I've got a PMP that is called "Sunplus SPCA536" according to the CheckUDisk program on this site. It has a software update option in one of the menus and I'm really interested in modifying the firmware. I know noone has done it yet, but I think it would be great if we did some R&D

Anyway, I pulled mine apart and wrote down most of the chip names as well as some other misc stuff:

PCB:
HTX-C500 <----- True "Model name"
2005.09.30
ver: 3.0

LOGIC:
jcatch (tm)
SUNPLUS <----- Yep, definitely a Sunplus media player
SPCA536A-PB111
0532
MOH5430.00

(Most of the following isn't so interesting)

BATTERY:
+ALP505068
-HW531110110

LCD:
388572B001 - XX - 0011431

RAM/ROM?:
SAMSUNG 543
K4S281632F - TC75

S2816 ZLI014DAC

OTHER:
------------------
SAA7113H
------------------
WM
WM9711
3CAHAOC
------------------


I've been looking around for information on this stuff, but I haven't had a lot of success. I can't even find a datasheet for the Sunplus chip, only some webcam variant. For the MPX players, how was the firmware decompiled? I've asked the guy at chizon.com for the firmware tools (Purposely vague, I want whatever I can get) but I haven't received a reply yet. Does anyone have the firmware upload/backup software for this player? I'm fairly sure noone does but a post by "Irish Nerd Guy" HERE suggests that it is available (Too bad he was just a guest...)

So does anyone have any ideas? Here's a pic of my PMP. Does anyone have a similar main menu?

yyttu, I shall see what I can find out. Just out of curiosity what size is the screen and what is the video format?

I wasn't expecting such a fast reply, tadad1! Screen size is roughly 6.5cm (2.4 inch) diagonally. It only supports ASF format video using the Sunplus PMP Transcoding utility. Thanks for the help.

yyttu, there is a pretty long forum discussion on sunplus PMP here has a few links to some software that might be handy HERE

I actually had a link to that thread above, but being the domestically blind fool that I am, I never went past the first page (I'm so used to seeing page numbers at the bottom, not top)

I can't seem to get to the FTP address mentioned there, and everyone who'se flashed their PMP players seems to have bricked them...

I found this particularly funny:

Quote: › Irish, thank you for all the advice. I’ve read every page and know these things now: 1) Don’t upgrade the firmware. I counted over half a dozen people with dead PMP’s because of this. 2) Encode video files to VOB and then encode using the included software. 3) Make sure to encode the VOB to the right resolution. 4) Recording PS2 games is cool. Shadow of the Colossus anyone?? 5) Make sure to edit your pictures BEFORE sending them or they will squish and distort. 6) Don’t upgrade the firmware. 7) Don’t upgrade the firmware. 8) No matter what PMP you THINK you have, don’t upgrade the firmware.

I'm reading through it now, hopefully the conversations regarding firmware will swing to a positive light. I really want to modify mine.

yyttu, Like you said not a lot of info on them and killing then is pretty final from what I have read.The only apps I can find are ASF transcoders nothing for firmware which is possibly just as well If I find anything more I will let you know.

Thanks. I've tried that FTP link with no luck (I need a password), and I can't find anything on the directgt website, either... I've made a post on that link you sent me asking for the file - and accidentally double posted - so hopefully I'll get something back from them. If I get the file it might be worth uploading it on this website, since other people would probably want to play with it.

Right now I'm googling around for "ak4" which is supposedly the folder that contained the goodies.

The above post was me. I can't edit it, so excuse the double post. I get the feeling this AK4 software is designed for this sunplus PMP only (Note the AK4 at the end of the item name)

A kind forum member at that website sent me the software that is apparently used for changing the fonts. Tadad1, are you interested in having a look at it and trying to make some sense of it all? From what I can see all it does is take a BMP file (with characters in it) and resizes it and produces a file with the coordinates of the letters, and it also has some flashing feature. Interestingly, the folder included some images of all the icons, as well as the main menu screen that I have (although very slightly different) Here is a screenshot of the program and the other files that came with it:

yyttu, My man I would love to have a look at it, may not be able to make much sense of it though without being able to kill a player or 2 but upload it to www.ezshare.de and I will download it and have a squizz.

