dingoo-scene

Here is a comparison between Doom running on the Dingoo GBA emulator: vs Doom running on Joyrider’s Prboom port: Why bother with Linux? The videos speaks for themselves!

Someone a few posts down asked: what is a kernel? There’s nothing here that a quick Google and lots of hours spent immersed in the jargon of software architecture won’t also yield, and better, but in an attempt to save you the trouble, here I go (just don’t expect to actually learn too much!).  A picture says a thousand words.  Our friend Wikipedia has this stuff on it: In computing , the kernel is the central component of most computer operating systems . Its responsibilities include managing the system's resources (the communication between hardware and software components). [1] As a basic component of an operating system, a kernel provides the lowest-level abstraction layer for the resources (especially memory , processors and I/O devices ) that application software must control to perform its function. It typically makes these facilities available to application processes through inter-process communication mechanisms and system calls . S...

Booboo has updated his linux kernel. Get it here: http://code.google.com/p/dingoo-linux/downloads/detail?name=zImage-200905030&can=2&q= The label says this: Linux kernel, fixed 8 bit sound mode, keymap changed to mimic GP2X . From the Spanish GP2x forums: The problem with the audio one in 8 bits. Booboo: I finish correcting it. The code of driver of sound OSS gives miedito. It does not arrive nor at alpha. Ominous quality, shoddy work and errors by a acojonante tube…. Also I have changed the one of the keyboard. Now soon I hang in google code new a binary one of kernel (the code in repositorio svn, obvious). You could verify that the keyboard map now is correct. Please good test the subject of the sound because it has been hung to me once. Only one, and I has not returned to happen, but you observe any rare thing, I occurred it. Another thing: you could try what so the gain control works. It is only...

Well done joyrider!

joyrider stays up late once again (this explains why his videos are always quite dark:)), and look what he made: Discuss it here . Props, joyrider! BTW: What’s prboom? It’s an extremely faithful Doom emulator.  Read about it here: http://prboom.sourceforge.net/about.html

Booboo sent me the following; thanks Booboo: Boboo: I think I can add some clarification to the toolchain concept. Your post is not technically wrong but is a bit misleading. In a programming context a toolchain is the group of tools needed to write a program. If the program is interpreted (Python for example) the toolchain would include a simple text editor used to create the program and the runtime environment (the Python interpreter and libraries) for the target system. If the program is compiled (C, C++), the toolchain usuarrly refers only to the compiler, linker, some other auxiliary tools and a minimal set of libraries needed to build basic programs (libc in linux). Toolchains can be "native" or "cross". A toolchain "native" runs in one platform and produces code for the SAME platform. This is the ca...

There have been many references to this word “toolchain” since Booboo posted his Dingoo Linux information on Google code.  But what is a toolchain? Wikipedia is your friend : In software , a toolchain is the set of computer programs ( tools ) that are used to create a product (typically another computer program or system of programs). The tools may be used in a chain, so that the output of each tool becomes the input for the next, but the term is used widely to refer to any set of linked development tools. A simple software development toolchain consists of a text editor for editing source code , a compiler and linker to transform the source code into an executable program , libraries to provide interfaces to the operating system , and a debugger . A complex product such as a video game needs tools for preparing sound effects , music, textures , 3-dimensional models , and animations , and further tools for combining these resources into the finished product. Here...

Looks like it won’t be long before Guybrush Threepwood graces our Dingoos! Props to richardofaus (or ChaoticBob ?)! Discuss it here: http://a320.freeforums.org/scummvm-on-dingoo-linux-t461.html

Look here: something else to run if you manage to go through the magic incantations, summon the Dread Dormammu , invoke the Vishanti and by the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth , actually successfully install Dingoo Linux! Rejoice, for joyirder3774 has irded his loins (and we are joyful), and compiled his GP2x Waternet game – looks like a Pipemania clone? - for Dingoo Linux! Discuss it here .

emusan has posted a proposal for a solar power charger for the Dingoo. Read about it here: http://a320.freeforums.org/solar-panel-mod-t435.html

From the Official (and porn free) Linux development thread on the A320 freeforum: Re: ** The Official Linux Development Thread ** by ezelkow1 on Sat May 23, 2009 11:51 pm Ok, uploaded my kernel build to: http://rapidshare.com/files/236491249/zImage.html tested and it boots up fine Uploaded my rootfs to: http://rapidshare.com/files/236494668/Root.tar.html I did have a few errors when tarring up the rootfs, but it looks fine to me, everything boots up fine. Do you have the options you used to build sdl_gfx, want to get that in so I can try to build gmenu with uclibc I will upload the toolchain in a bit ……. uploaded the initial uclibc toolchain: http://rapidshare.com/files/236510374/build_root.tar.bz2.html so with this and the previous kernel patches you should be able to do some basic development with uclibc. I have some newer versions of this and the root fs but they s...

