Pipo M9 Pro - Finless 1.5 ROM

[manao]

Thanks for this

ludoke, I'm not sure this is the solution. This can help some user but no more. This is especially for tablets that have been tested in China and that the user can not operate the GPS the first time.
Once the tablet has found his first Fix (cold Fix) at your home the gldata.sto has good instructions.

With my Pipo M7Pro, straight after installing a RileyROM, the first Fix (cold fix) come beetween 39-55 secondes.
I'm lucky with my tablet. Probably the solders are good...

[rrileypm]

Re: Pipo M9 Pro - Finless 1.5 ROM

Don't get it,to whoom are you replying? And what are you trying to say?

I'm talking about setting up GPS without changing files in the system.

My point is that your tablet will configure GPS on it's own....it just takes a REALLY LONG TIME.

I don't have a habit of quoting every post I respond to...especially if it address a question on the immediately previous post. Sorry for the confusion.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

[M9ProPipo]

improving GPS fix times cont.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is Bob saying don't bother with NTPSync and M9ProPipo says you have to use it?

not quite,

When you first booted your tablet and connected to wifi, if your time was set, then you already got time from a NTP server or your router. You may have only had to change your time zone in settings.
So this APP is a waste of processor time unless you need it!

So the consensus is that a good time setting is needed, and NTP is the tool that does that job by sync'ing to a clock on the internet.

Bob is correct, it syncs at boot (if it has an internet connection), or perhaps it happens when the internet comes up blue; not sure. But I only reboot the tablet rarely: when it locks up (still happens, but pretty rare with the latest ROMs) or when I'm travelling by air. Using the detailed query function in NTPSync it shows that my tablet often drifts by about 0.5 to 5 seconds after a day or two. Unfortunately even 500ms seems too much of a time lag to get a quick fix. Thus the gps.conf style close-as-possible/lowest-return-ping NTP servers.

I don't know why it lags, maybe the chip's frequency isn't well tuned, maybe it uses a cheap crystal, maybe it is not well calibrated to the temperature sensor, maybe the sdcard i/o saturates and makes the kernel wait too long & the preemptible kernel makes it skip a beat. Who knows.

But the internal clock does lag, and since micro-seconds matter to GPS IMHO it is best to at minimum have NTP sync using one method or another at least once a day. As one of the more venerable unix protocols it really should not be that hungry processor-wise. And NTPSync has a sync-once-a-day option to keep it not too far off. I haven't benchmarked it, but if I know I'm heading out and want to use the GPS later I'll run the detailed query then sync just before leaving internet coverage.

So my best advice is keep an eye on the detailed query in NTPSync and then decide for yourself if you want it to regularly sync or if sync-at-boot is enough for you. I would say sync-at-gps-startup (gps.conf edits) is a broken idea since (depending on where you live) often you will start the GPS up when outside of 3G or wifi coverage areas.

If you look in the folder root /data / GPS you will see that there is a gldata.sto file.
This file is created at the first use of your GPS, but as it has been tried before in China, the gldata.sto (glonav data?) Is configured for China...

Just simply remove gldata.sto file and reboot. This file will be created again at the first use of your GPS and will be modified each time you use your GPS.

Thanks, I was wondering where they stored that in the filesystem. Looking in it seems to show lines of differing length. I'm educated guessing it stores both the latest almanac/ephemeris download and the latest known fix position in that file. There's another file in the /data/gps/ dir called 'glgpsctrl' which 'ls -l' shows as a "p" file, not sure what that is, not a regular device.

Even if they did get a fix in the factory in China, I think deleting the file would just trade a last known position in China for a last known position in the USA (gpsconfig.xml for 4.2.2 contained one position in Silicon Valley and another in Atlanta). So depending on where you are deleting the file might either speed things up or slow things down.

It takes a REALLY LONG TIME for your device to configure...but once it is done, it works.

I did it on a clear day in my back yard. It took about an hour for my tablet to catch all of the satellites.

The almanac/ephemeris takes 15 minutes of unbroken coverage to download. Older GPSs needed to be present for the start of the transmission, so worst case is 30 minutes continuous coverage. Newer dedicated GPSs (garmin, tomtom, etc.) can piece the full thing together even if it didn't start at the beginning. I'm not sure what Android or Pipo does for that, but 30 minutes should be enough to get the latest almanac. GPS Test and similar apps give you an option to update AGPS. I assume that means have it download the almanac/ephemeris data again. Also the GPS Test "clear AGPS" might delete that /data/gps/gldata.sto file? It should be easy to test that by watching 'ls -l' in a terminal.

I anecdotally observe that the US satellites generally get picked up first, then once I have a fix a bunch more Russian satellites join the party. My wild theory is that the Russian satellites care more about the timing than the US ones (are they in a lower orbit so going faster across the sky?).

With my Pipo M7Pro, straight after installing a RileyROM, the first Fix (cold fix) come between 39-55 seconds.
I'm lucky with my tablet.

Yes I think you are. I only get that short a fix time on my first cold start if I've already patched the gpsconfig.xml file with my current position, otherwise it takes ages.

Probably the solders are good...

I would guess a problem there would primarily show up as a cap on SNR value, do you ever get higher than 40%? So a long time to fix but then once it has initialized a quick time to fix and SNRs in the high 30%'s probably means the solder joins are ok. But if it takes a long time to get a fix and then (or because) the SNR is bad, it could be due to bad solder or antenna.