Here it is:

Download Here

I have sent an email to sunplus requesting the full suite of tools, and documentation. It's worth a try imo. Please post if you find out anything special with this program. It looks like it's just for fonts to me, but that might not be true. Good luck, and don't go flashing any Mp4s with it yet! Everyone else has killed theirs.

Edit: While searching around for more stuff I came across what I think is a Sigmatel Mp4 player firmware updating program, but it seems to be "customised" for an NTO player. Get it HERE if you're interested. The program name is "stupdaterapp". I haven't had a close look at it since I'm not interested in Sigmatel but someone else might find it useful.

Edit again: I have found yet another tool, but I can't download it because the Chinese moron that hosts it feels that only his fellow chinese friends should use it (I think..) The translated page is HERE, but if you want to attempt to register, you can't do it through the translator proxy. Cut out the url and use that, then cut and paste the parts of the register query to babelfish or whatever you wish to use. I get stuck on the last input. They want some sort of number thing, at first I thought it was a referral number so I left it blank, but it wont let me in. It also says something about external, so I think if I try it through a proxy in China it might work, but I'm not up to installing a proxy program at the moment. Anyone else want to give it a shot?

Well, I found another piece to the puzzle that is Sunplus firmware modification. I got that software off the Chinese site (Strangely I could register off a different computer)

You can download it HERE. I have kept the file structure in the not-so-friendly way that it came in case anyone wants to Google for the file names. The chinese folder name within the RAR file translates to "Most common male version PMP (SCPA-536) promotion tool"

It looks like the firmware that comes with it is for the Sunplus SPCA-536 camera version, rather than my one which doesn't have a camera. However, I would be surprised if it wouldn't upload firmware to my one.

Now I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction for decompiling firmware "BIN" files. I have no experience here but with a starting point from one of you guys and Google, I'd be on my way.

I want to back up the firmware I have on the device now before I go fiddling with it. Does anyone have any pointers here? Where do I start?

Also, please take a look at this new program and tell me anything that comes to mind. Have you made much sense of the other program, tadad1? I've been meaning to ask - how have you made over 1000 posts in just a couple of months? That must be a world record or something...

I have got some stuff on repairing a bricked Sunplus PMP as well as updating firmware with that ISP software off that Chinese site. I translated then with Babelfish, then re-wrote them myself (adding in some personal insight too).

Here's the two of them zipped up

Now if I could just work out how to back up my firmware, I could have a carefree life of testing out random firmware files with the knowledge that if I bricked it I could just do the trick in one of those files and put the original back on...

...but I was hoping someone here with some programming skills would help with the backup thing. It seems at s1mp3 they have made up some pretty nice tools for that stuff. Where can I get started here?

I've noticed that this is my 3rd post in a row. Tadad1, are you not so interested now? I would have expected atleast a few people with Sunplus PMPs and some computer skills to be interested in all this. I've sent a bunch of emails out to a bunch of websites asking for tools, firmware files and so on. I've had one reply so far and have begun discussing firmware stuff with them.

I can probably spend a long time on Google searching around for Sunplus stuff, but it comes down to needing someone here with programming skills to do whatever it is they do. I've got a few files to work on as a starting point. I might ask some of the regulars at s1mp3 what they think.

yyttu, So many toys to play with so little time. As you suspected it appears to be a font map generator. Once you build your font or icon map you can compress them into .bin files supposedly for upload to your player or incorporated into the firmware file.

I am not sure how many sunplus PMP owner frequent the site and from some of the requests that have gone unanswered not to many programming savy members either.

How is your player performing as you expected, no disapointments?

I'm currently scouring the web, trying to find a solution for you. So far, I have found one site, but it seems to be about a 6 in 1 dealie. Here is the link 6 in 1 review

It talks about needing drivers from your device

Quote: › Web cam: This is actually the only function that I was not able to test during the review period. I tried to get it to work with my Powerbook and AV Chat, but the camera was not recognized. The user manual does say that the camera will work with Microsoft's Movie Maker and Net Meeting for the PC. When I set the M Catch to web cam mode and plugged it into my PC, it brought up a Hardware Wizard that wanted to install drivers for a Sunplus SPCA536 device. I opted not to install the drivers.

Not sure if this will help at all, but it might be a lead on another way of getting a software upgrade for your device....i'll keep on looking