Booboo has posted some information and thoughts on dual boot. Find it here.   The problems in the way of dual boot are stated: can anyone help to solve them?

Benchmark your Dingoo! Get it, discuss, and post results here: http://a320.freeforums.org/dingoobench-v0-1-by-sience-t406.html

From whence all the treasures of China hail, comes another Dingoo wannabe, or maybe a Dingoo notatall.  No reviews yet, but keep checking back … you never know – it might actually work. To while away the hours while Linux development progresses, click here if you want one.

Booboo posts a summary of GPIO usage here .

There are simply not enough dingoo forums around, of course, so I’ve set up another one, in response to a discussion thread on the Spanish GP2x Boards, where they asked for a dedicated Booboo Linux forum site. Welcome all to forum.dingoo-scene.com ! At the moment, it’s about as busy as a one legged man at a bum kicking contest.  However, I’m hoping it won’t be too long before guys like these appear: There is only one forum on it at the moment – but feel free to let me know how else we can help.

Get it here .

ekasasol has posted a great looking video on Youtube, and after you watch it, you’ll be wondering why we need Linux at all:). Let’s not forget why the Dingoo is where it is today – the original firmware, for all its flaws, does work, and pretty well.

A comprehensive French review of the Dingoo can be found here (or here, for the original ).  It’s so … oh, 10 May 2009 … but still makes good reading if you’re new to the scene. If you don’t like it, talk to the hand.

Huzzah! Not long after the triumphant return of GP32X comes the addition of an A320 specific area on the forums . Everyone should thank EvilDragon for setting it up and get to posting!

Thanks Seagal!: Port of mikie emulator, without using s2sdk. emu: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ujfjzoiljwf source code: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?onghdmnootk the game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0sO4_sB5vg

Required files here and quick start guide here ! I'll be posting more info as time permits. Help needed on building a mipsel-linux uclibc toolchain.

It’s all here, on Crankgaming .

Another pulse racing video!: However, Booboo would like to clarify as follows: "It's not going to be a "release" understood as a more or less finished work. It's just a way of saying that I will be posting all the information and all the work I've done. In fact, I just haven't done it before because I was too busy and so excited that I didn't want to lose time organizing and publishing the info. Now that all the basics are working, I've reached a milestone where people can actually program under dingoo linux, and it's time to dedicate some effort to publish all the info, so others can advance in parallel with me towards a full firmware replacement. Once what I have now is available to anyone, I intend to: 1- Make dual boot work. 2- Complete hardware support. Dual boot is not necessary for programmers (which can develop using USB boot) but is for users, so it will be soon required after programmers start releasing programs for dingoo linux. So,...

Check it out here: http://dl.openhandhelds.org/cgi-bin/dingoo.cgi

Booboo says: Status update: - video + sound + keyboard working. - SDL working, madplay working (20% CPU with a 192Kbps stereo MP3). Have a look: More very very soon: Booboo intends to post it all on Google code. Watch out for it!

Those of you hankering for the good old days, when hires meant better screen overlay art, will be overjoyed that joyrider has ported his “Game and Watch” Formula 1 game to the Dingoo, over at Dingoo-Digital.com . Download here and more details are here . Thanks joyrider!

flatmush has released Minesweeper on the Openhandheld dingoo forums: Here is a minesweeper game that I've made for the a320. The controls are: - The D-Pad moves the cursor. - A uncovers a tile. - B marks a tile. - Select takes a screenshot. - Start exits. The playable game is available here: http://flatmush.juliusparishy.com/a320/MineSweeper_Release.zip The source code is available here: http://flatmush.juliusparishy.com/a320/MineSweeper_Source.zip This is probably more use as an example of how to make applications without using the s2dsdk, it contains enough functions to get anybody started in a320 programming without all the useless bloated sdk code. Edit: If you downloaded before 02:19 17/05/2009 GMT then re-download since the level 4 crash bug is now fixed, was due to my rand function not being random enough.

Amidst the growing excitement over Linux, Homebrew and whatever else, it’s easy to forget that the manufacturers also have a say in things.  A new version 1.1 firmware has been released on the official Dingoo website: grab it here (It’s the first item on the list of downloads).  Unfortunately, no Y/B button fix appears apparent from the text file which accompanied it: This firmware version shows as V1.1, the language functions in an increase of Japanese, Korean, Russian in three languages, upgraded A320      Built-in language is Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Russian, six, to facilitate the use of players around the world. Small fruit Digital: http://www.dingoo888.com A320 firmware upgrade steps: 1. Connected to the computer's USB line, the A320-extracting machine A320.HXF the root directory (can be overwritten A320.HXF old files) 2. Election...