[venso]

GPS Signal level rose - was 30, now 45 - 47 percent

I did my simple antenna:
1 - empirically found that the best size and location within the tablet.
2 - and this is important - I resolder place.
Signal level rose from 25-30 to 45-47 percent.
All with the iron, and not in the firmware!
I catch and connects the satellites 10-12, 10-11 within 10 - 20 seconds
It works on any firmware starting with 20130729... 20130822 to Finless_Pipo_M9Pro_15ROM,
I specifically sews all firmware and tested - it is not the firmware - is raw iron!

[manao]

I opened a small thread for Hyundai T7 (work for every tablet/smartphone who need help with a gps.conf) http://www.slatedroid.com/topic/7408...t-a-quick-fix/ with some gps.conf ready (at the end of the post)
I dont think this trick could help the Pipo user because gps.conf is useless with these models.

[plucky]

<3 in the air !

i just came here...
2 tell u...
that i fckin love this rom !
thank u so much!!!

[jimcan]

CWM Recovery Installation Using Arctools

Hi Bob, I am a newbie to flashing ROMs and I thank you and Riley for all the excellent work I read about your contributions to this and other freaktab forums. I have installed your 1.5 ROM on my Pipo M9 Pro (wifi only) and greatly love it. As a result of studying Riley's ROM Flashing Instructions for First Time Users and carefully following your instructions for installing the ROM, I was able to install it successfully during my VERY FIRST ATTEMPT!!! My question is; can I use arctools to install clockworkmod (CWM) recovery with your ROM? I found this tool with instructions on an arctablet.com blog during a google search for installing CWM recovery. If this is possible, please provide me with some guidelines or link me to threads on freaktab or other online sources. Many thanks in advance.

[rrileypm]

You don't need to use a different tool to install CWM.

I'm pretty sure that Bob included CWM Recovery as an option in this ROM Kit.

Just open the flash tool and uncheck EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE RECOVERY.IMG LINE.

To the right of recovery.img there is a little box. Click it and browse to the FinlessROM folder and find the CWM Recovery file and select it.

Connect your tablet via usb and reboot to flash mode. Flash the ROM without erasing IDB.

This will replace the stock recovery with CWM Recovery. When you reboot to recovery you will have CWM.

[ludoke]

Hi Bob, I am a newbie to flashing ROMs and I thank you and Riley for all the excellent work I read about your contributions to this and other freaktab forums. I have installed your 1.5 ROM on my Pipo M9 Pro (wifi only) and greatly love it. As a result of studying Riley's ROM Flashing Instructions for First Time Users and carefully following your instructions for installing the ROM, I was able to install it successfully during my VERY FIRST ATTEMPT!!! My question is; can I use arctools to install clockworkmod (CWM) recovery with your ROM? I found this tool with instructions on an arctablet.com blog during a google search for installing CWM recovery. If this is possible, please provide me with some guidelines or link me to threads on freaktab or other online sources. Many thanks in advance.

Yes,you can install CWM with Arctools but its touch recovery and on the M9 Pro there are no fysical volume buttons,its not working well,on my M9 Pro i can hardly select an option with touch.
However you can use a USB keyboard and that work.

There's a search option in this forum or use Google.
Please take a little effort from your site.

[ludoke]

You don't need to use a different tool to install CWM.

I'm pretty sure that Bob included CWM Recovery as an option in this ROM Kit.

Just open the flash tool and uncheck EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE RECOVERY.IMG LINE.

To the right of recovery.img there is a little box. Click it and browse to the FinlessROM folder and find the CWM Recovery file and select it.

Connect your tablet via usb and reboot to flash mode. Flash the ROM without erasing IDB.

This will replace the stock recovery with CWM Recovery. When you reboot to recovery you will have CWM.

I have tried this ,followed your steps,result ,Android on his back!!!
Thank's Randy

[rrileypm]

That means you didn't flash the CWM recovery. You still have stock recovery on your tablet.

[ludoke]

That means you didn't flash the CWM recovery. You still have stock recovery on your tablet.

Followed your steps ,only ticked recovery.img...no nand erase..flash rom...ok...Android on his back and i know thats the stock recovery.

Is the recovery from Bob also touch,because toutch is hardly usable on my M9 Pro,the screen reacts not as on other devices witch i earlier used CWM Touch on it.
I will never buy devices without phisical volume buttons anymore, i buy'd even a Usb keyboard for it but it's not the real thing in my opinion.

[rrileypm]

Download this CWM file.

Unzip it and flash the recovery.img instead of the stock recovery.img in the ROM kit.

http://files.androtab.info/rockchip/rk3066/20130427/RK30GENERIC_CWM.zip

[Kenneth]

I have kasty rom at the moment (kasty-pipo-m9_pro-422-ota_20131209-rooted4.zip)

I just noticed this custom rom (Finless 1.5) is it worth a try? better than kasty?

@rrileypm you said this is the best rom for the m9pro atm so i am willing to flash it and give feedback to support you and other users here who need help!

I am using CWM 6.0.3.1 recovery (flashed with arctools apk)

[Kenneth]

I use CWM 6.0.3.1 with touch and it works fine on my m9pro!

no need for volume buttons anymore to navigate in CWM

i find it faster and more easy...you ONLY need your finger now!!

Followed your steps ,only ticked recovery.img...no nand erase..flash rom...ok...Android on his back and i know thats the stock recovery.

Is the recovery from Bob also touch,because toutch is hardly usable on my M9 Pro,the screen reacts not as on other devices witch i earlier used CWM Touch on it.
I will never buy devices without phisical volume buttons anymore, i buy'd even a Usb keyboard for it but it's not the real thing in my opinion.