2 DMS cartridges, rapidly flashing green light on phatbox

[robbyb413]

Nope..

this is what is present in the root of PHTSYS:

linux
linux.sig
ramdisk
ramdisk.sig
51d
51d.sig
aadec
aadec.sig
blank.bif
blank.sig
boot.pac
boot.sig
boot5.pac
boot5.sig
exec.ini
exec.sig
firmware.pac
firmware.sig
flacplay
flacplay.sig
error_log.txt
hdparm
hdparm.sig
needaac
needaac.sig
nmp3
nmp3.sig
oggplay-ha
oggplay-ha.sig
oggplay-la
oggplay-la.sig
phat
phatbox.ini
phatd
phatd.sig
PhatMan.ini
logfile.txt
pkeys2.e
pkeys2.sig
pkeysa.e
pkeysa.sig
playloopfile
playloopfile.sig
prog.bif
prog.sig
progpld
progpld.sig
properties.xml
rc.sh
rc.sig
RoyalLin.ux
swgrli
swgrli.sig
Welcome to PhatNoise.mp3
WelcomeFileName.txt
WelcomeFileText.txt
TTS
Data
phatwma
phatwma.sig
CurrentSetup.xml
box_id_mru.txt
box_id_log.txt


I took a look at the error log and the logfile, and it's clearly just sitting there erroring on this file. It just sticks there. I went out to the car after leaving it for a few hours and the log file indicated that it was just looking for that file over and over again. Looked like the logs I posed above except muuuuucch longer.

Can some file in the firmware be hex edited to kill whatever this is off? can I corrupt a file or place a dummy file on there to make it happy?

 

[VorTechS]

Certainly the most obvious thing would be to place a dummy file on there... but make it a real MP3, just a fraction of a second silence.  I bet your flashing is the box constantly trying to access this file...but no idea why it would be doing that.

[sbingner]

Perhaps your car requires it to play a 1khz mono sound upon startup or something?

That file is in a number of the firmwares -- extract the system_sounds directory from http://downloads.phathack.com/firmware/systemfiles9_5.zip and see if that helps...

It does seem strange that it would be doing that since none of the AUDI system files include that.   Are you sure you don't have some files from something besides audi and some audi files? 

The fact that it gets up to there makes me think you should be able to get it going anyway...

[VorTechS]

It does seem strange that it would be doing that since none of the AUDI system files include that.   Are you sure you don't have some files from something besides audi and some audi files? 

As I suspected earlier, I'd checked the audi firmware files and there was nothing there. 
It would suggest the PhatBox doesn't have the Audi firmware on it, but something else?

[robbyb413]

Well I know the history of both players. Mine was purchased directly from the VW dealerhip new in box, and likewise the other unit was purched from a dealer by a friend of mine. Mine has exclusively been used in my audi, and his was used exclusively in his vw. The cartridge that is giving this error is not the GM-native cartridge either. It's always been audi-native.

As I mentioned in the first post, I did run the GM firmware exe you can download from the Phatnoise support ftp on the GM cartridge after I messed with it a few times, and then popped it in the player, but it didn't flash, and certainly since then as you can see from the logs I'm using vw/audi 7.02.

I'll go create a system sounds folder, plunk that file there, and see how the box rolls.

[robbyb413]

FWIW to add info to the pile: The PhatHack DMS tools says it cannot identify the original phatnoise cartridge as the genuine article, but it can identify the GM unit as genuine.

Ran it anyway on the original DMS, because I have nothing to lose at this point, and got this in bootload.txt:
        BOOT0-0: OK
BOOT0-1: OK
BOOT0: Successful
BOOT9: Successful
BOOTB: Successful
BOOTF: Successful
BOOT*-X: Failed


Could some file have gone corrupt/missing on the original phatnoise DMS? Would that be the root of all this?

[robbyb413]

So I've tried getting it going using both the GM DMS and the Original DMS, both in the original player. I grabbed a brand new phatbox cable from a dealership, still sealed in the bag, to eliminate that as the cause of any issue. It was cheap so I figured it to be good insurance. Then I attemted to get the phabox going twice with each DMS.

For the first test I used the process I described in previous posts, but this time tried using the less verbose RC pairs for one round of testing, along with adding the 1khzmono sound it was looking for. It behaves the same as it was doing before, except there are now no logs being created.

For a second round of tests, i used the more verbose RC pairs. Still no logs, on either DMS.

WTF. I really can't understand this. I think I'm going to be shelling out cash for another phatbox and DMS...

[sbingner]

BOOT0-X: failed = you need to corrupt your ramdisk.sig (by replacing it with linux.sig)

[VorTechS]

FWIW to add info to the pile: The PhatHack DMS tools says it cannot identify the original phatnoise cartridge as the genuine article, but it can identify the GM unit as genuine.

PhatNoise went through a phase of switching disks, so there are loads of different drive models which would make checking for each one a PITA.  So I just left the models I knew about  in the tools and allowed the tools to carry on anyway.

[robbyb413]

Well, maybe it's dumb luck, but I got it working. I put in some more time with the original player and the original DMS today. I kept formatting and flashing and it seems that something "clicked" in the flashing process because I could select my phatnoise again from the head unit. Everytime I tried it still got the flashing green, but it would stop after a minute. Still couldn't get it to play though, so I:

- formatted as discussed here
- loaded vw/audi 7.02 but did NOT tell it to reflash the player
- added the random file it was looking for as mentioned earlier
- ejected
- re-inserted, ran phathack wizard
- corrupted the ramdisk.sig
- ejected
- ran downstiars and outside, popped it into the player and BAM. I instantly got some chick telling me I now had a hacked box and I needed to remove the DMS to finish the process.

And when I say instantly, it was instant. No on and off, no waiting, it just clicked in, announced that, then started playing. So bizarre. It's like voodoo magic apparently. After all that it finally takes. Of course the kicker... I caved and bought another phatnoise setup today. Got a decent deal, $150 shipped, but it just figures I would give up and then it would finally work.

Thanks for all the help in here guys. I'll be hanging out now learning more about the setup, creating some DMS cartridges, and trying to not kill the thing again.