TI-Nspire SD card

[critor]

Hi,


Does anybody know anything about the TI-Nspire SD card ?

All TI-Nspire diagnostic softwares 1.1 to 2.0 have an option to test for a SD card (which fails).

HackSpire is also mentionning SD I/O ports at 0xAC000000.
http://hackspire.unsads.com/wiki/index.php/Memory-mapped_I/O_ports#AC000000_-_SD_Host_Controller


Of course,like you I can't see any SD card reader on my TI-Nspire.

So what's all this about?


* Unused code which was not removed from Nucleus?
* Used while exchanging data though the dock connector with the Docking Station, or the wireless craddle?
* Used to interface through usb or through the dock connector with an external SD card reader which has not been released yet (or is only used in factories to program the Flash during production, or to diagnose returned TI-Nspire) ?
* something else?...


Thank you.

[graphmastur]

I would think it's probably something along the lines of a test feature. Not sure, though. I would think it would write diagnostics to the sd card for later reading or something. Maybe there is a spare connector port or they have a usb adaptor or something.

[qazz42]

The nspire has a SD card? Holy crap, never knew that... and to add to this unconstructive post, no I sadly no nothing

[graphmastur]

The nspire has a SD card? Holy crap, never knew that... and to add to this unconstructive post, no I sadly no nothing

I don't think it has an SD card. It possibly has the software to support it, just not the hardware.  We would have to see what the code does when run to see if it actually does anything useful or otherwise.

[t0xic_kitt3n]

Could possibly go Through the dock connector.
Probably another unimplemented feature, like how there's a 24bit mode in the LCD controller.

[Art_of_camelot]

It's possible it was a (hardware)feature that was initially planned and then scrapped. However, no one bothered to remove the code for it.

[Goplat]

* Used to interface through usb or through the dock connector with an external SD card reader which has not been released yet (or is only used in factories to program the Flash during production, or to diagnose returned TI-Nspire) ?

I think this is it. See some of the strings in DIAGS:

Code: Select All | Copy To Clipboard

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65

Test SD MMC Manu Iris Nspire Diag Menu  Pass    No test Pass - Press UP Arrow Key Fail - Press DOWN Arrow Key TI  Build Mode Read MBR.... Read PBS.... Read DEF.... SDCard Update NorFlash Code Please don't power off the device... Search P3.... Search  Nor.Chk.... NOR      Search  Nor.raw.... Copy Nor.raw to RAM....                                             Erasing the Norflash.... Copy RAM to Norflash .... P3      NAND    Cann't Detect Sled !! Don't power off the device!! Insert Sled and Update code again... Press ESC To Exit Finished  percents ... Finshed and Reset your device SD Card Read Error SDCard Update NandFlash Code Search  Nand.Bin.... Erasing the Nand.... badblk M OK!  Copy Nand.bin to NandFlash .... SetFile DEF .... OK .... Copy Nand  Data To SD Card Verify SDCard Update NandFlash Code Verify SDCard Update NorFlash Code Comparing  Nor.raw with Norflash .... Search  Nand.Chk.... Copy Nand.bin to RAM.... Skip Erase           M OK!            Copy RAM to NandFlash .... 16M OK!  SDCard Update Diagnostics Search  Diag.chk.... DIAG    Search  Diag.img.... Copy Diag.img to RAM.... Erasing old image.... OK!            Updating image.... SDCard Run Test Program Search  Test.chk.... TEST    Search  Test.img.... Copy Test.img to RAM.... Launching Test Program.... Finished and Reset your device

[critor]

Wonderfull Goplat!

I'm dreaming of seeing a photo of the TI-Nspire external SD card reader.


Do you think it is possible for us to build one?
I guess the data is being exchanged through the bottom connector, as there is no usb support at boot1 level (diagnostic software).

[graphmastur]

what is the bottom connecter? Do we have an data about that?  It seems to me that it will want some special code to be present, unless TI didn't think we'd find this in the first place. How did we find the diagnostics menu again?

[critor]

what is the bottom connecter? Do we have an data about that?  It seems to me that it will want some special code to be present, unless TI didn't think we'd find this in the first place. How did we find the diagnostics menu again?

Incomplete data is available on HackSpire.

The diagnostic software includes code to read/write the SD card, and to flash the NOR ROM.
We just have to check that.

To get the diagnostic menu, it's Esc+Menu+G (ClickPad) during boot1.

There is a diagnostic dumper somewhere on this forum.

[DJ Omnimaga]

If only the Nspire had a SD card slot, it would be so much easier to transfer stuff and we would have much more space.

Also nice find Goplat. I kinda got worried personally that it was unused Nucleus code that TI didn't remove. I am sure there's plenty of that in the OS, though, just by seeing its file size...

[critor]

I kinda got worried personally that it was unused Nucleus code that TI didn't remove.

The presence of flashing code in the diagnostic software (which is specific to the Nspire hardware) seems to prove the contrary. That flashing code was not forgotten but added.

[graphmastur]

I kinda got worried personally that it was unused Nucleus code that TI didn't remove.

The presence of flashing code in the diagnostic software (which is specific to the Nspire hardware) seems to prove the contrary. That flashing code was not forgotten but added.

The question is then, why does TI need the flashing code?

[critor]

I kinda got worried personally that it was unused Nucleus code that TI didn't remove.

The presence of flashing code in the diagnostic software (which is specific to the Nspire hardware) seems to prove the contrary. That flashing code was not forgotten but added.

The question is then, why does TI need the flashing code?

To flash?...

The answer has been mentionned severall times in the previous posts.
To write the OS code and/or the boot2 code from the external SD card into the NOR ROM.

I'm also remembering of some string which could mean it could even update the boot1 code in the NAND ROM with the one of the external SD card.

[graphmastur]

I kinda got worried personally that it was unused Nucleus code that TI didn't remove.

The presence of flashing code in the diagnostic software (which is specific to the Nspire hardware) seems to prove the contrary. That flashing code was not forgotten but added.

The question is then, why does TI need the flashing code?

To flash?...

The answer has been mentionned severall times in the previous posts.
To write the OS code and/or the boot2 code from the external SD card into the NOR ROM.

I'm also remembering of some string which could mean it could even update the boot1 code in the NAND ROM with the one of the external SD card.

Oh okay, my bad.