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Home / MISC Areas / Mattel JuiceBox
Threads have been dead for a bit.
Are people working on it still?

New MessageThreads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) RalphWonderLlama
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The threads seem to have been dead on the Mattel JuiceBox.

Are people still working on it? Other websites that have taken over?

The gecko website looks like it died.

I am just wondering what has been happening.

04-23-2005 12:10:54

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) Tom61
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All major points have been found out already; where the JTag is, how to replace the ROM, etc. So, that's one reason why there haven't been as many posts. Another is that no new people are coming on board, as most Wal-Marts are sold out already. The whole spark causing the flurry of topics about this device was Wal-Mart clearancing them cheaply.

Anyways, I'm considering turning mine into a display for my computer. Hook it up via serial, have a plugin for XMMS or WinAmp that sends the current song names, frequency values, etc. then have a program on the JB decode them and do visualisations.

04-24-2005 13:47:34

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) darkwillow
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so has anyone figured out how to make it play your own videos? what exactly has been done as far as making the device do something useful? this thread has grown so far and wide that it's hard to piece it all together. someone should make a good summary and post it... or perhaps a "how-to" guide for dummies like me. i am impressed at the progress people have made on here. i thought this thread had totally died, so i'm glad to see it going again. i am eagerly clutching my juicebox waiting for the moment when everyone's hard work comes to fruition and we can do something with this thing. it seems like it has a lot of potential.

thanks to all who have contributed.

04-26-2005 04:23:06

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) werejag
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Tom61

well can you point me in the direction of the info? i love to get jtag working and start compiling if i can figure that stuff out.

04-26-2005 05:38:50

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) RalphWonderLlama
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I saw some action bringing out a serial connection and dead roaching. So what are people using for the ROM replacement? Did anyone overburn the ROM or get a boot from the memory card?

I have seen the references to boot images. Did anyone find a replacement to the MP3 connector or a better substitute?

04-26-2005 20:15:49

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) Tom61
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A summary of what has been done:

prpplague was the furthest along last I heard, and has J-Taged in the open-source image into his, as well has replaced the rom in one of his.

The ROM is really a Read-Only Memory chip not flash, so it has to be physically replaced to change the ROM image. There are a couple of flash ROM chips that are compatable, but you have to either program the chip externally or connect the ROM write lines in the JuiceBox and boot it via JTag then use a utility to write an image to it. No exploits have been found to boot from SD Card, but you could in theory have a pic JTAG in a small bootloader (which you'd probably have to make one yourself).

As far as playing your own movies, there's no known way to trick the built-in player to play off SD card. The open source image/source package doesn't include the PVPPlayer. You could probably compile something like mplayer or a small MPEG player program and modify it to use the hardware buttons and play small 240x160 encoded files. (not enough processor power to do scaleing at speed)

As far as the exact pinouts of different things, from I've seen on mine, everything should be fairly easily traced from the S3C44B0X pinouts. In fact, most of the pins have nice vias (holes) close to the chip.

I may trace out the SD card adapter I have and make a full schematic for it. If don't mind paying $40 for it, K-Mart still has the MP3 kits.

04-27-2005 20:22:09

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) bagger99
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Target stores should have Juice Boxes on clearance for ~$25 and the MP3 kits are ~$22
04-28-2005 13:54:24

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) RalphWonderLlama
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According to what I have read, the ROM is still a programmable even if it is an OTP. So in theory, you can overburn it, but mapping the code is a beach.

Overburn is reprogramming a OTP device but you have to carft your image around the current program. You can change only those bits that have not been programmed yet. The overburn code might have to undo things that you can't get around yet which contributes to the fun. If you remember Gallagher, this is about as easy as making juliennes French Fries with his sledge-o-matic.


I have the net list of what I traced on the SD adapter. I had to stop whilst reading the SD standard.

04-28-2005 22:52:03

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) darkwillow
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there's a guy at the following site who claims he can make the juicebox play mpg videos from the SD card. i am skeptical because he is trying to sell the information for $15.

http://www.juiceboxhacking.com/forum/

earlier, before he began the solicitation, he did post these links which i am reposting here in case they are helpful

http://www.opencores.org/projects.cgi/web/or1k/orpsoc
http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/4535/print

i would actually pay $15 to be able to play video from the SD, but i think it's probably just a scam.

