it have serial port?
3. Where is the serial port?

To answer these questions, I need to open its case and take a look inside.

How
Step 1, remove the back cover for the battery. There are 5 screws, 3 on the side and 2 fasten the stand. After it's removed, it's like this:
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/1-back-cover.JPG
Step 2, remove the screen. There are a couple screws under the hard drive, but only 2 needs to be removed:
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/2-screen-1.JPG
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/2-screen-2.JPG
On the earphone jack side, there are 2:
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/2-screen-3.JPG
On the top, there is another 1:
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/2-screen-4.JPG

After the screen is removed (wire is still connected), it's like this:
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/3-glimpseInside-1.jpg
This screen side of the PCB doesn't have DaVinci, but we can still see some chips and the USB and the docking port.
(TI) 430F2111 6AK HK JV E
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/3-glimpseInside-2.JPG
(could be a micro controller)

WM8985G 72ABNP6
(Intel) F160C8BD A6467A71 Z472035N (not sure)
LC4032ZC 75NM6 B702RR26 (not sure)
BBO 6AW M420
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/3-glimpseInside-3.JPG
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/3-glimpseInside-4.JPG
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/3-glimpseInside-5.JPG
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/3-glimpseInside-6.JPG
The other end:
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/3-glimpseInside-7.JPG
The hard drive:
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/4-harddrive.JPG

Step 3: detach the PCB. The DaVinci is hidden under the metal cover on the hard drive side of the PCB.
There are 3 screws on the hard drive side of the PCB:
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/5-PCB-1.JPG
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/5-PCB-2.JPG
There are another 2 on the other side:
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/3-glimpseInside-3.JPG

After the PCB is detached, it's like this:
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/5-PCB-3.JPG

If you see a mysterious part like this:
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/6-mysteriousPart-1.JPG
It belongs here:
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/5-PCB-1.JPG

You can then carefully remove the metal cover:
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/7-metalCover.JPG

Now you can see the DaVinci chip:
DAVINCI $NC-6AA8CLW TMS320 DM6441 (can't see the last string)
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/8-DaVinci-1.JPG

And some other chips:
3 of 6CA1KHJ WF245
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/8-Davnici-2.JPG
2 of 7ED22 D9GKW c788
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/9-otherChips-1.JPG
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/9-otherChips-2.JPG
(TI) WE245 68K A2HY, I cut the frame and see this:
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/9-otherChips-3.JPG
LCGY J829 611, also need to cut the frame.
www.ece.ubc.ca/~dingyil/605wifi/9-otherChips-4.JPG

That's all what I can see.

Now what?
Since 6441 may not be the same as 6446 in the EVM, I looked at the 6441 document:
focus.ti.com/docs/prod/folders/print/tms320dm6441.html
focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tms320dm6441.pdf
Gladly I found that 6441 also has UART0, and it also comes out from C5 and D5 pin. However I didn't see a MAX3221 RS232 chip.

So, is it possible that some of the chips above already provide the RS232 function? I haven't figure out what those chips are for, yet.
Because the UART0 is duplexed with GPIO, is it possible that the UART0 is already connected to the docking port?

Finally I put everything back into the case. Luckily it still work

So if anyone has any information, pls post. And if you would like to open your 605 to do some experiment, I encourage you to go ahead

I just purchased a 605 WIFI 30 GB and I'm interested to find out if I can upgrade the hard drive myself. Bring it to 80GB or more.
It seems that it uses a ZIF connector. Could you confirm that?

Thank you,

Renn├®

rennesan wrote:I just purchased a 605 WIFI 30 GB and I'm interested to find out if I can upgrade the hard drive myself. Bring it to 80GB or more.
It seems that it uses a ZIF connector. Could you confirm that?

Thank you,

Renn├®

The connector is the least of your worries. I tried cloning the entire 160G drive with Symantec Ghost onto another identical model Seagate 160G drive and the 605 still rejected it. It seems the firmware checks for an id or key on the hard drive which is not reproduced by simply cloning the contents of the drive.

nice bro, finally someone really committed enough to open they're archos completly. Hopefully some more people will be able to help with this info you have provided us with.

davgonzalez1 wrote:nice bro, finally someone really committed enough to open they're archos completly. Hopefully some more people will be able to help with this info you have provided us with.

Thanks, bro. Now I hope my hardware friends can give me a hint on finding the RS232 port. But that will be after the Christmas and New Year.

Happy Holidays!!

I'm pretty sure the Micron chips are RAM.

jh1 wrote:

rennesan wrote:I just purchased a 605 WIFI 30 GB and I'm interested to find out if I can upgrade the hard drive myself. Bring it to 80GB or more.
It seems that it uses a ZIF connector. Could you confirm that?

Thank you,

Renn├®

The connector is the least of your worries. I tried cloning the entire 160G drive with Symantec Ghost onto another identical model Seagate 160G drive and the 605 still rejected it. It seems the firmware checks for an id or key on the hard drive which is not reproduced by simply cloning the contents of the drive.

The 30 GB version has different chase (thinner) than the 80/160 GB models (thicker). Also if your drive fails, or you just want to change /upgrade your hdd, don't use norton ghost. use a program that can make full hdd clone, and not just the partition. there are hidden partitions in the hdd. i use paragon partition manager and it worked many times.

arisgardelis wrote:

jh1 wrote:

rennesan wrote:I just purchased a 605 WIFI 30 GB and I'm interested to find out if I can upgrade the hard drive myself. Bring it to 80GB or more.
It seems that it uses a ZIF connector. Could you confirm that?

Thank you,

Renn├®

The connector is the least of your worries. I tried cloning the entire 160G drive with Symantec Ghost onto another identical model Seagate 160G drive and the 605 still rejected it. It seems the firmware checks for an id or key on the hard drive which is not reproduced by simply cloning the contents of the drive.

