SONY NWZ E43x (E435/E436/E438)

[marmatty]

Cheers mates , my first time posting on rb forums.

Ok , so the player i'm talking about is a Sony NWZ E43x series [i personally got my hands on a 436F].

The player appears to be using a Sigmatel chip [maybe a 3600 , dunno for sure] and the firmware appears to be encrypted.

The firmware update program is done through a Sony-branded Sigmatel update-program-thingie [discovered it after dissasembling the .exe ].

So , altrough this might be against forum rules to ask , does anyone wanna start porting rb to this little thingie ?

[oh , btw , sorry if i posted some nonsense or stupidity , my skills don't quite match the job of rb developer]

Later Edit :

I have discovered that the chip is indeed Sigmatel based , and I'm also pretty sure it's the 3600 so this kinda makes rb development easy
The firmware structure complies to what is already available in the wiki , that is :
    *  bootmanager.sb
    * hostlink.rsc
    * hostlink.sb
    * player.rsc
    * player.sb
    * stmfgmsc.sb
    * updater.sb

Using the Sigmatel firmware extractor i was only able to get "bootmanager.sb" out of the player , but what i've found more interesting is an update program that is not Sony-firmware bound , this means we can upload our own files to the player , the program can be found at   

http://www.maxfield.de/index.php?id=16&tx_maxproductslist_pi1[pro_uid]=131&L=0

along with the firmware for that player [bricks the sony if you try to upload it]

Also , i've discovered that the player can be unbricked by the use of the original Sony update program.

Hope this will get someone's attention

[Chronon]

Did you read the sticky?  If you plan to work on this then feel free to start a port page for this in our wiki.  Just don't expect anyone else to do the work for you.  Feel free to visit user forums for this device and get skilled users/owners interested in Rockbox.  You're more likely to do this than to convince people here who don't own this device to drop cash just to work on a new port.

[agdurrette]

well i have the same one and i dont really know wow to program if i need to i will learn how to jest for this but i cant  find a pcb scan and dont want to take mine apart  so if any body knows a place were i can find one at please tell me. i will try to create a wiki page and put the info on there.

[froggyman]

but i cant  find a pcb scan and dont want to take mine apart

well, if you really *want* this port you are going to have to it if you cant find any

[agdurrette]

I created the wiki page its http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/SonyNWZE43xx

if any one has a NWZE43xx and would want to crack it open for some scan pic i would be varry great full mine still haz a warranty on it and rather not but will if need be

[rethgir]

Hey there,
   Just picked up a Sony NWZ-E438F and am very much interested in getting rb running on it. I'm a programmer by day (mostly perl, php in a LAMP environment) but am new to rb in general. Let me know if you're serious about getting something going. In the meantime, I'm going to peruse the site and see what I can learn.

Thanks!   

[agdurrette]

   Sweet, I'm glad I'm not the only one that is wanting a Rockbox port. Yes i really want this to happen i only know HTML, css, and learning ahk. Currently we need  a scan picture of the PCB. I took mine apart but came to a problem i will take a picture of what i can and show were the problem comes in at .

Thanks, Andrew

[agdurrette]

I opened mine up and found:
first chip:
Samsung 813
K9LBG08U0M
PCB0

second chip:
89
2113A

third chip:
E3
STFM1000
B2FNX
AFPJCA

The third chip im not 100% sure on, but I did find something for STFM1000.

There was more but it was under a metal shield/heat sink/thingy.

[funman]

K9LBG08U0M PCB0 looks like it's the NAND flash according to a quick search.

Perhaps you should the whole board and post it on the wiki

[agdurrette]

Ya thats what i think it its two, The third chip seems to be the fm tuner. http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/prod_summary.jsp?code=STFM1000

My camera is not really good and I don't have a scanner, but the information I posted was what I found on the ICs. It looks like there are two more but there under what I think is a heat sink.

Pictures:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1882171/Pictures/rob1.JPG
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1882171/Pictures/rob2.JPG
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1882171/Pictures/rob3.JPG

[saratoga]

Ya thats what i think it its two, The third chip seems to be the fm tuner. http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/prod_summary.jsp?code=STFM1000

My camera is not really good and I don't have a scanner, but the information I posted was what I found on the ICs. It looks like there are two more but there under what I think is a heat sink.

Pictures:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1882171/Pictures/rob1.JPG
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1882171/Pictures/rob2.JPG
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1882171/Pictures/rob3.JPG

Your camera is fine you just didn't set the focus correctly for the distance you're standing at. 

[agdurrette]

Ok, I will see if i can get a better picture.

[caseyo]

All,
 I just pulled apart my NWZ-E438F. It is an awesome piece of hardware, but the firmware
was so bad. I don't think that they left any margin on their clock because it would alaways hang on me, and the last time it never recovered.  I'll try to get these processed into schematics, but let me know if you need any specific pic.
Casey

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5247840/F-1%20top%20plane%20of%20lower%20PCB.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5247840/F-1%20top%20plane%20of%20upper%20PCB.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5247840/F-1%20Bottom%20plane%20of%20upper%20PCB.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5247840/F-1%20Bottom%20plane%20of%20lower%20PCB.jpg

[saratoga]

Is there any writing at all on the two square chips?  From the pictures it doesn't look like it, but maybe its just very faint?

[caseyo]

Is there any writing at all on the two square chips?  From the pictures it doesn't look like it, but maybe its just very faint?

Yeah there is writing, I Copied the #s onto the pictures that I linked up. The writing isn't in the same orientation as on the chips, but you can make out the primary pin marker in the photos.
Kc