Now seems as good a time as any to start thinking about a critical question, at this stage in the life of this blog.  As you know, we are always keen to listen – and especially if you provide the html coding:) – even implement, all decent suggestions. Consequence9 has spent a lot of effort and energy designing this logo: I’d have to say that it’s very well done, and the work Consequence9 has put in is very obvious – but it’s not my cup of tea.  The whole graffiti aesthetic, well, it’s not me, or the Dingoo, I don’t think. But, as this guy might say …. … you need to ask yourself a question: Do you like it? Hate it? Do you think you can do better? (And if you can, send it to me, I’ll put it here for consideration.) Would you prefer to stick with the elegant minimalistic irony captured by the stark simplicity of the existing Dingoo-Scene banner? Or do you think we should stop acting like little girls picking their favourite My Little Pony , and ...

From the openhandheld forums comes another tantalizing tidbit: Watto asked: Craig, any news on Mame, Atari & Amiga, coming to the Dingoo ! CraigX (13 May 2009): You will be seeing mame and atariST later this month!

Over at the A320 freeforums, f latmush posted the following : This sample shows you how to compile C programs which directly access the frame-buffer and controls, so that you don't have to use the s2dsdk. This gives you full control of the machine so be careful, I still have things to work out but for my first day with an a320 I think it's pretty good. If you look at the code included with all the other samples most of it is unused bloat, from other PMP's, my code is a fraction of the size and simpler to understand. Download the sample from: http://flatmush.juliusparishy.com/a320/HelloWorld.zip Once you run the sample it will simply change the color of the screen dependent on what buttons you press. Any questions? Tomorrow I will upload my software graphics library so that we can get some proper games running, hopefully astro lander by the end of the week from me. Good one; thanks...

From the Spanish GP2x forums (untranslated link here ), it’s clear Booboo hasn’t been idle this Friday night: Hello, I finish implementing the keyboard and what I have done it is not to warm up the head to me and to use the mapeo of keyboard of the SNES9X: D-DAP: you shoot with an arrow Button A: “d” Button B: “c” Button X: “s” Button and: “x” Button left shoulder: “to” Button right shoulder: “z” START: to enter SELECT: space If somebody has some better suggestion, please it says than it. For the subject of the volume of audio and the retroiluminación of the screen me a pair of things has been happened and also it would want to hear commentaries: In both cases his it is to implement these functions in drivers corresponding. This is very well for a system of escritiorio but it seems to me that very it is not adapted for the...

Here’s an excruciatingly exciting update from Booboo on Linux: Status update: Sound is working. Turns out that the ALSA support in the Ingenic kernel just doesn't work. OSS does, though the implementation is a bit buggy the sound quality is not affected as far as I know. I just need to get the keys working and we'll have miniSD + video + sound + keys, just enough to play emulators and other apps, as long as one doesn't mind booting into linux just for that and resetting when finished to get back to the original firmware. Using linux as a full blown firmware substitute won't be possible until the rest of the hardware is supported. Key support is trivial and I'm sure I'll get it working this weekend. At the moment the only way to boot linux is by using the USB boot mode, so a host PC is required. As you know...

The amazingly … patient …. SiENcE has produced the definitive analysis of how well the Dingoo manages just about any video files you might care to throw at it here .  The Dingoo’s ability to handle video files generally without re-encoding is truly unparalleled for a device of this type. Thank you SiENcE!

Download from here . Information: Current version: v0.3 JPG, BMP Supported formats: JPG, BMP 7000*6000 (BMP) Maximum size: 7000 * 6000 (BMP) 5000*4000 (JPG) 5000 * 4000 (JPG) Button Description: Arrow keys to move the image, A zoom button, B button to narrow. X and △ key to switch images. Combination of keys POWER + LEFT Fit to width POWER + RIGHT Original Size POWER + UP for a high degree of A + B rapid switch scaling (for the width of the original size, suitable for a high, 50%, 25%, 12.5%) Installation Method: PicShow.SIM documents will be copied to the small machine GAME directory, enter the small machine "Classic Game", select the image files to open depend on you. Update Description: v0.3 v0.3 1. In support of more than 20 million super-resolution display 2. D...