05-04-2005 14:48:39

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) robgrz
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There is no mpg codec built into the Juicebox and it cannot execute code from the SD Card so it's almost certainly a scam unless the mod requires a ROM replacement.

Robert

05-06-2005 09:03:38

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) darkwillow
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well, he did say the mod required some soldering and some other parts, so perhaps it is rom replacement. i wouldn't send any money though because i don't really solder, and i'd want some kind of proof that it works which he has not provided yet.
05-06-2005 14:24:21

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) Gutierrez
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I e-mailed him about the offer as well ad was not impressed with his reply. I has a bad oder to it.

As far as modding it yourself, how many people have been sucessful porting things to the JuiceBox? Anything other than a simple distro of uClinux?

05-06-2005 17:13:59

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) jjbru
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I agree that something doesn't seem right with the offer. I have been watching this site and the Juicebox discussion site for months now hoping that someone a lot smarter than me would figure out how to put your own video on JB. When I saw this guy offering plans it sounded like a break through. I e-mailed him also with questions about the modification difficulty, was there a codec, give some examples( I wanted screen shots), were parts needed or included with the plans?
All I got as a response was the price, $15 for plans and $50 for plans and parts I think, (that part was unclear).
I just wish someone would really make the breakthrough and share it with the rest of us.
jjbru
05-07-2005 17:34:18

New MessageAnyone selling pre-loaded replacement flash? (modified 0 times) samjam
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Is anyone selling pre-flashed ROM replacments that folk can just solder on top of the old rom (after cutting the power lines and diddling the CS line or whatever it is?)

Animage that
1) enabled a serial console
2) allowed re-flashing

would be pretty cool.

I live in the UK and had a friend ship over a green JuiceBox which was the last one he could find in Boise.

I don't have any MMC or SD adaptors.

Sam

05-10-2005 12:59:02

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 1 times) zbarnes
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/tv/6694831/in/pool-make/

How does she have that SD card hooked in there? Is that using that adaptor, just torn apart? I notice her's is the version with the power light, but mine is the newer version.

I just picked up two juiceboxes for $13, but there wasn't any mp3 kits.

If anyone could post some pictures of how to hack this thing, I would appreciate it!

05-11-2005 18:58:41

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) wat931
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Yes, that is just the mp3 kit adaptor with the cover off.

http://www.elinux.org/wiki/JuiceBoxMMC

05-12-2005 08:05:45

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) Tom61
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It looks like she's just using the normal adapter without the shell. Pinout for the adapter was posted in a thread on the other forum, and looks to be correct:
http://www.juiceboxhacking.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15
05-12-2005 19:00:26

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) zbarnes
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Thanks for the answers, I think I'll just buy one off of ebay. Now on to the other stuff though.... Could someone please pretty please take some pictures of the things that you have modded! I am a picture guy; words describing a schematic tends to get me confused. All this dead roaching, jtag, and tsop ( or whatever) is getting me confused without pictures.

Thanks much!

05-13-2005 14:33:33

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) RalphWonderLlama
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http://www.juiceboxhacking.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15

Yep. I did that real quickly one night before I got too busy.

I do thank you for confirming it. I still need to whip out a schematic of it.

Hopefully I will get a break and get some time to work on it.

05-15-2005 22:37:24

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) zbarnes
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Ok, well no one will post a tutorial, so I guess us newbies are on our own?

I think ultimately, we are trying to get this thing to be more open to doing things (like mentioned above about using it as a display for visualizations, etc.).

So for us sitting here waiting for someone to make a break through, or tell us what they have already done, should we do the rom replacement as the first step?

If this is the case, could someone tell us the best solution for replacement in the two main different versions of the juicebox(if there is any difference)?

One question I was wondering, maybe its already been answered, is the MP3 128kb rate a hardware or software limitation?

I would be particularly interested in hearing if that has had success on any part of the project has been using homebrew tools for like the jtag and/or flash programming (and if it is needed?).

05-16-2005 14:45:05

New MessageRE:Threads have been dead for a bit. (modified 0 times) Tom61
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"I do thank you for confirming it. I still need to whip out a schematic of it."

I haven't gone through it fully, but it looks correct. In otherwords, I haven't directly confirmed your discription against mine, but I'm positive you aren't talking out your behind. :P (like the guy selling $15 kits is)

05-17-2005 17:04:20

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