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Bootloader

SciLor edited this page May 5, 2022 · 8 revisions

HackieboxNG SD bootloader

The HackieboxNG SD bootloader consists of two bootloaders (called stages). Both stages share the same codebase and are relocated to 0x20038000 before run.

Preloader (Stage 1)

Start process preloader

The preloader runs a fixed file from the sd card (sd:/revvox/boot/ngbootloader.bin) without any checks. An update for shouldn't be necesarry in the future. It should be installed as primary bootloader for HackieboxNG to flash:/sys/mcuimg.bin.

All error codes for the preloader are in blue.

Bootloader (Stage 2)

Start process bootloader

When no ear is pressed, the bootloader loads the selected standard bootslot. If you hold the big ear while booting you may select a different slot by pressing the small ear for a short moment. Only slots with a file on the sd card can be selected. You may use them in a different way and change the settings within the configuration. The selected slot is indicated by 1-3 blinks in a color assigned to each group. Following slots are available:

Filepath: sd:/revvox/boot/ng-XXXY.bin

Green group - Original firmware

  1. ofw1 - OFW bootloader from flash:/sys/pre-img.bin recommended here
  2. ofw2 - simulate OFW behaviour and load the same image like the OFW would, but with patches
  3. ofw3 - specific OFW file with patches (optional)

Blue group - Custom firmware

  1. cfw1 - Primary firmware (optional)
  2. cfw2 - Backup firmware (optional)
  3. cfw3 - (optional)

Cyan group - Additonal firmwares

  1. add1 - (optional)
  2. add2 - (optional)
  3. add3 - (optional)

All error codes for the bootloader are in green.

Configuration

The configuration for the bootloader is saved within sd:/revvox/boot/ngCfg.json. All sections or keys starting with and underscore "_" a comments and will be ignored.

General Section

Key Description Values Default
activeImg Sets the firmware slot to select at startup ofw1, ofw2, ofw3, cfw1, cfw2, cfw3, add1, add2, add3 ofw1
waitForPress Waits for an earpress on startup with a blink sequence (blue, green, cyan, black) true, false false
waitForBoot Waits for an earpress on before firmware boot with a blink sequence (blue, green, cyan, black) true, false false
waitTimeoutInS Timeout in seconds for waitForPress if no earpress (hibernation) 1-255 60
minBatteryLevel Poweroff voltage to protect the battery. Divide through 2785 to get voltage (Standard 3.18V) 8869
ofwFixValue Magic bytes to be placed into the OFW Image during boot (can be extracted from OFW BL data[-8:-4]) hex array with 4 bytes ["4C", "01", "10", "00"]
ofwFixFlash Magic bytes read from the ofw bootloader on flash ex. /sys/pre-img.bin
serialLog Enable log to UART (TX) @921600 baud. Only works for debug build! true, false true
logLevel Set Log level 0:Trace - 5:Fatal 0-5 DEBUG_LOG_LEVEL
logColor Enable colored log true, false false

Firmware Section

There are nine firmware slots, named ofw1, ofw2, ofw3, cfw1, cfw2, cfw3, add1, add2 and add3.

Key Description Values Default
checkHash Check hash of firmware true, false true
hashFile Chech hash from ng-XXX?.sha file (true) or from the last 64 byte of the firmware itself (ofw) true, false false
watchdog Keep watchdog enabled when booting firmware (if booting fails, box will restart) true, false false
ofwFix Add magic bytes to the firmware image to make ofw directly boot true, false false
ofwSimBL Read image to boot from flash:/sys/mcubootinfo.bin and load the image from flash:/sys/mcuimgN.bin instead of reading from sd (like the ofw bootloader) true, false false
bootFlashImg Read firmware from file on flash true, false false
flashImg Path to the file on flash ex. /sys/pre-img.bin
patches List of patches to load, see patch directory or patch wiki ["noCerts.305", "noPass3.305"] []

SHA256 check

For each slot an SHA256 check is available. Either as a seperated ng-XXXY.sha file or directly appended to the binary

For example all OFW binaries have a SHA256 appended to their file ending (except the ofw bootloader). A fitting ng-ofw1.sha is provided for the ofw bootloader. The older Hackiebox CFW doesn't have a SHA256 appened. So you may need to create ng-cfwX.sha yourself if you want to use it. For HackieboxNG the SHA256 hash will be directly appended to the firmware file itself.

Windows

Command: Get-Filehash FILENAME.BIN -Algorithm SHA256

Linux

Command: shasum256 FILENAME.BIN

Patches

The integrated patch engine allows to apply patches to the loaded firmware in-memory. Currently just a simple dup2 patcher style Search & Replace engine ist implemented. You may patch up to 256 bytes per patch and apply up to 32 patches per slot. The patchname is limited to 32 characters. More about available ofw patches

Error codes

If the bootloader detects a problem, it blinks in a defined pattern. The preloader on the flash blinks blue, the bootloader on the sd blinks green.

SD related codes

If a sd related problem occurs, the box combines two patterns. The first one indicates where the problem roughly occured. The second one gives you more information about it.

First pattern
SD not found - 2x500ms, wait 500ms

Please check if the sd is placed in the holder correctly and the sd is okay. The OFW will blink in red and shut off.

File could not be opened - 3x500ms, wait 2000ms

Problem opening the firmware file

File could not be read - 4x500ms, wait 2000ms

Problem reading the firmware file

Second pattern (X times 1000ms)
  1. FR_DISK_ERR, /* (1) A hard error occurred in the low level disk I/O layer */
  2. FR_INT_ERR, /* (2) Assertion failed */
  3. FR_NOT_READY, /* (3) The physical drive cannot work */
  4. FR_NO_FILE, /* (4) Could not find the file */
  5. FR_NO_PATH, /* (5) Could not find the path */
  6. FR_INVALID_NAME, /* (6) The path name format is invalid */
  7. FR_DENIED, /* (7) Access denied due to prohibited access or directory full */
  8. FR_EXIST, /* (8) Access denied due to prohibited access */
  9. FR_INVALID_OBJECT, /* (9) The file/directory object is invalid */
  10. FR_WRITE_PROTECTED, /* (10) The physical drive is write protected */
  11. FR_INVALID_DRIVE, /* (11) The logical drive number is invalid */
  12. FR_NOT_ENABLED, /* (12) The volume has no work area */
  13. FR_NO_FILESYSTEM, /* (13) There is no valid FAT volume */
  14. FR_MKFS_ABORTED, /* (14) The f_mkfs() aborted due to any problem */
  15. FR_TIMEOUT, /* (15) Could not get a grant to access the volume within defined period */
  16. FR_LOCKED, /* (16) The operation is rejected according to the file sharing policy */
  17. FR_NOT_ENOUGH_CORE, /* (17) LFN working buffer could not be allocated */
  18. FR_TOO_MANY_OPEN_FILES, /* (18) Number of open files > _FS_LOCK */
  19. FR_INVALID_PARAMETER /* (19) Given parameter is invalid */

Other

Battery Low - 2x66ms, 2x133ms, 2x66ms

Battery is low. Value is under the minimum defined in minBatteryLevel. Box hibernates

Hash differs - 10x50ms

The actual hash of the firmware is different from the one defined in the firmware itself or in the hashfile (depens on the config). Checking the UART-output may help.

Watchdog reset - 5x33ms, 5x66ms, 5x33ms

The watchdog reseted the box, because the box was in an unintended state or the firmware is broken.

Application error - 3x33ms, 3x66ms, 3x33ms

Application error. This shouldn't happen.

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