Booboo explains about the challenges of getting Linux to dualboot below.  Hello, I am trying to obtain the dual boot. On ccpmp.bin I know that: 1 - Load in 0x80004000. 2 - The size of data to load is in the second DWORD. 3 - Once loaded, loader 0x80004008 jumps to the position. Ccpmp.bin complete occupies 5MB, but only a little more 2MB is occupied. The rest is free to put what we want, although will be only loaded if DWORD modifies suitably secondly. I have verified that putting 0x00500000 (=5MB) in the second DWORD everything continues working correctly. The strategy is: 1 - To carry u-boot and to form it so that carge kernel and root filesystem of miniSD. This already is done and works perfectly if position directly this u-boot in memory I execute and it. 2 - To modify u-boot so that their direction of load is 0x80404000 (0x80004000 + 4MB). 3 - “To inlay” u-boot in offset +4M of the file, which would be equivalent to once loaded in mem...

Seagal has released his PIE320 0.1 Pacman emulator!  Download and discussion here .

  joyrider has ported Rubido from the GP2x over to the Dingoo – grab it here from the A320 freeforums . Thanks joyrider!

Another day, another update top Jorghej’s Wonderswan emulator.  Grab it here . Jorghej says: I request excuses by the errors that did impossible to play in version 0.3. Corrected the majority of them already it is possible to be played the engaged games. Also the execution has been accelerated considerably deshabilitando the file of log as they recommended to me and excluding certain files in the compilation (files used in some tests). I also asked Jorghej the following question : Hello Jorghej, Would it be very difficult to do what you have done with the Wonderswan emulator, and produce a port of Frodo, or another C64 emulator? His reply: I do not think is much more complicated… Linux or not, the future looks bright for Dingoo emulation. Jorghej, how can we get you to work on Frodo? Can we take up a collection and send you dancing girls, gold bars and small islands?

Props to Jorghej for releasing v0.3 of his Wonderswan emulator.  Grab it here ! Jorghej, good on you for not slowing down your work on this emulator.  It seems to me that after a flurry of homebrew activity 2 weeks ago, the considerable progress on Linux could have slowed things down a bit – are developers waiting for Linux before investing more time into this machine? But as Jorghej shows, there is no need to wait for Linux to be released before working on homebrew!  Don’t forget there are links to Wonderswan birdfood here .

I suspect most Dingoo fans will appreciate this flowchart from Kotaku .

Wiredbombo has written a great guide on installing the Dingoo SDK here .

With these plans, you too can have your own Gpeter7-ish cradle.  Make it out of ancient Oak, and it’ll look good in the best boardrooms. Read more here: http://a320.freeforums.org/my-pattern-for-a-wooden-dingoo-cradle-t283.html Technorati Tags: dingoo , cradle , stand , mods , hacks

For those of you trying to find a Wonderswan emulator, give Bingo83 a big hug at the A320 freeforums : Bingo83: Our friends over on the Chinese A320 forum have found a Wonderswan emulator V0.2 that works on the Dingoo. Just extract and put the .SIM file in the usual place and ensure your roms are labelled .WS The emu doesnt find .WSC roms at all (yet). I tried Loderunner which ran full screen if a touch too slow. You can try it for yourself HERE There are links to Wonderswan birdfood here . For more information about this emulator, go to Jorgehj’s site here: http://66.163.168.225/babelfish/translate_url_content?.intl=us&lp=es_en&trurl=http%3a%2f%2fblog.tipesoft.com%2f Props, Jorgehj!

From the A320freeforums: Hi to all the first beta of my hxftool is ready for a few tests http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?tkyminyiunt features - integrated hex-viewer for single files inside the hxf-package - change bootscreens - change a few default settings - language editor for english-texts - some automatic patches (including the td-mod) it's straight forward to use. simply open a hxf-file and change whatever you want. there's no need to use an unpacker. everything is done online so backup your hxf-file (just in case). i'm a little bit out of time maybe someone can write a tutorial? if all this bricks your dingoo look here http://dingoo-digital.com/downloads/app ... icker-tool

More Booboo Q&A from the Spanish GP2x Forums ( untranslated link ) (all this, and he has time to code too … cheers Booboo!):   Originally Written by they chipan Ah, then is that you had not read me XDDDDDD As far as which you say of throwing the main surroundings/of applications; I believe that the Gmenu2x could be carried (I suppose that there will be source code available or if cannot be asked the author), is a pretty very configurable alternative and with a really small consumption of resources. Booboo: Indeed, the source code is available. It seems the best alternative. I yesterday made a fast attempt with the sound was used that me for, of entrance, knowledge that support OSS of kernel of ingenic does not work (great petada when you accede to the device), so debate OSS (“legacy” but more compact, does not support audio simultaneous of several applications, something that in a320 is not problem) versus ALSA (default to day of today, heavie...