DS Challenges

From DSWiki

Purpose

The DS Challenges are learning exercises intended to get teams more familiar with the DS and introduce them to embedded systems development.

You are not expected to know how to complete the challenges. In each challenge, we will provide helpful hints as the deadline draws near.

OK, now for some encouragement: KB will donate $500 to the first team to complete each challenge.

NOTE: This is not "prize money". We will simply make a charitable contribution to one of the teams.

DS Challenge #1 - Change the DS Logo

In this exercise, you will change the default, boot-up "KwikByte" logo to a different image of your choosing: e.g., your team logo.

Required equipment: You need low-level access to the DS firmware. The easiest way to get this is with the DS USB Adapter Clip.

Process steps:

1) Get access to the boot-loader

2) Change the boot-loader to read image data from a separate memory location

3) Upload the new boot-loader and your formatted image data

- Announced: January 02, 2009

- Deadline: January 20, 2009

- Status: Open Postponed

Challenge #1 Solution

Intro info:

 The SPI flash contains 8192 pages.
 Each page is 1056 bytes.
 The first 256 pages are reserved for bootloader(s).
 The final 256 pages are reserved for alternate (user) loader(s), programs, and logo data.

 The LCD display is 128 x 64.

First, we need to update the bootloader. The new bootloader reads the logo data from a separate section of flash.

Perform these steps exactly as listed! Updating the DS Bootloader

Next, we need to upload our custom logo data to flash.

 The logo data is stored in the final page of flash and is

((128 x 64) / 8) = 1024 bytes

Do not write more than 0x400 bytes (1024) to the final page in flash. This could wrap-around and corrupt the second-stage loader.

Here is the last piece with complete steps and utility program: DS Logo Update