porting linux to embedded system

[Vodapad]

Hi,
I bought a Chinese cell phone called Sciphone i9+++. I know the phone processor is MT6225 and the operating system is Nucleus Plus OS from Mentor Graphics (ATI) as stated here too:

http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/Sciphone-i68.html

I would like to replace this Nucleus image with an embedded Linux, i.e. to port a Linux to it. I know this is not an easy try, but I am ready to work on it. There is no documentation available, so for writing device drivers I have to go trial and error. Well you may think then what is the reason to do it. If porting Linux successfully to it, you have a PDA that cost around 50$ really, and you can program it freely. It has good characteristics.

Please help by giving ideas, which type of embedded Linux better to use, where from better to start, etc.

I made some photo after opened the phone:

http://files.engineering.com/getfil...c42c-470c-8243-a0df39585389&file=IMG_2140.JPG

http://files.engineering.com/getfil...a898-48cd-84f1-501b07eed10f&file=IMG_2141.JPG

 

[IRstuff]

I don't get it. You can already program the Sciphone using Java. Porting Linux to something like this sounds like a losing proposition, since you essentially throw away all the hardware drivers that exist for the phone and start from scratch.

As near as I can tell, you can write pretty much anything for the Sciphone in Java, and there are tons of apps that probably already work for that phone.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[Vodapad]

IRstuff! Thank you for the answer!
You are right about the Java and I knew it too. I am going to start from scratch, up to writing all the device drivers by myself.

Now I have more information comparing the time of my first post: I obtained the documentation of the CPU and other hardware modules of the MTK platform.

My first step is to verify the information here:

http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=817606

i.e. to connect the device to PC, get a backup from its current bin img and start experimenting. What I am looking for is the Embedded Linux kernel suitable for the phone, and cross compiler it needs (or to modify an open source compiler for it).

Further suggestions are highly appreciated

 

[IRstuff]

You may be better asking this question on

http://www.tek-tips.com,

which more geared for this type of question.

Otherwise, why not Symbian, which is open-source and has already been ported to smartphones?

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[Vodapad]

Tek-Tips is a nice forum.
I found "Mac Hardware and iphones Category" but it is empty I am not sure to what forum category better to post. Do you have any idea?

Well, I have programming background in Linux. Simbian is what I have to learn it, and as you know it adds to the complexity of the project to start a learning curve too!

Beside, I have other embedded systems working on Linux and actually they are supporting the motivation of porting Linux to this one too!

I also would like to make something that is useful to other people. I think the Linux community is much bigger than Simbian, and I'd like to contribute to it.

Do you have special reason not to use Linux, or just because Simbian is designed for smartphones? Actually, I can use Android code as a source, even though I can not use it directly for this platform.

 

[IRstuff]

No reason in particular, just that no one has tried to do it, so there might be a reason for that.

there is a Linux forum there...

TTFN

FAQ731-376