Computing & hacking

Mele: Ubuntu 12.10 armhf base with nand install (v0)

First (v0, deprecated) Ubuntu 12.10 armhf image for the Mele A2000 with kernel 3.0.42+ and NAND install — see v1 for the current version.

By ·· 2 min read· updated

#ubuntu#mele#nand

DEPRECATED VERSION – NEW VERSION HERE

I’m posting here a running (base) version of ubuntu 12.10 armhf, kernel 3.0.42+.

Quick, Working and (really) Dirty EDITION.

Easy to install on the NAND and ready to be tuned.

I’m stopping before the Xorg stuff because i don’t want to play with it. I’m kind of allergic to it.

The kernel is the one i use (wemac tuned, sata ok but compiled with all the modules for GFX stuff).

 
To proceed:

  1. Download the file: ubuntu_12.10_armhf_mele.img.gz
  2. Unzip the file.
  3. DD it to your MMC. You will need a mmc > 1Go (> mean strictly).
  • From linux (put your SDCard and type ‘dmesg’, you will see something about mmcblk0 or sdX appear at the end of dmesg print. Use the device you see to replace <MMC_DEVICE>)
    dd if=<path_to_mele_ubuntu_12.10_armhf.img> of=/dev/<MMC_DEVICE>
  • From windows, you can use Google to find a “dd” replacement or take this one: http://www.chrysocome.net/rawwrite
  1. Plug an RJ45 ethernet cable in the Mele (connected to a network with DHCP), put the MMC in the slot… cross fingers and power the mele
  2. After 15 seconds, you should see appear the mele on your network (ping scan via nmap or watch on your router/dhcp server for the mele). The default mac is 00AA.1100.0001
  3. SSH to it. User: root, Password: root

This is it.
You can continue with a nand install to be free of the MMC.
Don’t be afraid of bricking the device. It’s nearly impossible (instructions after to restore Android).

NAND Install

  1. SSH as root on the mele
  2. If you want another MAC address or hostname, edit the file /root/MMC_TO_NAND.sh with vim or nano (first lines).
  3. Launch this (the mele will automatically reboot).
    /root/MMC_TO_NAND.sh
    And confirm the repartionning.
  4. Wait 15 seconds, and reconnect with ssh to the mele
  5. Launch once again the script:
    /root/MMC_TO_NAND.sh
  6. … wait …wait
  7. now it’s finished. You have a nice base ubuntu armhf on your mele’s nand
  8. REMOVE THE MMC and hard reboot

The mele is like any linux now. You can install Xorg:
apt-get install xubuntu-desktop
Or
apt-get install kubuntu-desktop

You can plug a sata disk in it. Activate the wireless. etc…

If you have your own distribution already running on MMC and want to install it to NAND.
You can check the stupid package here (your kernel should have CMDLINE with root=/dev/nandb in it)
install_to_nand.tgz

TO REVERT TO ANDROID ICS:

  1. Download the Android ICS Mele version available everywhere
  2. Uncompress the archive
  3. ‘DD’ it to the MMC
  4. boot the mele with the MMC in it
  5. wait until the light stopped blinking red/blue
  6. remove the MMC and you have a fresh Android