The 30 GB version has different chase (thinner) than the 80/160 GB models (thicker). Also if your drive fails, or you just want to change /upgrade your hdd, don't use norton ghost. use a program that can make full hdd clone, and not just the partition. there are hidden partitions in the hdd. i use paragon partition manager and it worked many times.

Ghost has the option of disk cloning as well as partition cloning. Is there something in how Ghost clones the entire disk that differs from Paragon.

Just to be clear, did you do this on a 80 or 160G model and was it on a 605 and not some other Archos model?

If you open your archos, what about the warranty?

what if you have a problem and you send your unit to archos within warranty period and the ppl at archos finds out that you have opened the unit???

Thank you all for all the information posted here in!!!

I'm planning to attempt to clone the hard drive this weekend.

Since I'm just interested in upgrading the hard drive. I believe if I properly clone the hard drive it will allow me to set the new hard drive in the same unit. It should not have issues in regards to the "ID" as described by jh1.

Arisgardelis, you mention the cloning with Paragon and your success. Could you just clarify if you cloned from archos to archos? Were you required to remove the hard drive or you were able to clone it via the USB port?

Could you please describe your method?
[/quote]

su-30mki,

I purchased extra warranty and whatever happens to my archos they will replace it.

Renn├®

rennesan wrote:Thank you all for all the information posted here in!!!

I'm planning to attempt to clone the hard drive this weekend.

Since I'm just interested in upgrading the hard drive. I believe if I properly clone the hard drive it will allow me to set the new hard drive in the same unit. It should not have issues in regards to the "ID" as described by jh1.

Arisgardelis, you mention the cloning with Paragon and your success. Could you just clarify if you cloned from archos to archos? Were you required to remove the hard drive or you were able to clone it via the USB port?

Could you please describe your method?

[/quote]

Let us know how it goes. When I cloned the drive onto an identical drive (same Seagate Momentus 160G), I took it out of the 605 and used a USB enclosure. I tried both regular and sector-by-sector cloning of the entire drive with no luck.

jh1 wrote:

rennesan wrote:Thank you all for all the information posted here in!!!

I'm planning to attempt to clone the hard drive this weekend.

Since I'm just interested in upgrading the hard drive. I believe if I properly clone the hard drive it will allow me to set the new hard drive in the same unit. It should not have issues in regards to the "ID" as described by jh1.

Arisgardelis, you mention the cloning with Paragon and your success. Could you just clarify if you cloned from archos to archos? Were you required to remove the hard drive or you were able to clone it via the USB port?

Could you please describe your method?

Let us know how it goes. When I cloned the drive onto an identical drive (same Seagate Momentus 160G), I took it out of the 605 and used a USB enclosure. I tried both regular and sector-by-sector cloning of the entire drive with no luck.[/quote]

Thank you for your quick reply jh1.

I will try using Ghost and I will also try to clone it via Acronis and Drive Clone. I will look into the Paragon software as well.

I can't see the dm6441 mark you claim, this chip has now been discontinued, 6443 and 6446 chips replace it, in fact the 6446 chip has an extra video hardware accelerator.

Where is the 6441 mark on the photos you posted?

(maybe Archos got a load of 6441 chips on the cheap)

xtophe wrote:Gladly I found that 6441 also has UART0, and it also comes out from C5 and D5 pin. However I didn't see a MAX3221 RS232 chip.

So, is it possible that some of the chips above already provide the RS232 function? I haven't figure out what those chips are for, yet.
Because the UART0 is duplexed with GPIO, is it possible that the UART0 is already connected to the docking port?

Is it possible to have the faster version??? SN75C3221E ???
http://www.ti.com/corp/docs/landing/hpa ... _rs232.htm

Is it possible to create an accurate database from all, and i mean all the chips???

Did you see any possible place to solder a jtag or serial header?

was wondering what happened, no ones posted in awhile.

I was wondering if you were able to clone ? or get a used bigger hd from a broken unit and if it worked.

Archos is ripping me off -- my HD broke and they say that I have to pay, even though it is still under warranty. I won't pay them $200 for a new HD. If I cannot get a 'dd' from my old disk is their anywhere I can find the image I need to get it going again?

mister mike,


I am new and have not done mods, know a little. this topic posting been slow from what I could tell.

You might try just getting a used one on e-bay. and saving yours for parts.

I do not know if anyone has tried a clone or copy. Some said they tried and it did not work.

There is a clone pci card, but you would need a working unit. then I do now if it would work.

due to rumors of encrypted hard drive data that will not transfer or copy.

Also rumor that the data on the hard drive also might look for or match with built in memory on the board looking for a set of numbers.

How old is your unit ? $200 does seem very high.

The problem with this unit is that the firmware is so hard to get to. Since the old hack failed with the 2.X firmware update from Archos, I would be very interested to see if someone ever figured out where the JTAG header disappeared to in this unit.

I have taken some higher-quality pictues of the back side of my unit, but I haven't taken it all the way apart yet. http://picasaweb.google.com/virtualende ... 5Internals

I have a zif to compact flash converter, which the unit recognizes and works fine as USB drive, however the firmware checks for the serial number of the disk in in the unit, and won't actually boot into the OS. I'm sure Archos has a way to change this, since they can change the hard drives of the units when you send them in for repairs. I'm wondering if there isn't a built in JTAG emulator on the unit. Some of the documentation on Spectrum Digital's website seemed to allude to the fact that onboard JTAG emulators were included in some production units. I'd love to get my hands on the in-house software Archos uses to troubleshoot and program these units! We need to find a disgruntled Archos servicer

I'll keep chuging away at this, and post if I find any more information.